Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The Immigration Commission is a newly established body under the Congressional Citizenship Committee.

After appointing Zhu Tongmeng as the Governor-General of Immigration, Zhu Youjian worried that his methods were too harsh, so he ordered him to set up an Immigration Committee in the National Assembly to act as a check and balance while he was in charge of the Immigration Administration.

The agency's responsibility is to oversee Immigration Service officials and urge them to act with compassion and relocate as many disaster victims as possible.

The current head of the Immigration Committee is Imperial Inspector Ma Maocai.

He was from Ansai, Shaanxi, and had gone to Shaanxi to investigate the disaster situation. He was appointed by Zhu Youjian as an imperial inspector to supervise immigration affairs.

At this time, Ma Maocai was inspecting the various immigration camps. He pointed out some problems that existed in the immigration process:
"Dongning is no longer accepting immigrants, but you must approve the immediate family members of those on the island."

"His Majesty has repeatedly emphasized that benevolence is fundamental and that immigrants should not be separated from their families."

When officials at the immigration camp found it troublesome and refused to approve all requests to immigrate to Dongning Island, Ma Maocai, after receiving complaints from some people, demanded that these families be reunited.

The immigration officials were too busy to spare any attention for these scattered individuals.

However, they could not ignore Ma Maocai's demands.

After all, the imperial inspector was not just a figurehead; he could reach the emperor directly.

After much effort, they managed to persuade Ma Maocai to calm down and comply with his demands for rectification. Just as the officials of the immigration camp were about to send this plague away, they saw Ma Maocai stop again.

Seeing him from afar, Tian Jianxiu called out loudly:
"Inspector Ma, you're here too!"

"This time, we owe a great debt to you. Governor Zhu approved the immigration to southern Liaoning."

He showed Zhu Tongmeng's approval document to Ma Maocai.

They then had the officials of the immigration camp verify the information and posted notices recruiting immigrants in southern Liaoning.

The officials at the immigration camp were overjoyed and rushed off to their tasks.

Ma Maocai stopped and asked Tian Jianxiu:
"What did Governor Zhu say?"

"How many immigration applications have you been approved for?"

He knew Tian Jianxiu; they were both from Yan'an Prefecture, and their hometowns were not far apart.

After arriving at the Cangzhou immigrant camp, Tian Jianxiu first paid his respects to Ma Maocai.

Ma Maocai greatly admired this fellow townsman who was a martial artist, considering him to be gentle, kind, and a rare talent.

Tian Jianxiu smiled innocently:
"Governor Zhu was worried about where the immigrants should go, and he approved 150,000 households for me."

"With these immigrants, three military and civilian garrisons can be built in southern Liaoning."

Upon hearing this number, Ma Maocai's expression immediately turned serious, and he asked him:

"Does Governor Zhu know that there is fighting in southern Liaoning?"

"And winters in southern Liaoning are sometimes even colder than in Shaanxi."

"If they are not properly resettled, how will the immigrants survive?"

Tian Jianxiu replied with a smile:

"There are very few Tartars going to Liaonan anymore; the Marquis of Dongjiang has reached Lianshan Pass."

"As for wintering, the military and civilian government is already repairing the camps to ensure that no one is left to spend the winter in the wild."

"The temperatures in Shaanxi and southern Liaoning are actually similar, so the disaster victims should be able to adapt."

(Average January temperatures in China are similar in southern Liaoning and Shaanxi)
The temperature data for each region was compiled by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau after the current emperor ascended the throne. Rainfall data was also compiled to determine the crops that could be grown in each region.

Although the data is not yet complete, a general understanding has been gained. At least Ma Maocai knows that southern Liaoning and Cangzhou are at similar latitudes and have similar climates.

Compared to going to Southeast Asia, Shaanxi disaster victims actually found it easier to adapt to life in southern Liaoning.

Ma Maocai nodded approvingly and continued to instruct Tian Jianxiu:
"We still need to be careful, as it can get cold suddenly in southern Liaoning sometimes."

"Especially since the spring planting season is over, your area will have to rely on relief for food." "You have to be careful with the 150,000 immigrants; you can't send them all at once."

This is the most troublesome place for immigrants from southern Liaoning. Everyone has to rely on the imperial court for support, and they will continue to rely on the imperial court for assistance until the autumn harvest next year.

Unlike places like Dongning, where land can be cultivated and planted in the same year, and the following year can be self-sufficient and even the grain can be sold to other places.

If it weren't for the need to stabilize the four guards in southern Liaoning, the imperial court would never have organized the migration of people to southern Liaoning at this time.

Tian Jianxiu also knew the difficulty of this task, and revealed it to Ma Maocai:
"There is a good catch of fish along the southern coast of Liaoning. There are many mackerel along the coast from Fuzhou to Gaizhou."

"Right now, the supply troops at the Liaohe Camp are busy making canned goods."

"These methods can reduce the amount of food consumed."

The text mentions fishing in the Liaodong area, as well as plans to burn wasteland in southern Liaoning to drive wild animals out of the mountains and forests.

These are experiences from the development of Dongning. Although the situation in southern Liaoning is not as good, food can still be obtained.

With such a multi-pronged approach, we can usually sustain this for a year or two.

Ma Maocai nodded approvingly, believing that although Tian Jianxiu was not well-educated, he truly implemented the emperor's instruction to be benevolent.

As long as you work hard, you will definitely have a bright future.
-
Just as Ma Maocai and Tian Jianxiu were discussing immigration matters and sharing their experiences, a commotion suddenly broke out in the immigration camp. A young scholar questioned:

"Have all the immigrants requested by the Lu Kingdom been selected?"

"Are you underestimating His Highness Prince Lu and neglecting the affairs of the Lu region?"

The officials at the immigration camp couldn't afford to bear this accusation, so the official in charge quickly responded:
"Who dares to underestimate the Prince of Lu? There's really no other way."

“Your Lu province was just established this year, and immigrants are unwilling to go there.”

"Mr. Huang, as you know, the emperor wants to exercise his right of choice. Where immigrants migrate to depends on their wishes."

"There are few people electing your Lu Fan now, what can I do?"

She kept complaining to him, telling him about her predicament.

After Zhang Pu's "On Choice" was published, the immigrant camps were definitely one of the first places to implement it, if not elsewhere.

The emperor ordered that information about overseas territories be disseminated to immigrants, allowing them to choose their own destinations.

Because of this, immigrants can now choose their destinations according to their wishes. Places such as the Nanyang Guards, the Andong Guards, and the Principality of Jiangling, which have been accepting immigrants for several years, are very popular among them.

These places already have camps, so there's no need for new immigrants to start all over again.

The newly established Prince Lu's fiefdom and Pingjiang Protectorate were not welcomed. Having heard how difficult the first year of Dongning's development had been, most of them were unwilling to go to the new territories.

Huang Zongxi was facing this situation, and no amount of anxiety or frustration could change it.

As one of the earliest officials from the Lu region to travel south, Huang Zongxi's real purpose was to establish the parliament he envisioned in Lu.

He never expected that after arriving in Southeast Asia, he would realize how ridiculous his ideas were:
The local natives couldn't understand Chinese at all, and those who could understand Chinese were almost all absorbed by the Lu Fan.

Needless to say, most of the Han Chinese who migrated there were tenant farmers who were dependent on the Prince of Lu. After arriving in Lu, they became the Prince of Lu's hereditary soldiers.

These people are all working for the Prince of Lu, how can they establish a parliament to limit the monarch's power?
After much deliberation, Huang Zongxi personally traveled to Cangzhou to recruit immigrants. He hoped to recruit people who were not affiliated with the Prince of Lu to support his efforts to limit the emperor's power.

However, the immigrants in Cangzhou were not enthusiastic about the newly established Luzhou vassal state. Even though Huang Zongxi advocated for parliament and democracy, few people responded.

For disaster victims, all they hoped for was a good monarch to rule them; how could they possibly think of seizing power?

The reputation of the Lu Kingdom was ruined as a result, and many people believed that with a minister like him, the Lu Kingdom might be unstable in the future.

So much so that even after a month of Huang Zongxi's stay, he still hadn't filled the ship carrying immigrants.

Left with no other option, he could only force the officials at the immigration camp to help him resolve the issue. (End of Chapter)