Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Just as Liu Lishun was busy planning the further development of the new district's industry, a group of ragged people arrived at the border between the Susong New District and Jiading County.

Although these people were dressed in tattered clothes, their eyes were very bright. They were also carrying sticks that appeared to have been sharpened for use as weapons.

As the road beneath their feet transformed from a muddy dirt path into a hard, rocky surface, a stir arose among the crowd. A young man shouted:
"Uncle Luo, is this the new district?"

"I heard the roads in the new district are particularly wide, is that true?"

The middle-aged man, addressed as Uncle Luo, stomped his foot hard, and upon discovering that the road surface truly resembled stone, he nodded vigorously and said:
"This is the new district; only the new district is willing to use cement to pave the ground!"

"We've arrived in the new district, from now on we're free!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd cheered, and some even shed tears.

They were all born slaves, and they risked their lives to escape here after hearing that the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area was releasing slaves and respecting hired workers.

We have endured countless hardships along the way, and now we have finally arrived at our destination.

Thinking that they would become free citizens after arriving in the new district, these people who had had enough of being enslaved immediately swarmed forward, vying to step onto the cement ground.

It seems that doing this means they have become residents of the new district.

Not far from here, at a place that resembled both a post station and a military camp, some people had already noticed something unusual.

The lookout on duty at the signal tower saw this scene, immediately rang the bell, and shouted:

"There are about two hundred new people arriving in the new district."

"The workers' association should go quickly to welcome and settle these newcomers."

Suddenly, several people appeared in the post station; they were members of the laborers' association.

A guard that looked like soldiers accompanied them.

Clearly, the new district has encountered this kind of situation many times and already has well-established procedures in place.

As the place where the employment policy was implemented most thoroughly, many slaves from other parts of Jiangnan escaped to the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area and obtained employment status.

The Suzhou-Songjiang New Area also welcomes these people because they must serve three years of military service to obtain citizenship.

The engineering battalion in the new district was set up for this purpose, and they have devoted their sweat and effort to the construction of roads and the development of industrial parks in the new district.

The workers' association also welcomes these people to join and strengthen the association.

Especially after the establishment of the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area Federation of Industry and Commerce, they welcomed newcomers even more, using their numerical advantage to counterbalance the Federation's financial resources.

Liu Xinguang was one of them. He was originally a laborer. He launched a strike with Zhang Pu and was therefore elected as a member of the Laborers Association Assembly, and was one of the standing committee members.

He was in charge of workers' affairs at the border with Jiading. He skillfully stepped forward and inquired:

Who's up ahead? Is there a leader?

"Tell me your name!"

A stir ran through the crowd, and the middle-aged man known as Uncle Luo stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting:
"Luo Liu from Macheng, may I ask your name, sir?"

"Is it the Crown Prince's army in the new district?"

His words, though seemingly gentle, were a subtle but firm reminder not to tarnish the Crown Prince's reputation.

He had heard that the army in the Suzhou-Songjiang New District belonged to the Crown Prince and that the Imperial Guards were stationed there.

Compared to the local armies that were like bandits, the Crown Prince's guards were clearly more reassuring.

However, he misused his little trick.

The workers' guards on the other side were not part of the military, but rather the security force of the workers' association.

Because the imperial court lacked sufficient power to attend to all aspects, some civilian armed forces were authorized to assist the military and police in patrolling and maintaining local security.

The workers' guard team was like that; most of them were retired soldiers from engineering battalions who took turns participating in the guard duty.

Liu Xinguang shouted to Luo Liu:
"I am Liu Xinguang, a member of the Workers' Association, leading the workers' guard team to welcome the newcomers."

"No matter your status, once you arrive in the new district, you can obtain citizenship through military service."

"Fellow workers, you are free."

"From this day forward, you are free men, no longer subject to slavery!"

He spoke these words loudly, his tone very familiar.

He has said this countless times over the past year; he is extremely familiar with it and it is very persuasive.

This was what Luo Liu and the others cared about most, and upon hearing the news, their cheers grew even louder; some even collapsed to the ground.

After receiving a clear answer, their nerves relaxed suddenly, and they felt completely drained.

Liu Xinguang had anticipated this, and immediately ordered his guards to step forward and guide them to the post station's accommodation area, giving them special instructions:
"These people are from Huguang (Hubei and Hunan provinces). I wonder if there is any epidemic there."

"Take them to clean up and take proper protective measures and isolation measures."

This is a lesson learned from accepting new people in the new district.

Initially, they did not pay much attention to this, but after several large-scale outbreaks of diarrhea and other diseases occurred in the new district due to the arrival of new people, the relevant systems were quickly improved.

Following the measures implemented at the Cangzhou immigrant camp, Liu Lishun imposed quarantine and epidemic prevention measures on all newcomers entering the new district.

The institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences located in the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area has also begun to conduct special research on pills targeting prevalent diseases in this area.

The workers' guard also expanded as a result, gaining the authority and responsibility to place new recruits.

In order to suppress any possible resistance, they also equipped themselves with weapons, including muskets.

Liu Xinguang carried a musket and was not afraid of being attacked suddenly.

Luo Liu and his group came to the new district to gain their freedom, so of course they wouldn't cause trouble once they arrived.

Seeing the warm welcome from the people in the new district, and that they were personally greeted, the people from Macheng were overjoyed and obediently followed them to the resettlement area.

Liu Xinguang also skillfully addressed Luo Liu as a brother and inquired:

"Brother Luo, you've come all the way from Macheng, that's quite a distance."

"Why didn't you come by boat? It's not easy to get here by land."

Seeing his amiable demeanor, Luo Liu, though not entirely at ease, still responded positively, saying with a bitter face:

"Our laborers in Macheng are suffering; where would they get the money to buy a boat?"

"We have come all this way by begging for food, and we only managed to get together in the new district."

They recounted how appalling the working conditions were in Macheng, saying they couldn't survive there any longer and had fled to this place.

Liu Xinguang was surprised and asked him:
"You have nearly two hundred people, that's quite a lot. Don't the local officials along the way care?"

Large-scale migrations of displaced people have been a key focus of the imperial court's directives to local authorities in recent years.

The Committee for Suppressing Rebellion and Relief, chaired by Yuan Keli, has been working to address the issue of displaced people.

After the emperor's prediction that the drought would worsen and this prediction was confirmed, the court's current approach to the displaced people is to try to prevent them from migrating.

Whenever a large group of refugees is discovered, local officials are required to report it to the imperial court, which will then organize their relocation.

Luo Liu was certainly aware of this, but compared to migrating overseas, they naturally preferred to stay in the mainland, especially in the rumored wealthy Suzhou-Songjiang New Area. He said somewhat slyly, "The government will certainly take care of things, but they will only send us out."

"If it weren't for the places that were distributing porridge along the way, we wouldn't have gotten here."

This made Liu Xinguang laugh out loud, but he knew in his heart that these people must have used some tricks to stop them from following instructions after the meal.

Regardless, they will be accepted when they arrive at the new district. Their character will become apparent during their three years of service.

If they were bandits or criminals, it's impossible for them to remain completely innocent for three years. At that point, the new district will, according to custom and law, exile them overseas.

They employ laborers who also serve in the military, so if someone wants to cause trouble, there are ways to deal with them.
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After calming them down and once they had all entered the resettlement area, Liu Xinguang immediately said:
"Quickly, prepare the horses, I need to see District Chief Liu."

"The workers from Hubei and Hunan have all arrived in the new district. Next, we need to prepare for their arrival."

After instructing these people to keep an eye on things, Liu Xinguang rode a fast horse to the government office of the new district to inform Liu Lishun of the news.

As one of the standing committee members of the Employers' Association, he held the title of knight and naturally had access to the officials of the new district.

Liu Lishun had been working at the Government Administration Department. When he heard that Liu Xinguang was requesting a meeting in the name of the Employers Association, he quickly invited him in.

Upon learning that slave girls from Macheng had arrived in the new district, Liu Lishun's expression turned serious, realizing this was a significant matter. He said to Liu Xinguang:
"This news is very important. On behalf of the New District government, I thank you for your contribution."

"Next, you should keep an eye out and see if any more people from Huguang come over."

"I will send a letter to the Suzhou government, asking them to pay attention to the displaced people."

Liu Xinguang was highly praised, and his achievement was recorded.

As a person with the title of knight, he would be awarded a medal for meritorious service and might even obtain a true hereditary noble status.

The high-ranking members of the workers' association therefore had close ties with the government. They were extremely keen on any opportunity to gain merit.

They were also part of the imperial court's control over industry and were incorporated into the ruling order.

Workers' guards and the like were all extensions of the imperial court's power.

Liu Lishun trusted this news and quickly sent a letter to the Suzhou Prefecture to remind them to pay attention.

However, he was powerless to reach the more distant prefectures and counties, and the local government offices there might not necessarily pay him any attention.

Therefore, after thinking it over, Liu Lishun went to the Jiangnan Governor's Office, which had been relocated to the new district, to inform Cao Wenheng of the news.

Like him, Cao Wenheng sensed something was amiss upon hearing this, and that something serious must have happened in Macheng. Otherwise, those maids wouldn't have traveled over a thousand miles to the new district.

Moreover, the fact that so many people migrated without any reports from prefectures or counties along the way is a dereliction of duty by local officials.

He slammed his fist on the table in anger and said:
"The officials in the prefectures and counties along the way were all incompetent and did nothing."

"How would they detect if these refugees were to cause trouble or rebel?"

"Don't worry, I will send letters to all the local areas to stop the migrants from coming to the new district."

Liu Lishun, however, advised against it:
"No need to stop them, just let the refugees come over."

"The new district is now economically vibrant, and its industry is experiencing rapid development, which requires more workers."

"These people came at just the right time. As long as there is enough food, the new district can feed them."

This was his idea: to see these escaped slaves as a new source of cheap labor.

After the workers in the new district completed their military service due to meritorious service or payment of wages, a new batch of people was needed to fill the gap.

Cao Wenheng hesitated for a moment upon hearing this. As the Governor of Jiangnan, he had to consider more than just the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area.

The wealth of Jiangnan is well-known, and if left unchecked, refugees would flock there.

He didn't want to cause chaos in Jiangnan by recruiting workers for the new district.

In response, Liu Lishun said:
"Now we need to determine how many refugees came from Huguang."

“If these people from Macheng are just an advance team, we need to be prepared to receive a large influx of refugees.”

“Besides the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area, there is no better place in Jiangnan to resettle these immigrants.”

This is a fact. As a new district established by the imperial court, the Suzhou-Songjiang New District had a high degree of policy freedom and even the power to experiment with rites and laws.

The refugees were settled in this place, which was far better than in other prefectures and counties.

The refugees only wanted to reach the Susong New Area. They would have to pass through Suzhou Prefecture, Changzhou Prefecture, and other prefectures. Cao Wenheng did not want them to come through these prefectures and counties, as it would affect the stability along the way.

Liu Lishun also knew this matter was troublesome, and after thinking it over, he said:

"Instead of letting the refugees disperse, it is better to arrange for them to migrate in one place."

"In the north, there is the Yancang Highway, which serves as a special route for relocation."

"Recently, the Longhai Highway has also begun construction, also for the purpose of resettlement."

"I believe that we in the South should also have dedicated migration routes to guide migrants through special roads. Furthermore, we should designate a certain area around the migrant population as a martial law zone and mobilize troops to maintain order."

"This road can also connect various prefectures and will serve as a channel for transporting goods in the future."

It is suggested that Cao Wenheng apply to the imperial court to build a highway connecting the prefectures in Jiangnan and even the prefectures in Southern Zhili.

Cao Wenheng was immediately intrigued by the suggestion.

He knew the purpose of the highway because one of his concurrent positions was the Inspector General of Taihu Lake.

Everyone in the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area deeply understands how important the Taihu Lake waterway is to the rise of the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area.

If the newly constructed highway network in the Jiangnan region can rival the waterways around Taihu Lake, that would be a major advantage.

However, the enormous cost of building roads in the new district made him somewhat hesitant to even mention it.

If the cost of building the Jiangnan Highway were to be just as high, the Jiangnan Governor's Office would not be able to afford it.

Upon hearing this, Liu Lishun smiled and said:
"The high cost of highways in the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area is due to the high standards required."

“Other places are different. Apart from the main roads, we can adapt to local conditions.”

"According to my estimation, this cost is not high, and the prefectures in Jiangnan can easily afford it."

After explaining his calculated highway costs, Liu Lishun also offered a reminder:

"After the implementation of the tax-sharing system, all the prefectures in Jiangnan now have surplus money."

"If the governor's office doesn't determine the purpose, then these funds and grain..."

He didn't continue, but Cao Wenheng certainly knew that these funds and grains would be divided up by officials in various prefectures and embezzled under various pretexts.

Instead of doing that, it would be better to turn this money and grain into something tangible, and road construction is one such example.

Moreover, it can utilize the migrating refugees, like the Yancang Highway, to build roads.

So he nodded and said:
"I will now submit a memorial to the court, requesting the Court of Imperial Stud to plan the Jiangnan Highway."

"The migration of refugees from Huguang to Jiangnan is a matter that cannot be ignored, and we must plan the migration route."

Under this pretext, they applied for permission to build the Jiangnan Highway. (End of Chapter)