Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 631 Turning a Clumsy Act into a Clever Success
The Gao family is just one corner of this landscape; if we could broaden our perspective, it would truly be a spectacular show.

There aren't many fools in the world. We've been through thick and thin for so many years, and everyone has the ability to seek advantage and avoid harm. Looking around, all you see in the city is the tragic heroism of those who cut off their own arm.

Are they going to run? They can't run away, because the last time some of the family merchants ran away, it caused an avalanche next door. Right now, Li Tang is cutting off their flesh even more ruthlessly than Tian Wei. In Tian Wei, they might cut off their own arm, but in Li Tang, they might cut off a chicken.

This is what it looks like when the path has been exhausted by those who came before. Beating one's chest and stamping one's feet is of no use. One can only pick up this bowl of bitter wine and drink it all down.

However, this is just the beginning; the real investigation has not yet begun.

At present, judicial departments such as the Dali Temple have almost overnight obtained the most core power. Everyone knows that Legalism has been a very nice-sounding concept since ancient times. Nonsense such as "the wind can enter, the rain can enter, but the king cannot enter" has been rolling down like a leak. But in reality, the wind can enter, the rain can enter, and the king can enter at will.

Because everyone understands that once Legalism takes complete control, no one can be at ease. Some things will have to be divided into two sides, and it would be truly remarkable to maintain procedural justice and process justice. However, the current situation is a special one.

The glory of Legalism was forged within a few days.

However, this also brought some problems. At present, the grassroots administration of the Great Wei is almost paralyzed. At first, many people thought that since the north had been cut off by the Tang Dynasty, how big could it be?

However, after going around in circles, I realized that it was still a damn three thousand miles from Lingnan to Xuzhou...

But the Legalists don't care about that. What they want is justice, and they don't care about anything outside of justice. So chaos quickly began to spread.

Panic, chaos, and all of these intertwined together ultimately led to a collapse.

That's right, the Great Wei Dynasty collapsed. Unrest began to break out everywhere, which could also be interpreted as the last struggle of some people who were unwilling to face death.

War broke out in many places, and the most direct result was that a large number of people began to pour into Jiangnan Road. Some came because they could not live in their original places, some came to seek a more stable life, and some were even simply driven there.

This move is brilliant! You say Jiangnan Province is awesome? You say Jiangnan Province is peaceful and prosperous? Then we'll overwhelm you with population!
These people, having stayed in one place for a long time, know the capacity of each area like the back of their hand. If a place can accommodate one million people, then stuffing in another two hundred thousand is no problem at all. But if a place can only accommodate two hundred thousand people, and you stuff in another two hundred thousand, then the place will basically be paralyzed.

If we can't win by fighting head-on, this method won't work either?
As a result, a large number of people began to pour into Jiangnan Road, and countless eyes were fixed on Jiangnan Road, waiting for an unimaginable tragedy to erupt when it could no longer accommodate these people.

But they were completely unaware that Xia Lin had been preparing for this day from the very beginning. His 50,000-strong construction team had been working non-stop since the day it was established. Even when Fuliang was running at a loss, he only thought about increasing revenue and never considered cutting costs.

For the past ten years or so, we have been constantly fighting against nature and the earth.

They blasted through the mountains, creating a passage through the previously isolated area, and stone by stone, they opened up the transportation routes for the entire Jiangnan region.

They filled in the river, creating 1.2 million mu of arable farmland around Poyang Lake.

They built houses, they constructed bridges, they cultivated land...

What followed was a leapfrog advancement in technology that was unimaginable in this era. Because of the more than ten iterations of explosives for blasting mountains, the dozens of iterations of cement for building bridges, and the improvement of hundreds of grain seeds for farming...

This was followed by a geometric growth in various industries, resulting in a large number of vacant factories, equipment, houses, neighborhoods, and infrastructure.

Massive sums of money are invested in things that people usually joke are meant for ghosts, as well as in the hundreds or thousands of "new youths" who graduate from schools every year, representing the new era.

Everything is fully prepared here.

Of course, the most crucial element is food. In the past, we would have been at a loss. Having houses but no food would not have helped. But now, even without the improved seeds provided by Xia Lin, the pesticides and fertilizers from the several super-large chemical plants in Leping Township, as well as the massive amounts of raw materials for fertilizer production transported from the Western Regions, have increased the yield of grain from no more than 300 jin per mu to 550 or even 600 jin per mu. Some high-yield areas and varieties can even reach more than 700 jin per mu.

Although the taste is different from those that yield a hundred or so kilograms per acre, taste is something for people who have nothing better to do to be picky. For those people who are so hungry that they have to eat tree bark, being able to eat white rice is already a great blessing.

Of course, with food supplies secured, animal husbandry also developed rapidly. Although raising large livestock was difficult in this area, raising chickens was quite successful. Although the white-feathered chickens that Xia Lin brought over hadn't yet reached a full scale, it would only take a few months to cover the entire area. These were things that those who orchestrated his schemes couldn't even imagine. They could only rely on their own preconceived notions to try and eliminate a Cthulhu they couldn't even describe, which was essentially a very foolish thing to do.

But whether in the past, present, or future, such folly happens all the time, and someone always has to pay the price for it.

The person currently in charge of Jiangnan Province is Xia Lin's brother-in-law, His Highness the Crown Prince. After his father became regent, he has been in charge of almost all matters related to people's livelihood and construction in Fuliang.

These past few days, every time he woke up, he would hear his subordinates reporting how many people had poured in from which place. However, this refined and unassuming brother-in-law would simply take his glasses out of their case, put them on his nose, and gently push them up, saying with a light laugh, "No need to report a scale of less than 100,000 people."

He put on the new winter uniform for civil servants in Jiangnan Province. Unlike the official uniforms of the imperial court, it was a trouser suit, which was convenient and efficient. Everyone praised the design. The colors were all dark and the material was wool, which was light and warm to wear. There were four pockets on the body, which could also be used to carry some odds and ends. In short, it was both dignified and practical.

After dressing and washing up, before her brother-in-law was about to leave, the princess called out, "Eldest son, when you come back tonight, remember to buy some sesame cakes from the shop next to your yamen. Buy some with chives and some with meat."

"Oh, I see."

After saying this, he pushed open the door and went out. His brother-in-law, who was used to walking, was recognized by the local people as he walked along the road, and everyone would greet him. He enjoyed this feeling. The people loved him even more than the prince, and even more than Xia Lin, because they hadn't seen those people for a long time, while this young master would go to the market every few days to personally check on the grains and vegetables.

He carefully observed the situation on the road in Hongdu Prefecture. Although more than 100,000 people had poured into Jiangnan Road, the situation on the road did not seem to have changed.

"Young Master, the first batch of our wine has been harvested today." The shopkeeper of the roadside wine shop came out to greet you, carrying a jar in his arms: "I couldn't bear to sell this batch of wine even when someone offered me two hundred taels of silver. I specially saved it for you."

The brother-in-law laughed and said, "Next time you encounter something like this, just sell it. Two hundred taels is no small sum."

"That won't do, Your Highness. Please take the wine. I'll get back to my work."

The brother-in-law smiled helplessly, holding the wine. When he looked back, he saw a group of ragged people entering the city in an orderly manner under the control of the yamen runners.

So he quickly stepped forward and asked them carefully. He learned that these people were migrants from the neighboring Shannan Road and Huainan Road. And this was the first batch to arrive. There might be nearly 200,000 more people pouring into Jiangnan Road later.

The young master wasn't stupid; he knew someone was trying to blew up Jiangnan Province, but he didn't say anything. He simply adjusted his glasses and chuckled, "Take good care of yourself."

During the meeting, he listened carefully to the reports from officials at all levels. The Ministry of Civil Affairs estimated that between 500,000 and 800,000 displaced people would be driven here.

The young master's face did not change much, but he asked in his usual gentle voice, "How many can the entire Jiangnan region accommodate?"

"The maximum capacity has been reached, and the food supply is very sufficient. All states have had a bumper harvest this year, and the surplus grain is almost overflowing. However, in order to stabilize grain prices, most of the surplus grain has been used for animal feed."

"What about cultivating new varieties?"

"Seven states have already promoted planting, and the regional results are very good. The output of all kinds of products far exceeds that of previous years. However, the prices of alcohol and meat in various states have fallen to rock bottom this year, and many merchants and farmers are about to go under."

"Then you should draft a report to raise the prices for breweries and livestock farmers, so they don't lose too much. Then allocate some funds to implement a program where the elderly, weak, women, and children can enjoy free rice, flour, meat, and eggs, to revitalize the entire market as much as possible. Don't differentiate by household registration; everyone will be included. Okay, there's nothing important, just inform all prefectures and counties to do their best to prevent an epidemic. Whoever has a problem there, I will hold them accountable, without any excuses. Everyone, you may all disperse."

After the meeting, the brother-in-law looked at the population inflow report in front of him and adjusted his glasses again: "I was just worried about the labor shortage. Thank you so much."

At this moment, his brother-in-law's trusted subordinates quickly came over and whispered in his ear, "Your Highness, the matter you asked us to investigate has been investigated. It's not that the various provinces and states couldn't accommodate them, but rather that they deliberately drove the refugees here, which confirms your previous guess."

"Alright, alright, but I don't concern myself with external affairs. Let's wait for Daosheng's news." The brother-in-law sneered, "Looks like someone's going to lose their head."

(End of this chapter)