Daming Town Haiwang

Chapter 1258, High Loess Slope

"Daming's transportation is very developed. They have built a cement road network connecting major provinces and cities, and it is still being refined at a terrifying speed."

"The cement road has many advantages. It is very convenient to transport in a four-wheeled carriage. Using a four-wheeled carriage can transport a large amount of goods at one time, and the cement road is very strong and durable. Compared with the traditional dirt road, the advantages are too obvious. .”

"From the moment I entered the Hezhong area of ​​Daming, I could sit leisurely in a four-wheeled carriage all the way to the east, watching the scenery along the way, reading books and writing diaries at the same time."

"All of this is due to the existence of concrete roads, which are very flat and comfortable."

"But obviously, the people of Daming are not satisfied with this. They are vigorously constructing the railway. The train is a giant that relies on steam power. It is said that it can carry two thousand people at a time, and it can also travel thousands of miles a day."

"Once Daming completes the construction of railways in major provinces, regions, and cities, it is conceivable how well-developed transportation in Daming will become. According to the time, the time from the capital of Daming to the attack on the port in the westernmost Nanyun Province can be three months." The time is shortened to only a few days."

"And they can easily send a large amount of troops, food, and weapons to any place in the empire. This is the power of the railway."

"The rulers of the Ming Empire are clearly aware of the importance of railways, and they spared no expense to build railways across the country. It is said that the railway planning from the capital of the Ming Dynasty to Nanyun Province alone requires more than [-] million taels of silver. .”

"But what a frightening figure, it is several times what our Ottoman Empire compensates the Ming Empire for war indemnities, but the Ming Empire has easily raised enough funds through the public fundraising method of the Tianjin Stock Exchange."

"It is said that this railway has already been repaired to our next stop, Taiyuan."

Ali Pasha put down the pen in his hand and looked at the scenery outside the window.

In Ali Pasha's original imagination, the Central Plains of Ming Dynasty should be very beautiful, with beautiful mountains and rivers, rich things and abundant people, not to mention Xanadu, but at least it should be very beautiful.

However, at this time, the place he passed was the Loess Plateau, the land was full of ravines, the land was barren, and there was no human habitation. It didn't look like the core of a powerful empire, but rather some borderlands.

It is still very different from the affiliated Ming Empire that I imagined.

"Rustu~"

After thinking for a while, Ali Pasha shouted hastily.

Lu Situ is the translator of the entourage. He is proficient in Daming dialect and has a good understanding of various aspects of Ming Dynasty. He often reads newspapers in Daming.

"Adult~"

Rustu rode a horse and hurried to Ali Pasha's four-wheeled carriage.

"This is the Central Plains of Ming Dynasty?"

Rustu pointed to the outside and asked.

"Yes, my lord~"

"This is called the Loess Plateau. It is the origin of the Ming people. Many powerful dynasties in history originated here. Like the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, they all relied on this fertile land and eventually became powerful."

"However, because the history of development here is too long, excessive reclamation and felling have made this rich land gradually become what it is now. The erosion of water and soil is extremely serious, forming a scene of thousands of ravines."

"Compared to other places in Daming, this place has become very barren."

"But in the past, the population here was also very dense. Over the years, with the expansion of the Ming Empire, they acquired a large amount of land."

"The Ming court began to relocate a large number of people from this area. For example, many Ming people from the Western Regions, Hezhong, and South Caucasus regions migrated from here."

"My lord, look at those villages, they are all deserted now."

Rustu introduced the situation in the Loess Plateau to Ali Pasha in detail.

"Basically all moved out?"

Ali Pasha was slightly surprised when he heard it, and then took a closer look.

Relatively speaking, the land that the road passes through is relatively convenient and not too bad. Although there are thousands of ravines, you can also see a lot of vegetation.

There are dilapidated villages dotted on this land, but there is no human habitation, and sometimes you can even see some wild yellow sheep foraging freely on the hillsides.

"Looking at the villages here and these barren fields, there used to be a lot of people here."

Ali Pasha looked very carefully. There are many villages along the road, which can be seen everywhere, and the scale does not seem to be small. Looking at the fields in the surrounding yellow map, it can be seen that they are all flat and have obviously been reclaimed. .

"Yes, my lord~"

"The population here is very large. The Ming Empire immigrated millions of people from the three provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan. The focus of this is the Loess Plateau."

"The current Minister of the Ministry of Officials of the Ming Empire is an extremely important position, with a high position and weight, almost second only to the position of the Grand Vizier."

"Liu Jin, Minister of the Ministry of Officials of the Ming Empire, believed that the environment of the Loess Plateau was harsh and the population was too large, which brought enormous pressure to the environment and was no longer suitable for human survival."

"All the population on the Loess Plateau should be moved out, let it recuperate, and gradually restore the forests, vegetation, and natural environment on the Loess Plateau, so as to reduce the sediment washed into the Yellow River from the Loess Plateau."

Rustu is a qualified interpreter and everywhere, and even such a thing, he had a detailed understanding in advance and was able to speak clearly.

"Immigrate millions of people to Hezhong, Western Regions, and Nanyun Province, and completely leave a large area that was originally bustling and prosperous. What kind of courage is needed, and how much financial and material resources are needed to realize it."

After listening to Ali Pasha, he was also deeply shocked by this huge immigration plan.

Migrating millions of people thousands of miles away is not just about moving millions of people to another place.

The food needed along the way, the living security after arriving at the destination, etc., there are too many things to consider, and even relying on mandatory orders, I am afraid it will be a huge expense.

"Yes, my lord~"

"It is said that the Ming court spent tens of millions of taels of silver for this immigrant."

"But the effect is obvious and the effect is great."

"One is immigration to the border. A large number of people immigrated to the newly acquired territory, which changed the local population structure. The arrival of a large number of Han people consolidated Ming's rule and control over the border area."

"At the same time, the development of these immigrant places has been strengthened, such as the Western Regions and the Hezhong area. With the arrival of a large number of immigrants, these areas have been developed rapidly, especially the Hezhong area. It has become a huge granary and meat warehouse. The Ming Empire does not need to dispatch a grain of grain from the Central Plains, and the Hezhong region alone is enough to meet the needs of the entire western border."

"The most important thing is that it has greatly eased the conflict between people and land in Daming."

Rustu nodded and began to talk about the benefits of immigration.

"Contradictions between man and earth?"

Upon hearing this, Ali Pasha thought about it carefully. Naturally, Ali Pasha immediately understood and saw clearly the previous few advantages.

But what is this contradiction between people?

"My lord, this Ming Dynasty is very different from our west and even Europe. They have experienced many dynasties in history, and the demise of each dynasty is basically due to conflicts between people and land."

"With the beginning and development of a dynasty, the land will gradually be concentrated in the hands of a few people. These few people own a lot of land and do not cultivate it. The people at the bottom have a large population but have no land. To plant land."

"Once there is a natural or man-made disaster, the common people at the bottom will not be able to survive, and peasant uprisings will arise, which will eventually cause huge social turmoil, and even directly lead to the collapse of a dynasty."

"It has been more than a hundred years since the founding of the Ming Empire, and the original land annexation is actually quite serious. However, various disasters often occur in the Ming Dynasty, so that various riots often occur."

"Fully aware of this, the Ming Empire adjusted its strategy. On the one hand, it actively expanded outwards, acquired a large amount of land, and at the same time moved a large number of people to the newly acquired land, and allocated a large amount of land to poor farmers for free. It can greatly alleviate the conflict between people and land, and consolidate the rule of the dynasty.”

"Take the Loess Plateau as an example. In the past, the population was dense, but the natural environment was very harsh, and the land was barren. One person didn't even have an acre of land, so this is the poorest area in Ming Dynasty."

"Often there is a disaster, and there will be wars and bandits here, because people have to eat and survive, and when they can't survive, they can do anything."

"The Ming Dynasty moved a large number of people here. When they arrived in the Western Regions and the Hezhong area, the land can be reclaimed and cultivated by you, and then use machines. A person can easily have hundreds of acres of land, and the food they can get casually If you can't finish eating, you will naturally become rich, and all kinds of bandits and peasant uprisings will disappear, and they will become the most staunch supporters of the Ming Dynasty."

Lu Situ explained the relationship in detail, and then Ali Pasha suddenly realized: "So it is, so it is~"

"Rustu, you are a real talent. I will definitely recommend you to the great Sultan after I go back."

"Your Excellency, I also read about it from Daming's newspaper."

Upon hearing this, Rustu replied honestly.

(End of this chapter)