The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 426 Focus
Taiping Prefecture is basically the middle point of the Great Plains, but the scenery in different directions of Taiping Prefecture is very different.

Going north out of the city and over the low hills to the north of the city, you can see a vast grassland with long grass and sparse trees scattered on it.

If you go south out of the city, you will see endless dense jungle. The few places without forests are riverside swamps.

In fact, even in the 21st century of Zhu Jianxuan's previous life, there were still large amounts of virgin forests in the vast area east of the lower Mississippi River.

The difficulty of developing agriculture from scratch in a humid subtropical jungle environment is much higher than in a dry temperate grassland environment.

The fleet carrying the princes headed south after leaving the city. It did not go directly into the jungle, but instead went into the riverbed swamp.

Even though the riverbed in the lower reaches of the Great River in America was developed by immigrants to a width of dozens of kilometers on one side, there is still nearly a hundred kilometers left inside.

When ordinary ships sail through riverbed swamps, they cannot even see the edge of the swamp at a glance.

The princes who came from the Great Plains finally experienced the desolation and primitiveness of the North American continent.

The eldest prince Zhu Jingkun stood at the bow, looking at the scene on both sides of the river, and said a few words to his brothers:
“The various descriptions and records of the native land, mostly describe the area south of the Pacific Ocean as a place covered with dense jungles, hot and humid, with frequent rains and malaria.

"We are not unfamiliar with such descriptions. The Jiangnan region in the Qin and Han dynasties was basically described in the same way.

"During the Song and Yuan dynasties, remote areas in the east and west and Fujian also had similar descriptions."

The tenth prince said with emotion:
“Yes, the southeastern part of America is a new Jiangnan that has yet to be developed.

"Now the 'Central Plains' region of North America has been almost developed, and we have enough population and resources here.

"The next key development direction can be placed in the southeast, which is warmer and more humid."

The Ninth Prince heard the conversation between the two and almost subconsciously expressed his opposition:

“There is still a lot of room for development in the northern grasslands.

“According to the report of the Ministry of Agriculture, the development of the Caogong River Basin is currently limited to both sides of the river.

“A little further away from the main river, there are hundreds of thousands or even millions of square kilometers of long grassy grassland.

“The difficulty of developing those places is obviously much lower than the swamps and jungles in the south of Taiping Prefecture.

“Even if we look at historical experience and the land of our native Shenzhou.

“We first completed the development of the Central Plains region, and then gradually expanded to the Jiangnan region.

"The next task should be to expand the development of the Caogong River basin."

The tenth prince frowned slightly after hearing this.

Similar situations have occurred countless times in the past two years.

After two years of training, the princes have basically become accustomed to this way of discussion, this tit-for-tat debate that can happen at any time.

Now, when encountering a similar situation again, the prince involved will no longer show obvious emotional fluctuations.

The Tenth Prince did not care much about the main development direction. He just thought it was something that could be discussed and arranged.

But since the Ninth Prince had openly opposed it, he had insisted on his situation, so he quickly sorted out some words:

“In general, precipitation in America is more in the southeast and less in the northwest.

"The precipitation in the middle and upper reaches of the Caogong River is already considered semi-arid, and it cannot actually support high-intensity agricultural production.

“According to my father’s teachings, over-exploitation of arid areas will destroy the original vegetation there, leading to severe soil erosion and a rapid increase in the sand content of rivers.

“The reason why the Yellow River became the Yellow River is because of the over-exploitation of the Loess Plateau, which led to serious soil erosion.

"Overdevelopment of the upper reaches of the Caogong River will turn America's great river into the Yellow River, which has several times more water, making it even more difficult to manage the lower reaches."

The Ninth Prince immediately continued to respond in kind:
"But soil erosion is not without benefits. Aren't the tidal flats in the lower reaches of the great rivers in America lacking in silt?
"Large rivers can bring more silt from upstream, so the mudflats on both sides of the river can be raised more quickly and developed more quickly."

The tenth prince immediately asked back:
“Will it bring more silt from the upper reaches, and then turn the lower reaches into an above-ground river like the Yellow River once was?

“Have you forgotten that when my father first ascended the throne, he began to control the Yellow River, and then began to build dams and silt fields in Shaanxi and Shaanxi provinces, and at the same time promoted the use of coal instead of firewood.

“Now the vegetation in the upper reaches of the great American rivers has not been seriously damaged, but you are actively destroying it and actively increasing the sediment.

"Do you think Father would be happy to see this?"

The Ninth Prince thought that what the Tenth Prince said made some sense, but he still instinctively continued to refute:
“We need to analyze each case on a case-by-case basis. The situation in the lower reaches of the great rivers in America is also completely different from that in the lower reaches of the Yellow River.

"As for the situation on the American River, my father may not necessarily support it..."

The tenth prince was speechless, and the seventh prince spoke at this time:

"Since Ninth Brother is so confident, let's just vote and report the results to Father."

The tenth and eleventh princes immediately expressed their agreement:

"it is good."

The fifth prince also spoke up and followed suit:

"There's no point in continuing to argue, let's just vote."

The eldest prince Zhu Jingkun finally decided to interrupt:

"So shall we vote? As for the future development direction of America, will it be the upper reaches of the Gong River west of the Great River, or the two sides of the river beach in the middle and lower reaches of the Great River?"

Although the Ninth Prince said that he would analyze the situation based on the specific circumstances, he felt in his heart that his father would not like to actively destroy the vegetation.

But now, as the conversation was in a hurry and he was being held back by several brothers, he had no choice but to fight back.

It's just a suggestion anyway. Even if my father disagrees, he won't do anything to me.

In the past two years, our group of people have put forward too many suggestions and ideas, and many of them are definitely not in line with my father's wishes.

However, my father never specifically reprimanded the princes for such proposals. He would only state his reasons and analysis to teach and persuade the princes who held different opinions.

"If my eldest brother thinks this issue requires a vote, then we'll vote. Let's go to the meeting room and make a record first."

Zhu Jingkun hesitated for a moment, then agreed directly:
"Okay, let's have a formal meeting..."

The princes then went to the meeting room on the ship and held a meeting according to the standard meeting procedure formed over the past two years.

The eldest prince Zhu Jingkun, who presided over the meeting, spoke first and made the agenda of the meeting clear as: the key development direction of the Americas in the future.

The tenth prince suggested choosing the area south of Taiping Prefecture, on both sides of the lower reaches of the American River, which is now mainly forests and swamps.

The Ninth Prince suggested choosing the area west of the American River and north and west of Taiping Prefecture, mainly the area with long grass and grassland.

Representatives of both sides expressed their main points, and then the princes who supported both sides also expressed their own views. After two hours of debate and mutual persuasion, the eldest prince, who served as the host, announced that a vote would be held.

This is the first vote after the new members join, and the princes also want to see the reactions and attitudes of other companions.

After two rounds of raising hands, the final voting result was nine to six.

When the results came out, everyone, including the two parties who directly raised the dispute and the eldest prince who presided over the meeting, were a little surprised.

If one side has more than half of the supporters but less than two-thirds, they will have to ask their father, the emperor, to make the decision.

The Ninth Prince was a little worried before the vote, but now he was relaxed after seeing the result. He looked at his eldest brother with a smile:
"This is troublesome. I must consult my father..."

The eldest prince Zhu Jingkun sighed, looked around, and subconsciously wanted to propose a new vote, but he finally held back.

If you ask for a revote after seeing the results, the results may change.

Of course, there may be better results, but it may also be used as a handle by opponents to attack.

In the end, he just announced the result expressionlessly:
"According to the usual practice, after compiling the report, submit it to Father for your information."

The clerk at the venue compiled the minutes of the meeting and then sent them directly to Taiping Prefecture via the ship's radio equipment.

Then Taiping Prefecture sent it back to Shuntian Prefecture via the Haiti cable in the form of a wired telegram.

The entire process of organizing and sending documents takes time. After the meeting, the princes began to move freely again.

The passenger ship arrived at Yongxing City early the next morning.

Yongxing Prefecture developed from the original Yongxing Wei, and is located 250 kilometers south of Taiping Prefecture, on a plateau near the east bank of the river valley of the American River.

It is basically the location of Memphis, an important city in central North America in Zhu Jianxuan's previous life.

Currently, the urban population of Yongxing Prefecture has reached nearly 500,000, and the total population of the entire prefecture has exceeded 3 million.

The several county towns under Yongxing Prefecture each have a population of tens of thousands.

Within the entire prefecture, more than 70% of the population lives in rural areas in the suburbs, and traditional agriculture is still the main industry in Yongxing Prefecture.

The city is mainly engaged in commercial services and there is basically no local industrial production capacity.

Moreover, the urban planning of America seems to have referred to Zhu Jianxuan's arrangements for Shuntian Prefecture and its surrounding areas. The status of Yongxing Prefecture in America is somewhat similar to Tongzhou of Taiping Prefecture.

The investment and construction of Taiping Prefecture was mainly from the official court. There was no private land at all within the jurisdiction of Taiping Prefecture personally designated by Zhu Jianxuan.

The situation in Yongxing Prefecture is just the opposite. Including the original urban area where the garrison was stationed, most of the land here is privately owned.

The development work in the Yongxing Prefecture was handed over to private pioneers by ministers and university scholars from America.

The original Yongxingwei was developed at a lower level, and when the military settlement was disbanded, it was directly distributed to the original residents of the military settlement.

Later, the country mainly accepted immigrants organized by the private sector, including merchants and farmers from the Ming Dynasty, and Americans and Europeans of European descent.

Therefore, the scene on the streets of Yongxing Prefecture is obviously much more complicated and fancy than that of Taiping Prefecture.

First of all, the pedestrians on the street clearly have European faces or people with mixed-race features, which are obviously more numerous than in Taiping Prefecture.

In Taiping Prefecture, only one or two can be seen occasionally, but in Yongxing Prefecture, they can be seen at any time. They do not occupy a particularly large proportion, but they will appear continuously.

Occasionally, you can see European-style houses or houses that are a mixture of Eastern and Western features among the buildings on both sides of the street.

Some house signs also have some tips written in Latin letters.

In order to attract more customers, businessmen do not mind adding a little extra burden and making a simple sign.

Officials from Yongxing Prefecture came to the dock to welcome the princes. After the greetings and identity confirmation process, the officials introduced the basic situation of Yongxing Prefecture to the princes.

About one-tenth of the people in Yongxing Prefecture's registered permanent residence are of European descent, and English is widely spoken among the local Europeans.

The proportion in Taiping Prefecture may be less than one percent. The key is that official industries will not actively recruit Europeans, and it is difficult for Europeans to integrate into that system.

In addition to agriculture, Yongxing Prefecture's industries include commerce and services.

Especially for Taiping Prefecture, matters related to Europe will basically be transferred directly to Yongxing Prefecture for handling.

The princes stayed in Yongxing Prefecture for half a month, then continued south by boat and arrived in Changning Prefecture two days later.

Changning Prefecture is a new city developed from the original Changning Guard. It is located more than 300 kilometers south of Yongxing Prefecture, and is also located on the plateau beside the river valley on the east bank of the American River.

The location of this Changning Prefecture City is probably the same as the Vicksburg in Zhu Jianxuan’s previous life.

The scale of Changning Prefecture is smaller than that of Yongxing Prefecture. The population of the prefecture is only about 300,000, and together with the subordinate counties, the population is less than 500,000.

The total population of the jurisdiction is less than two million, and agriculture and commerce are also the main industries.

At the same time, the European and mixed-race population here is larger than that in Yongxing Prefecture, accounting for more than 15% of the immigrants.

When they deal with people from the Ming Dynasty, they will use the Ming Dynasty's elegant language, but English is commonly used for internal communication.

The princes stayed in Changning Prefecture for ten days and then continued south.

Two days later they arrived at Fengle Prefecture, the southernmost of the original five military garrisons on the Great Plains and also the window for the inland of the Great Plains to the outside world.

Because the delta at the mouth of the great river of America, the Mississippi River, is a large swamp, and most of it is a quagmire.

The only relatively hard and intact piece of ground in this swamp is New Orleans, which is not very large in area.

If you want to open up wasteland and cultivate farmland nearby, you can only leave the delta and choose a place to build wasteland and city on a truly complete continent.

The location of Fengle Mansion is roughly the same as Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, USA.

The population of Fengle Prefecture is now close to one million, making it the largest city in the inland area of ​​America except for Taiping Prefecture.

Fengle Prefecture has shipbuilding and shipping industries, as well as petrochemical and smelting industries.

The proportion of European and mixed-race population in the urban area is slightly higher than that in Yongxing Prefecture, and has exceeded 20%.

New Orleans, south of Fenglefu, on the delta of the American River.

This city was originally planned by the French and later changed hands several times between Britain, Spain and France.

The total population of the urban area has now exceeded 500,000, of which European and mixed-race populations account for about 30% of the total population.

Moreover, the linguistic composition of these European people is relatively complex. The English-speaking population does not have a clear advantage, and the Hispanics and French are evenly matched with the British.

(End of this chapter)