Chapter 437 The upper limit is locked

Author: Wang Zixu

After the train Zhu Jingyuan took passed Pingding Mountain, it was already completely dark.

Early the next morning, the train arrived at Xi'an Fucheng, an ancient Chinese civilization city that has existed for two thousand years.

Many modern people think that if Chang'an is changed to Xi'an, the name will lose its antique flavor.

In fact, Xi'an is the name of a prefecture, which is equivalent to the name of a prefecture-level city later. Their corresponding ancient names in the Han and Tang Dynasties were Jingzhao County and Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chang'an is the name of the county. The name of Chang'an County has never disappeared after more than two thousand years since it appeared in the early days of Xi'an.

Even from the Tang Dynasty to the present, the location of the city has basically remained unchanged.

Later generations only abolished Chang'an County and changed it into Xi'an Chang'an District, which was no different from Chang'an County in Jingzhao County in the old days.

Urban construction projects often turn into archaeological projects. The excavator shovels down and lifts it up again, and there is no telling what things will be brought out.

Many ancient cities have a similar situation. Counties in ancient times were more famous, while prefectures and cities in later generations were just more famous.

This is actually the result of the continuous expansion of the city after industrialization and the repeated attempts to annex administrative districts.

Locals actually know that the relevant names are always there.

Zhu Jingyuan got up immediately early in the morning and admired the new look of the ancient capital in the morning light.

A familiar yet unfamiliar feeling appeared again.

The Guanzhong area where Xi'an Prefecture is located is a key node in connecting and controlling the northwest, and is the western gate to the core area of ​​China.

Xi'an is also one of the few large-scale industrial cities in the inland areas of the Ming Dynasty.

It is not a mining city, but a real industrial city, developed based on the surrounding mineral resources and unique geographical advantages.

In the big cities of the Ming Dynasty, not all the scenes in the city are traditional Chinese-style buildings.

At the very least, they won’t all be in the style of cornices, brackets, and carved balustrades.

Because industrialization pursues efficiency and speed, industrial buildings will naturally be simplified.

Just like the slab buildings and large workshops of later generations, they are not in the style of traditional Thai and Western architecture.

Of course, traditional cultural imprints will always exist and will not disappear on their own without strong external interference.

Just like in modern Western architecture and decoration in later generations, decorations and facilities such as tables, chairs, floors, windows, doors, etc. still have the traditional characteristics of the local classical era.

Therefore, most of the ordinary urban buildings in the Ming Dynasty are mainly simple buildings with traditional decorative features.

Only buildings with special political significance, as well as traditional manor houses of royal families, nobles, and wealthy businessmen, can "authentic" traditional ancient buildings appear regardless of cost.

Of course, this originality is only in form and aesthetics, and more than a dozen construction methods and building materials have changed.

Starting from the late Renwu Dynasty, under the direct leadership of the Ming royal family, and driven by realistic costs and practicality, reinforced concrete became the mainstream building material.

So much so that the wealthy class of the Ming Dynasty basically no longer pursue large-scale wooden buildings.

Otherwise, the virgin forests of Nanyang and Yinzhou will definitely suffer heavy losses...

From the Han and Tang Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the scale of traditional palace buildings became smaller and smaller, mainly due to the exhaustion of local large-scale timber.

After being supplemented by the wood from the virgin forests of Nanyang and Yinzhou, if the traditional feudal monarchs pursue it, it is very likely that they will build super-standard wooden buildings in this era.

However, due to the existence of Emperor Shizu, these situations were nipped in the bud.

And in the background of these buildings, there are towering chimneys that can be seen everywhere, as well as gray smoke, dust and mist that permeate the streets of the entire city.

The roar of car engines, the ringing of bicycle bells, the clatter of horse hooves hitting the ground, mixed with the noisy voices of people.

In such an environment, in an era when the first industrial revolution was basically completed and the second industrial revolution was unfolding, the scene of such a city always gave Zhu Jingyuan a sense of confusion.

Because in the history of Zhu Jingyuan's previous life, there was no oriental city in the early industrial era that was not influenced by foreign cultures.

Every time he comes to this kind of city, Zhu Jingyuan will take a special look to familiarize himself with and adapt to this world.

After Zhu Jingyuan entered the city, he did not appear in public and went directly to the Qin Prince's Mansion in the northeast of the city.

Zhu Jingyuan also specifically notified local officials in advance and did not ask them to go to the station to meet him. He would go directly to the Prince of Qin's Mansion tomorrow to meet him.

The Prince of Qin's Palace is nominally the first vassal palace of the Ming Dynasty, because the first Prince of Qin was the second son of Zhu Yuanzhang.

But in fact, the largest palace is actually the Zhou Palace in Lao Wu.

After the Renwu Dynasty, these foreign palaces, whether damaged in the war or not, were returned to the hands of the emperor.

After Emperor Shizu got rich, he successively restored some royal palaces in key cities and used them as residences for important members of the emperor's royal family to stay on business trips and inspections.

Zhu Jingyuan rested for a day at the Prince of Qin's Palace, and the next morning he received an audience with the main officials of the Third Division of Shaanxi Province in the main hall of the Prince's Palace.

Sitting on the main seat above, Zhu Jingyuan looked at the officials on both sides of the hall and felt that they were all a little too nervous.

It seems that they have high expectations, but they are also very nervous. It is obvious that many people come with their thoughts and thoughts.

However, in the relevant formal official meeting, the two parties will not discuss specific matters.

After greeting each other and chatting for a few words, the meeting was over.

Then the heads of the Shaanxi Sansi and Yushi stayed, obviously wanting to continue discussing some practical matters with Zhu Jingyuan.

Zhu Jingyuan was a little surprised and asked directly:

"Is there anything particularly urgent in Shaanxi that requires my immediate involvement?"

The four officials hesitated for a moment, and finally Chief Minister Liu Haidong spoke on behalf of them.

He asked very carefully:

"Please forgive me, Your Highness. Shaanxi is a remote and inland area. Compared with Jiangnan, it is drier and the wind and sand are quite severe.

"If there is anything that Your Highness feels uncomfortable with, please feel free to bring it up, and if you need anything, please feel free to give me your instructions.

"My subordinates and local officials in Shaanxi will do their best to cooperate with His Highness's errands..."

After Zhu Jingyuan heard these words, he couldn't help but frown and asked:

"Is there something in Chen Fangbo's words? If you have something to say, just say it directly and don't be so secretive.

"This is our first time dealing with each other. You may not be familiar with my style.

"I've always been a straightforward person, and what I hate the most is being mysterious.

“If you have something, an idea, or a problem, just say it. Even if I can’t solve it, I will work with you to find a solution.

"You are so nagging now, do you still want me to speculate on your thoughts?"

Liu Haidong and four other local officials suddenly became even more nervous:

"Your Highness, forgive me, forgive me, we... We were first worried that His Highness would not allow us to greet us at the station. We might be dissatisfied with Shaanxi, so we want to know what your Highness is dissatisfied with..."

Zhu Jingyuan was a little surprised:

"No? What are you thinking about? I didn't let you go to the station to greet me because I thought you should be quite busy now.

"And we arrived at the station early in the morning today, and it's not even bright yet. If you want to greet me, you'll have to wait in the middle of the night.

"Then after daybreak, we have to break up after meeting. It's completely unnecessary and it will interfere too much with your official duties.

"Finally, now that the court is deepening reforms and the situation is not absolutely stable, I want to reduce the number of public appearances.

"I have no dissatisfaction with Shaanxi. This is the hometown of the Han and Tang Dynasties and the heart of the Ming Dynasty.

"If you are just worried about this, there is really no need.

"But I hear what you mean. It seems that there are other things? Let's talk about other business directly. Don't worry about this."

Liu Haidong and other officials actually knew Zhu Jingyuan's character, so they were worried because Zhu Jingyuan would not let them go to the station to greet him.

Now that Zhu Jingyuan said this, they were all obviously relieved, but they were still not completely relaxed.

After all, this was their first direct contact, and they did not dare to completely trust what Zhu Jingyuan said.

So we continue to maintain a cautious attitude.

Liu Haidong continued to explain the situation:

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. I have long heard that Your Highness is the most considerate of subordinates. Only when I met you today did I realize that it is better to meet in person than to be famous.

“We still want to know whether His Highness will simultaneously implement the general education examination certificate system and the ticket system for government-owned manufacturers in Shaanxi and other regions of northwest China.

"The key is whether the private housing and vehicle purchase restriction systems already implemented in the Edo area will be implemented simultaneously."

Zhu Jingyuan nodded directly after hearing this:

"Yes, the general education examination certificate system will definitely be implemented, and will be gradually implemented throughout the entire Ming Dynasty.

"Regardless of ethnic group and origin, including all Ming people, they must finally take the exam and obtain this certificate through a ceremony.

“The ticket and purchase restriction system has also been verified and can reduce resource waste and ensure social fairness to a certain extent.

“Of course, all systems cannot be copied and must be adjusted according to local conditions.

“Right now, I don’t know enough about the local situation in Shaanxi, so the implementation plan of the corresponding system has not yet been determined.

"You know the local situation and should also know about these systems. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please be sure to tell me directly.
To be continued...