The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 267: Frost and dew, cutting through thorns.

The Longque Guard was a garrison for overseas and frontier military development, and its commander and other officers were actually in charge of civil affairs.

Each commander has ten thousand households under him, each thousand household has ten hundred households under him, each hundred household has ten squads under him, and each squad has ten households.

Every family in every military garrison had to send at least one able-bodied man to form a militia division corresponding to the garrison.

The militia division was commanded by a division commander sent by the imperial court and was responsible for actual combat missions.

The commander of a militia division is at the same level as the guard commander.

The commanders and division commanders of the Longque Left and Right Guards, a total of four highest-ranking officers, led the regiment commanders and officers above the level of a thousand households of the garrison to the dock to welcome the Crown Prince and King of the Ming Dynasty.

A group of local military officers simply saluted and greeted Zhu Jianxuan at the dock, and then accompanied and led him to the garrison office.

Zhu Jianxuan wanted to see what was around him, so he chose to ride a horse instead of taking a car.

The civil and military officials who accompanied Zhu Jianxuan also chose to ride on horseback and follow on Zhu Jianxuan's left side, while the officers of the Longque Left and Right Guards rode on horseback and followed on the right side.

The crowd surrounded and escorted Zhu Jianxuan to the headquarters of the Longque Left Guard Commander's Office.

The other ordinary accompanying personnel unloaded the supplies on the boat and headed to the other side of the waterfall on a horse-drawn wooden track car.

The development of the North American interior is currently still distributed in a point-like manner.

Relying on basic tools such as ironware sent from the mainland and the east coast, basic industrial production and handicrafts are carried out locally.

With various development points, we are close to being self-sufficient.

North America's coal mines are mainly located inland, and it is currently difficult to transport them on a large scale.

The key point is that the current steel industry in North America is very backward, and coal sent to other settlements can basically only be used for burning.

But there is no shortage of timber in the interior of North America, and there is no need to transport coal specifically before industrial construction starts.

Zhu Jianxuan walked along a wide dirt road for more than 200 meters in the southeast direction, and saw a tall earth slope rising from the ground not far ahead.

Zhu Jianxuan looked up at the top of the slope and found that the height of the slope was very uniform and the top seemed to be completely flat.

But the width from east to west is very large, and there is no end in sight in either direction.

The height of the slope relative to the flat ground is estimated to be fifty or sixty meters, and there is a peculiarly shaped wooden fence on the top edge.

It looks like the branches in the middle and lower parts of a row of original trees have been removed, leaving only the crowns of the upper part of the trunks.

Use these trunks as fence posts while saving the trees themselves from death.

Then tie rows of wooden sticks horizontally to these pillars, and a fence that can block the attack of large animals is formed.

On the inside of this strange fence, there is a wooden watchtower at regular intervals.

There were soldiers on guard with rifles and rifles in the watchtower.

The areas around this area are now all mature and have been developed.

But it is conceivable that when this pioneer area was first built and the local population was very limited, it must have faced invasions from wild beasts and indigenous peoples.

In this modern era of steel and concrete jungle, all kinds of ferocious beasts have become rare protected animals.

But in this day and age they are a source of danger in the wild.

The indigenous people of the tribal era still have barbaric customs such as hunting, sacrifice, and scalping, which are even more dangerous than wild beasts.

Even if the settlements of Ming subjects had grown large enough, and even if the Ming immigrants were overwhelmingly powerful against the local indigenous tribes, the biggest problem was that these enemies might not know that they were coming to die.

Therefore, immigrants who are alone may encounter inexplicable sneak attacks, and immigrants cannot be unaware of the logic behind the attacks.

So much so that the entire settlement still cannot relax its vigilance.

The dirt road under Zhu Jianxuan's feet extended to the bottom of the slope, then slowly tilted to the east, extending in a zigzag shape to the top of the slope, facing the portal formed by two watchtowers.

Now the gate is completely open, and guards are evenly distributed on duty inside and outside the gate and on both sides of the zigzag road.

The wooden track did not enter through this portal, but extended eastward from the river port's dock, winding around the slope at a flatter place at the end of the field of vision.

(The yellow line running east-west is the location of the earth slope cliff between the two lakes, which is called the Niagara Escarpment.)
(The wider north-south river in the east is the Niagara River, which is the Longque River in the book. The narrow area in the middle is not navigable.)
Seeing Zhu Jianxuan observing this somewhat peculiar earth slope, Jiao Xun took the initiative to introduce or show what he knew:

“Your Highness, the earthen slope in front of us may be the original shore of Qinglong Lake (Lake Ontario).

"The flat land below this earth slope cliff, that is, from the shore of Qinglong Lake to where we are now, has an overall altitude of between 90 and 110 meters.

“The top of this dirt slope is about 180 meters above sea level.

“The area south of the slope, the area around the Dragon Bird Guard station, and most of the land on the north shore of Suzaku Lake are all around 180 meters above sea level.

“At the same time, most areas on the north and south sides of the slope have soil layers several meters deep, and in many places the soil layers may be more than 50 meters.

“But the slope itself, it only has a thin layer of soil on top, and then gravel underneath, and then large rocks.

“These exposed high-lying rock foundations should be the natural boundary between the two lakes.

“The water level of Qinglong Lake should have been similar to that of the other four lakes, and should have been above 170 meters, just enough to submerge the land under this slope.

"The lake flows into the sea from the Hudson River near New York City through two narrow valleys in the Appalachian Mountains.

“But as the water continued to erode downward, the old river opened up an unusually wide channel into the sea, and the water from the great lake began to flow out from here.

“The water level of Qinglong Lake dropped rapidly until it fell below 130 meters, and it was no longer possible to go out to sea from New York.

"This also led to the appearance of the Great Falls, which should have originally been located at the location of this cliff, which is also the original location of the shore of Qinglong Lake.

"The water level of Qinglong Lake has dropped, but that of Zhuque Lake is still high, so a waterfall has formed on the lakeshore.

“After thousands of years of erosion, the waterfall slowly retreated a kilometer to its current location.

“If we build the Qinglong Lake outlet dam and let the lake water level rise to 130 meters again, the lake water will flood below this slope.

"If the water level rises to 170 meters, Qinglong Lake will completely return to its ancient state, the waterfall will disappear, and navigation between the two lakes will be possible."

(Qinglong Lake in the Ice Age - Lake Ontario. At that time, Lake Ontario did flow eastward along the Hudson River through New York and into the sea.

(However, it was not the land but the glaciers that blocked the lake water from flowing into the sea via the St. Lawrence River. Jiao Xun had not yet realized this.)
When Zhu Jianxuan heard this, he subconsciously looked back:
"When the water level rises below this soil slope, the cultivated land behind us will be submerged under water."

Zhu Jianxuan knew this situation would occur when he approved the plan.

There are not many reclaimed areas around the Great Lakes, and there are few reclaimed areas that may be flooded. Currently, this is the only relatively large one.

It is more appropriate to build a dam now to raise the water level of Qinglong Lake.

Zhu Jianxuan just saw the area that might be flooded with his own eyes, so he couldn't help but sigh, but he didn't mean to reject the dam plan.

However, Jiao Xun seemed to be a little worried that Zhu Jianxuan would change his mind, so he immediately continued to explain to Zhu Jianxuan:
“Don’t worry, Your Highness.

“The rising water level of Qinglong Lake will indeed flood these lands.

“But the grain fields of the two guards here are mostly distributed south of the slope, while the north of the slope is mainly pastures and orchards.

“Because the water level of Qinglong Lake is low, it is at least ten meters lower than the land on the shore.

“There is no way to divert water from Qinglong Lake to irrigate the land on the lakeshore, so we can only intercept the river water that flows into Qinglong Lake for irrigation. The amount of water is small and not very stable.

“Plus, the land to the north of the slope has a relatively uniform slope, so rainwater and river water will quickly flow into Qinglong Lake.

“The direction of the rivers all point straight to Qinglong Lake.

“The land to the north of the slope basically does not accumulate water, and naturally cannot retain fertility, so it is more suitable for pasture.

“South of the slope, the situation is just the opposite.

“The water level of Zhuque Lake is relatively high, and the terrain of the lakeshore is very low, with many places only one or two meters higher than the lake surface.

“As long as we organize people to dig canals and use animal-powered pumps, we can bring lake water into farmland and irrigate it at any time.

“Moreover, many of the larger rivers south of Tupo run parallel to the lakeshore, and there are also many small-scale swamps filled with water.

“It is easy for water to accumulate, but it can also retain fertility. Riverbanks and small swamps are the most fertile fields.

"During the process of land reclamation, someone discovered this feature, and the main direction of subsequent development was placed south of the slope."

Zhu Jianxuan didn't care about it in the first place, but he felt more relieved after hearing the explanation.

With a slight nod, he steered the horse up the zigzag road and into the open gate.

I found that there were also large tracts of farmland inside the gate. But looking up and looking far away, at the end of the southeast field of vision, there is another fence built with tree trunks as pillars, and there is also a wooden sentry tower.

But now we can see that there is obviously a house inside the fence in the distance.

The tree trunk fence creates the effect of an inner and outer city.

The commander of the Dragon Bird Left Guard introduced to Zhu Jianxuan:

"Your Highness, inside the inner fence to the southwest is the base of the Dragon Bird Left Guard.

"The headquarters of the commander and the militia division, as well as the residences of the soldiers and civilians of the garrison, are all inside.

“The land between the two fences was the land that was first opened up by our first settlers who arrived here.

“At that time, it was to guard against wild animals lurking in the surrounding mountains and forests, as well as the occasional natives that might be seen.

“Now that the scope of reclamation in the garrison has been expanded, there is basically no risk in mopping the interior.

"But just in case, we have only reduced the number of personnel on alert, and have not completely removed them."

Zhu Jianxuan looked around:

"You have done a good job, braving the frost and dew, cutting through the thorns, and opening up this new world for my Chinese people.

"Although the vast tracts of land in North America now nominally belong to our Ming Dynasty.

“But without the subjects and common people, what difference does it make to whom this wasteland belongs?

“The first group of immigrants who came here are the forerunners of all the officials and civilians who will live here in the future.

"A monument should be erected to make it famous for generations to come, so that future generations can admire and worship it.

"From now on, every time the city is founded, all the officials and people in the city will celebrate and worship together."

Zhu Jianxuan said this and turned to Duan Yucai who was following him:

"Mr. Duan, remember to erect a city monument and set a city founding day for all newly developed overseas territories.

"And he specially compiled a pioneering record and kept it in the imperial study."

Duan Yucai immediately bowed and agreed.

The commander of the Dragon Bird Left Guard beside him hurriedly bowed:
"Your Highness, please forgive me for what I have done. We are only doing our duty.

“It is because of the support of His Highness and the court that we are able to gain a foothold here.

"Your Highness, your great achievement in expanding China's territory is a great achievement that will be remembered for thousands of years."

Although they said so, the officers of the two garrisons were very excited.

Now both garrisons have tens of thousands of residents. Even according to the standards of the Ming Dynasty, they are already the size of a county town.

The key point is that the land they own here is far more vast and fertile than that of local farmers.

Now the average immigrant household owns one hundred acres of land, which is already the size of a small landlord in the Ming Dynasty.

It was extremely difficult for the local landlords in the Ming Dynasty to increase their land.

In places like Longquewei, the surrounding forests are all land waiting to be reclaimed. As long as they are willing to keep working hard, the land they can own is almost unlimited.

The direct result of having vast fertile land is that basic necessities of life are rapidly becoming saturated.

The grain harvested by the garrison every year was enough to feed everyone for two or three years, and could also feed a large number of poultry and brew a large amount of wine.

Everyone can eat as much staple food as they want, vegetables, fruits and melons are available in season, and there is no shortage of meat either.

If there is no influx of population, there is little point in their continued development, and it would be a waste to produce more grain and poultry.

And poultry doesn’t even have to be raised specially, as there is plenty of it in the surrounding woods and lakes.

This is the New World of North America, a place that has not been developed on a large scale by humans. The natural resources here are extremely abundant, and you will not starve as long as you do whatever you want.

The basic living resources in the garrison are now sufficient, but spiritual life is still somewhat lacking, especially during the slack season.

Ordinary people just drink, talk nonsense, hunt, fish, ski and make children.

But for officials, this form of entertainment is somewhat low-level; they have spiritual needs.

Unfortunately, their cultural level is not high, and they cannot compose poems while looking at the waterfall.

Zhu Jianxuan now tells them that they can now be recorded in history and remembered forever by future generations.

Their spiritual emptiness was filled in an instant.

Zhu Jianxuan ignored the local officers' politeness and continued to let Duan Yucai do what he should do.

Then, Zhu Jianxuan, surrounded by the crowd, entered the inner fence of the Longque Zuowei base.

This is a fairly mature residential area, with houses and courtyards built entirely of wood lined up on both sides of the spacious streets.

At the end of the street are two courtyards that are obviously much larger. They are the garrisons of the guards and the militia division.

Surrounded by the crowd, Zhu Jianxuan rode to the compound of the garrison office on horseback.

Zhu Jianxuan and the main officials accompanying him lived in the compound of the garrison office, while the officers of the garrison temporarily moved to the militia office opposite.

The guard troops that came with Zhu Jianxuan were arranged to be stationed in the surrounding barracks.

After Zhu Jianxuan settled down, he had a good sleep on the stable ground. After waking up in the afternoon, he attended a banquet held at the Wei Suo Yamen.

The garrison had plenty of food, fruits, wine and meat, but there were no dancers or musicians, so the banquet was just pure eating, drinking and chatting.

Zhu Jianxuan simply arranged for his guards and local militia to drink, play drums and sing together.

Zhu Jianxuan did not advise them on etiquette, but it was quite lively.

After eating and drinking and having enough fun, everyone went to rest separately, and Zhu Jianxuan also had a good night's sleep.

After breakfast the next morning, Zhu Jianxuan summoned the main accompanying officials and took three hundred cavalry guards out of the city for a tour.

Zhu Jianxuan led the team westward to the bank of Longque River. After dismounting, he went to the river bank and took a look at the river.

This height is equivalent to looking down from more than two hundred floors.

However, the slope of the river bank, which is more than 30 to 40 degrees, slightly reduces the abrupt feeling of being high above.

Zhu Jianxuan turned his head and looked to the south again, until he reached the end of his vision. The terrain did not have any particularly obvious ups and downs, and it felt like he was on the vast plains of the Central Plains.

However, there is such a deep river valley in the middle, and a cliff tens of meters high a few kilometers to the north.

The land below the cliff also seems to be very flat.

If there were no abrupt cliff, and the dozens of kilometers between the two lakes were generally flat, there would be no big waterfall.

Ships can naturally also sail directly between the two lakes.

Zhu Jianxuan planned the situation in his mind and said to Jiao Xun who was following him:

"How difficult is it to build a canal connecting the two lakes? Has any special exploration and planning been done before?"

Jiao Xun had studied the situation here before, and when he heard this question, he immediately reported:
“Your Highness, my colleagues have done exploration and planning before, and it seems to be completely feasible from an engineering perspective.

“If the Qinglong Lake dam is completed and the water level rises to 130 meters, the height of the waterfall will only be 20 to 30 meters, and the difficulty of the project will be further reduced.

“As for the cost issue, it depends on the width and depth of the canal, whether to retain the Great Falls, and whether to use a lock canal or a direct canal.

“If we don’t keep the waterfall and directly build dams and ship locks in the Longque River, we can save most of the excavation work.

“If we build a lock canal, we don’t need to make large-scale adjustments to the river channel. We can just choose the right place to set up the locks.

“For example, below the waterfall, or when the river passes over a slope or cliff.

“If a direct canal is built, the slope of the riverbed needs to be adjusted to evenly distribute the drop of several dozen meters over a few kilometers.

“It may be necessary to harden the riverbed to prevent the river water from continuing to cut down and forming waterfalls again.

“This project will be more difficult and costly.”

(End of this chapter)