Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"The capital city is really big!"

This was Li Sanshui's first impression upon arriving in Beijing.

Although the capital city had not yet been completely transformed, the plans for its main thoroughfares were already emerging.

In the plan spearheaded by Zhu Youjian, the four main streets in the east, west, south, and north of the capital were all 100 meters wide.

When Li Sanshui entered the city through Yongding Gate, the first thing he saw was South Street.

The street is bordered by the Temple of Heaven to the west and the Temple of Earth to the east, and the area already had few residents, so the demolition was completed quickly.

Li Sanshui stood on the street, which was a hundred meters wide, and couldn't see the other side at all.

He couldn't help but marvel at the grandeur of the capital city.

Not to mention Li Sanshui, even Song Yingsheng, who had visited the capital, was extremely amazed.

Four years ago, when he took the imperial examination, the capital city wasn't this spectacular.

The capital city is now clean and tidy, much better looking than before.

"Cement is a really good thing."

"All the roads in the city should be paved!"

Song Yingsheng tapped the cement road beneath his feet, expressing his great fondness for this type of hardened surface.

In the past, dirt roads were dusty on sunny days, requiring watering to suppress the dust. On rainy days, they were muddy and easy to get clothes dirty.

Modern cement roads don't have this problem; as long as they are cleaned frequently, they can remain spotless.

Looking at the clean and tidy roads, Song Yingsheng knew that the governance of the capital had greatly improved.

This made him marvel at the power of cement, and he thought of the Institute of Physics, which was headed by his younger brother, Song Yingxing:
"The Institute of Natural History studies these things; it seems to have great potential."

"His Majesty is truly wise; all kinds of talented people have room to flourish."

In the past, a prodigy like his younger brother would have been considered an anomaly. Even if he were to be appointed to an official position by chance, he would have had no room to make a difference.

He himself was the same; as a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, he could not possibly have a great career in officialdom.

If it weren't for the current emperor, the brothers wouldn't have their current status.

Not to mention Li Sanshui, who was by his side, was a complete commoner.

Seeing Li Sanshui's reserved, awkward, and cautious demeanor, Song Yingsheng said:
"Relax! Don't worry."

"There's nothing to be afraid of in the capital. Don't forget you're a nobleman, a hereditary duke of the Ming Dynasty."

"After the title is conferred, the Emperor will also grant you a residence!"

Let Li Sanshui relax and stop being so reserved and timid.

With the status of a nobleman of the Ming Dynasty, one need not fear wherever one goes.

No one but the emperor could deal with them or threaten their lives.

Thinking about this, Li Sanshui felt much more confident.

He frequently led refugees on migrations, showing no fear of traveling far and wide.

I was so overwhelmed by the grandeur of the capital that I forgot I was about to become a nobleman and a resident of the capital.

He said somewhat embarrassedly:

"The capital city is so magnificent!"

Where do we go next?

Song Yingsheng had been to the capital before and had a younger brother who held an official position there, so he knew a great deal about the place. He said to Li Sanshui:
"You are about to be granted a knighthood, and after you leave your fiefdom, you may stay at the Huitongguan when you come to the capital."

"But since I don't have a title now, I don't know if I'll be able to move in."

"Come with me to Chang Geng's residence for a while, and then follow the arrangements of the Court of Colonial Affairs."

He was invited to Song Yingxing's house to stay for a few days.

Li Sanshui repeatedly declined, but couldn't refuse his superior. He could only follow Song Yingsheng to Song Yingxing's residence for the time being. It wasn't holiday yet, so Song Yingxing naturally had to go to work during the day. He not only held the position of head of the Academy of Natural Sciences, but also served as the director of the National Assembly's Industrial Committee, giving him considerable influence in industrial planning.

Especially after the emperor focused on the growth rate of industry and commerce and used the output value of industry and commerce to evaluate officials, his work became even busier, and he often couldn't come home even after get off work.

Song Yingsheng didn't see his younger brother until evening. After they poured out their hearts to each other, they talked about their respective plans.

Upon learning that his elder brother had come to attend the Emperor's birthday celebration and had brought with him an auspicious omen—Li Sanshui, who had been promoted from a military household to a knight—Song Yingxing exclaimed with delight:
"Since it's an auspicious omen, we should report it immediately."

"His Majesty loves talented people the most. Just a few days ago he said, 'The most important thing is talent.'"

"Your auspicious omen is truly auspicious; the Emperor will surely be pleased!"

Congratulations to Li Sanshui on becoming a hereditary knight!

Upon learning that Li Sanshui and the nobles of Dongning Island planned to establish a fiefdom in Luzon, he frowned and said:

"The recapture of Luzon is inevitable, but what the court values ​​most now is conquering Japan."

"When the King of Korea returned a few days ago, many nobles in the capital sent people to accompany him."

"They all planned to go to Japan to establish their own domains and replace the existing domains."

He explained the matter in detail, clarifying the prevailing sentiment in the capital.

For the nobles of the capital, Japan was an ideal fiefdom.

Not only is it relatively close in distance, but it also has a large population and abundant resources.

Successfully conquering Japan would bring immediate benefits.

They were able to quickly establish their own regime after replacing the leaders of the various domains.

Therefore, the more these nobles understood Japan, the more they were tempted.

Many people have already sent their sons and brothers to Korea to form armies for the Eastern Expedition.

Song Yingxing himself strongly supported this, because the emperor's requirements stipulated that child labor was not allowed and that children could only work in a few industries under the supervision of the Maternal and Child Health Association.

However, jobs like cleaning chimneys sometimes required child labor. Japanese slaves, who were granted special permission by the emperor to use such labor, were therefore favored.

Song Yingxing hoped that the various Japanese domains would send more Japanese slaves, and that they could be given many dangerous jobs.

He even planned to place his own domain in Japan, believing that the policies regarding Japanese slaves were very suitable for developing industry.

Song Yingsheng listened to his younger brother's words, puzzled, and asked:
Is developing industry really that important?

"Why does His Majesty attach such importance to this?"

"Shouldn't we be looking for arable land when we expand overseas?"

Song Yingxing said with a smile:

“Ordinary nobles should naturally seek farmland.”

“But those of us who were granted titles as artisans should also develop industry when we establish our own fiefdoms.”

"Otherwise, it would be no different from the fiefdoms of other nobles, so how could we compete with them?"

"His Majesty also supports this, believing that we can develop primary processing industries in our fiefdom."

"Only high-end industries will be restricted, such as the latest equipment and steam engines under development, which are not allowed to leave the country."

Song Yingsheng was even more confused by these things, and Li Sanshui was completely baffled.

What they could discern was that the nobles of the capital had different ideas from their own. Rather than occupying wasteland for cultivation, these people preferred to occupy land to collect taxes or develop industry and commerce.

This is probably related to the fact that places like Korea and Japan have large populations and are deeply influenced by Central Plains culture.

As long as these people are willing to obey, they can quickly generate profits, making it suitable for developing industry and commerce.

In Southeast Asia, the majority of the inhabitants are indigenous people. They are mostly in a state of ignorance and need to be educated for generations.

Li Sanshui and others could only migrate and cultivate the land to improve the quality of the population before gradually developing more advanced industries. (End of Chapter)