Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The meeting, which was supposed to discuss industry, ended up focusing on agriculture as the most important topic.

The court officials were most concerned about how to allocate the land in the Liaohetao region, while industrial planning became a secondary issue.

This made Zhu Youjian deeply aware of the importance people placed on land at the time, so he set aside 10,000 square li of land to be sold publicly for the court and the public to compete for, in order to prevent them from being too concerned about industry.

After the court session ended, the contents of this meeting, which was not required to be kept secret, quickly spread.

Merchants from all over the country flocked to the capital, eagerly seeking connections and inquiries about specific details.

Wu Shirui then used his uncle Wang Shimin to gain access to Wen Tiren, a high-ranking official, to inquire about information.
"What did His Majesty say?"

How much will the land in the Liaohetao region be sold?

"It's been quite a while now, shouldn't it be settled by now?"

"We can't wait until next year!"

Wen Tiren was in a very good mood and said with a smile:
"The land to be sold to meritorious officials has already been decided in the imperial court, and the money must be handed over before the end of the year."

"His Majesty has given this money to the Ministry of Revenue. How much money each government office has next year will depend on how much budget it applies for from the Ministry of Revenue."

This was the matter of utmost concern to court officials, and it was also the reason why Han Kuang suggested that officials take out loans. As the person in charge of formulating economic plans, he urgently needed this money to achieve results that would satisfy the emperor.

Upon hearing this, Wu Shirui somewhat understood Wen Tiren's intentions and took the initiative to speak:
"Did Wen Gong lack money to buy land?"

“My nephew and uncle still have some money at home, which they can lend out.”

"It will definitely be lower than the interest rate of Sihai Bank, and it's not a gift."

The plan is to use a preferential loan to strengthen the relationship between several companies.

At this moment, he even felt a little fortunate:

Because of the emperor's restrictions on the amount of gifts, he could send gifts without spending a fortune.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to offer Wen Tiren a preferential interest rate; he might have even had to give away the principal.

The emperor's strict investigation into corruption and his order for officials to declare their assets were indeed beneficial to these merchants, reducing their expenses in this area significantly.

As for Wen Tiren, who aspires to reach higher levels, he is even more unwilling to be pulled down because of financial issues.

Born in Huzhou, his family belonged to one of the five prominent families of Nanxun. This place has always been wealthy and was a major center for the silk industry.

Although he hadn't reached the level of the late Qing Dynasty where every family possessed at least a million taels of silver, Wen Tiren was not unable to come up with 150,000 taels of silver.

He said calmly:
"I won't take out a loan, to avoid being criticized by some officials."

“However, managing land is a demanding task. If you are willing, we can cooperate to start an agricultural company and manage the land together.”

He revealed the news from the imperial court about establishing agricultural companies and authorizing them to collect taxes, hoping that Wu Shirui would be in charge of managing and operating them.

Wu Shirui inwardly took a deep breath, realizing that Wen Tiren's appetite was far greater than he had imagined.

The agricultural company was supposed to be established for profit sharing, but when it came to developing the land, how could he not put his heart into the Wen family's land?

Even when selling agricultural products, he would prioritize selling the Wen family's products first.

This is clearly handing over the business risks to him, while the Wen family reaps the benefits.

Looking at Wen Tiren's despicable face, and thinking of Liu Lishun who had always been kind and gentle to him, he now wholeheartedly supported Liu Lishun's actions, believing that officials should establish the concept of serving the people.

At this moment, he began to have second thoughts, feeling that going through Liu Lishun's connections and handling matters officially would be more cost-effective.
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However, Wen Tiren's next words immediately changed his mind, making him feel that there was not much risk in managing the land in the Liaohetao region:

"The Emperor intends to break free from dependence on grain transported from the south and establish a grain base in the Liaohe Plain."

“The land on the east bank is needed to supply the garrisons in Liaodong and Liaoning, and it may not be able to be transferred out.”

"Therefore, the capital's grain mainly came from the land in the Liaohetao region on the west bank."

"The Emperor requires that all those who purchase land here must sign an acquisition agreement with the Sinong Temple Grain Group."

"In other words, the grain produced will sell well, and the imperial court will consume it no matter how much it is."

This startled Wu Shirui so much that he gasped and immediately decided that he would buy the land in the Liaohetao region no matter what.

With this agreement, they have a safety net. As long as they harvest the grain, they won't have to worry about not making a profit.

This was also a measure taken by Zhu Youjian to push up land prices in the Liaohetao region, hoping to sell more silver.

In the future, this agreement will allow for the planning of planting in the Liaohetao region. Orders will be placed based on the needs of the capital. The Liaohetao area will serve as a pilot zone for agricultural commercialization, transforming the traditional small-scale farming economy into a commodity economy. Although Wu Shirui didn't understand these things, upon hearing the agreement, he realized:

Buying land in the Liaohetao region is a sure-fire way to make money.

The only risk is how much of the land in the Liaohetao region can be reclaimed, and whether all of it can be converted into arable land.

Regarding this point, Wen Tiren said:
"His Majesty has already said that half of the proceeds from the land sold to you this time will be invested in the development of the Liaohe River bend, the construction of the Liaodong border wall, and the construction of highway stations."

"The most important thing is to build water conservancy projects and dig ditches, and strive to turn the Liaohe Plain into high-yield and stable farmland that is resistant to drought and flood."

"The grain here is crucial to the stability of the capital. Do you think the imperial court will take this seriously?"

Wu Shirui naturally believed that the imperial court was not just putting on a show for such an important matter.

Especially since half of the land had already been sold at a preferential rate to meritorious officials by the emperor, neither the emperor nor his officials would allow the development of the Liaohe Plain to fail.

Merchants need not worry about the best goods being picked up by meritorious officials, as the court plans to sell them mixed in.

Hearing this, Wu Shirui felt much more at ease and decided that no matter how high the price was, he had to secure a piece of land.

After learning that the imperial court was offering a preferential price of 1,500 taels per square li to meritorious officials, he was already calculating whether to use 2,000 or 3,000 taels to acquire these lands.

He's willing to pay up to the price of paddy fields in Jiangnan, since land in the Liaohetao region is exempt from tax for ten years, and he's willing to spend an extra ten years to recoup his costs.

If, as the rumors suggest, the Liaohe River basin does indeed become a mini-Jiangnan region, then he will make a fortune, and it will be a family business for generations to come.
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Thinking about this, Wu Shirui asked curiously:

"Half of the revenue is invested in the Liaohetao region, what about the other half?"

"How does the imperial court plan to spend the money? Are they going to find an enemy to fight?"

This was the primary purpose of the Suzhou-Songjiang merchants' northward journey, and also the reason why they were willing to spend money to support the imperial court and purchase land.

If the imperial court decides to continue procuring supplies, he will be even more motivated to buy land along the Liao River.

Wen Tiren stroked his beard and smiled:
"exactly!"

"The imperial court has decided to launch a campaign against Annam."

"However, this time it is not a nationwide mobilization, but a partial mobilization."

"Only certain regions and industries will be placed under wartime conditions. Everything else will remain the same to avoid exploiting the people."

"Taking Annam is not urgent. The court plans to take several years to gradually annex it and ensure long-term stability."

"To avoid a repeat of the situation during the Cheng-Xuan era, where troops were eventually withdrawn."

This is the initial strategy agreed upon in the court, drawing lessons from the early days of the dynasty's conquest of Annam, and aiming to take Annam with a more prudent approach.

According to the initial plan, the plains of Annam, which were easy to govern, would be directly ruled by garrisons. The mountainous areas, which were difficult to govern, would be granted to meritorious officials who would then establish guards to suppress the local populations.

The expenses for the imperial army were covered by the imperial court. Part of the funds from this land sale were used as military expenses for the Annam War.

The expenses for the noble guards were, of course, to be paid by the nobles themselves. The court was only responsible for dealing with the main force of Annam, while local governance was left to them.

The emperor has ordered nobles willing to go to Annam to establish a vassal state to register, and has instructed his ministers to recommend ministers to form the Annam Front Committee.

The competition was exceptionally fierce, as all the members of the Liaodong Front Committee, except for Bi Zisu and Lu Xiangshan, received at least the title of Earl.

Moreover, Bi Zisu and Lu Xiangshan are currently in charge of establishing provinces in western and eastern Liaoning. Once this is completed, given their contributions in clearing out the local barbarians, it is highly likely that they will become earls.

Serving as a front-line committee member is equivalent to a stepping stone to being ennobled.

The position of the Annan Front Committee member naturally attracted many people to covet it.

The position of commander-in-chief was particularly fiercely contested. After all, the feat of conquering a nation was an achievement that would earn one a place in history.

Grand Secretary Han Kuang recommended Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Yunnan, while Grand Councilor Yuan Keli suggested abolishing the governorship of the five provinces of Sichuan and Guizhou and transferring Fu Zonglong to lead the troops that had quelled the She-An rebellion to attack Annam, which was nearby.

However, the emperor was uneasy about the chieftains in the southwest and distrusted the fighting strength of the old army. He preferred to send someone from the court to command the new army and annihilate the main force of Annam with overwhelming force.

Then, the duties of the commander-in-chief of the front in Annam shifted to presiding over the enfeoffment, establishing garrisons in the Red River Plain, and suppressing the overall situation in Annam.

This requires the commander-in-chief to have high prestige and to coordinate the nobles and meritorious officials who have been granted fiefdoms.

Currently, the emperor's favorite is Zhu Xieyuan. He intends to allow this meritorious official, who defeated She'an's main force, to achieve even greater feats. (End of Chapter)