Great Ming: Zhu Biao and I Reform the Hongwu Era

After transmigrating to the first year of the Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty, Shen Mo becomes a seventh-rank assistant in the Eastern Palace's Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. A line of pale gold text appears at the edge of his vision: Hongwu Compatibility System activated. He has access to public information from the future, filtered to include only technical solutions that can be implemented directly using early Ming handicrafts. He will never cross the line into technology beyond the era: He improves the mortise-and-tenon assembly line, tripling production at the Longjiang shipyards. A simple anti-inflammatory medicine brewed with traditional methods halves the border army's battle-wound mortality rate. Horse-drawn rail carts increase the efficiency of grain transport through the southwestern mountains fivefold. Starting with reforms to the military colonies and improvements to people's livelihoods, he guarantees families' basic living needs with three mu of hereditary farmland. By honoring the common ancestors of the Han and various ethnic groups, and having them worship Zhuge Liang together, he eases ethnic divisions in the southwest. Throughout, he expands overseas trade to grow the economic pie and create room for reform, without taking so much as a fraction of the powerful families' core holdings. Working side by side with Zhu Biao, he gradually eradicates the century-old threats of land consolidation and a crumbling border army, pulling the Ming dynasty out of the cycle that dooms dynasties to collapse after 300 years and securing a golden age that lasts for centuries. A Note from the Author Readers, feel free to jump in. Every reform in this story has been checked for feasibility against the Nong Shu by Wang Zhen, the Great Ming Code, and the craftspeople of the early Ming. There is no technology pulled out of thin air, and every practical detail has a historical anchor in the Hongwu era. There is no mindless head-on confrontation with Zhu Yuanzhang and no overpowered rampage. The protagonist relies throughout on calculating costs, assessing risks, and balancing the interests of all parties. Disclaimer: This is an alternate-history work with a positive outlook. All events are fictional extrapolations and do not correspond to any real historical events or assessments of historical figures. It is written purely for the enjoyment of history enthusiasts.