Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 1259
After six years of co-government, the co-government court, which used to fight every year, was finally liberated from large-scale wars.

This enabled the Ming Dynasty to begin to have the energy to plan the domestic industry and economy, develop internal affairs, and gradually reduce war to a secondary position.

Although the Ming army and the Jin army fought battles at Pujin Pass and Tongguan recently, the Ming army was preparing to attack Mongolia again, and the war in Nanyang was not over yet, but these battles were only partial battles and did not require the Ming Dynasty to fully respond up.

On the Nanyang side, the Dutch were besieged in the bastion of Malacca for four or five months, and they were still struggling.

Not long ago, the Dutch warship in the port was basically sunk by the Ming army. The desperate Dutch began to seek negotiations. He released nearly a thousand Ming people, but he was unwilling to give up the fortress of Malacca. It may take a few more months to siege , this group of Dutchmen will surrender unconditionally.

In addition, when the naval division of the Ming army arrived in Batavia, they also encountered this kind of bastion. Because the land division did not come, the navy had no choice for a while, so they took the nearby Surabaya, built a simple port here, and cast the fort at the same time. The Dutch are against each other.

Grabbing the ground, many Ming people who hid in the mountains and forests got the news and gathered in Surabaya one after another. There were nearly [-] people, and they immediately helped the Ming army gain a firm foothold.

The war in Nanyang may take a long time, but the Ming army has already taken the initiative, and after the Ming army trapped the Dutch in Malacca, the merchant ships of the Ming Dynasty had already sailed to Tianzhu again.

Of course, there are dangers in this. After all, there are Dutch strongholds at the southern tip of Tianzhu, and Dutch armed merchant ships will appear here, but maritime trade is because of the huge risks, so the benefits are enviable, driving people to rush forward to trade. Moreover, the maritime merchant ships of the Ming Dynasty were also equipped with artillery, and they were not the kind to be slaughtered.

The matter of Nanyang is pending for a while, but it does not affect the overall situation of the Ming Dynasty, and the matter of Northern Xinjiang is the same.

The Kingdom of Jin sent troops suddenly, probably to win over Wu Keshan, but the Kingdom of Jin did not intend to provoke a big war, but fought several battles with the Ming army at Tongguan and Pujin Pass with less than [-] people.

Wang Yan estimated that the Jin army's intentions were to restrain the Ming army and relieve the pressure on his new ally Wu Keshan. At the same time, he also intended to find out the Ming army's tactics, weapons and equipment, and combat effectiveness.

The Jin army had no intention of fighting, and was afraid that it would really set fire to them, so they had a good sense of proportion, and the Ming Dynasty only defined this conflict as a border friction. It only needed the garrisons in Henan and Shanxi to deal with it, and there was no need for the court to send more troops. Horses also did not affect the Ming army's plan to sweep Mongolia and open up outside the pass.

From the end of February, the snow outside the pass gradually melted, Shanhaiguan opened and closed, and the first batch of more than 30 people who entered the Liao Dynasty left the pass and marched towards the Liaohe Plain. At the same time, the Ming army also began to leave the pass in large numbers. In Datong, one is assembled in Liaoning.

On the Liaoxi Corridor, the marching team is tens of miles long, and there are also a large number of seagoing ships on the Bohai Sea, sending a large amount of agricultural tools and grain to the mouth of the Liaohe River.

This time the Ming army attacked Mongolia from two directions. One was from Datong, where 5000 righteous congregations and more than [-] cavalry from Shanxi were gathered to sweep the tribes in southern Monument. The other was from Shenyang to attack Horqin Mongolia. The main force was Thirty thousand horsemen rampage.

The actions of the army are in the charge of the generals, and Zhang Jiayu is mainly responsible for resettling the people who moved into Liaoning.

By mid-March, the plains on both sides of the Liao River had been covered with endless tents, and the first batch of 30 people who filled Liao River would be resettled here.

On this day, he first greeted Wang Fuzhi who came here by boat from Tianjin Wei at the pier at the mouth of the Liao River, and then led him to inspect the resettlement of the people who moved to Liao.

The Liaohe Plain is very fertile. Before Nurhachi's rebellion, at least 200 million people lived here. It was once very prosperous, but now it has become a barren wilderness.

At this time, the ice surface of the Liaohe River has melted, and the snow and ice on both sides of the river have also melted. From time to time, billowing smoke can be seen rising in the distance. It is because the government organized the people to burn down the forest in preparation for building houses and reclaiming land.

"Lord Zhongtang, the 30 people who entered Liao this time will be resettled along the Liaohe River, and three counties will be established, each with 10 people. Once they are located at the mouth of the Liaohe River, they will be called Yingkou, and then Liaozhong and Liaoyang will be restored. Two cities." Zhang Jiayu and Wang Fuzhi rode on horseback, and he said as he walked, "Now that I have developed maritime transportation, I have resettled these people on the plains on both sides of the Liao River, and the materials produced can be conveniently transported to Yingkou through the river. From then on, it will be transported to the south of the Yangtze River by sea, and the materials in the south of the Yangtze River can also be transported to various places through the river. This is much more time-saving and labor-saving than land transportation!"

"The planning of Zhiyuan is very good. The land in Liaoning is fertile and rich in products. As long as these people are settled properly, the people in the customs will come here spontaneously. Your responsibility is very heavy!" Wang Fuzhi smiled.

For a place to be good, in addition to rich products, the transportation must be convenient.According to Zhang Jiayu's plan, the Liaohe Plain may only be able to develop in 30 to [-] years.

At this time, under the escort of dozens of cavalry, the group entered a camp where ordinary people were housed.

They walked through the tents. The children didn't understand the distress of the elders, and they shuttled and played between the tents. When the adults saw a group of officers and soldiers entering the camp, they stood and watched from a distance.

"The problem with the Liaoning government now is the lack of officials, especially the low-level officials to manage the people." Zhang Jiayu continued Wang Fuzhi's introduction: "The lower officials, now we can only let the people manage themselves. Fortunately, most of these people belong to the whole family. Those who came here were all from the village, and the elders of the clan settled the conflict, so there was no security problem."

"As for the officials, I have already submitted a letter to the supervisory state to transfer a hundred supervisors to serve in Liaoning. As for the yamen servants, you can recruit some from the common people, and the headhunters will select some from the retired soldiers. They will be transferred to Liaoning soon. Come to Liaoning, Zhi Yuan don't need to be impatient!" Wang Fuzhi said casually, it can be seen that he is very careful about relocating people to fill Liaoning.

After walking for a while, Wang Fuzhi asked this time, "Are the food and tents in place? There can be no mistakes in food and lodging."

Zhang Jiayu smiled and said: "Master Zhongtang, don't worry, the imperial court brought a lot of sweet potatoes from Fujian, the food is enough for now, don't worry about the tents, this batch of people is enough."

Sweet potatoes have been planted in the Ming Dynasty for several years, and they have been gradually popularized. In addition, the Ming Dynasty also discovered high-yield crops such as corn and potatoes that can be grown in dry land in Luzon, making it possible to grow dry land and mountain areas where rice could not be grown. There is no problem with food for the time being.

These crops created a prosperous age of sweet potatoes in the Qing Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty still has a grain production base in Nanyang. With the current population, there is no need to worry about food issues.

As for tents, the Ming Dynasty also had sufficient reserves of these military supplies. The workshops in Huguang produced a lot of military supplies, and there was no land to use without fighting, so they could just be used to camp for the people.

Wang Fuzhi nodded slightly, "Although there is no problem with food and lodging, it won't work for a long time. The progress of resettlement must be faster. In addition, after the weather is hot, we must prevent the spread of epidemic diseases."

"Don't worry Zhongtang, the officials are already organizing them to build houses and reclaim wasteland. By May, this group of people should be settled."

At this time, everyone reached the core area of ​​the camp. A young official was calling the chiefs and prominent figures of various ethnic groups to hold a meeting to preach the imperial policy. About 50 to [-] people gathered in the tent.

Seeing this, Wang Fuzhi and Zhang Jiayu got off their horses and got into the big tent.

In ancient Chinese society, these patriarchs and elders can be said to be the cornerstone of the stability of the court, and their influence in the countryside will not even be lost to the court.

As the middle class of the whole society, the squires are the middlemen between the government and the people. On the one hand, they help the government to rule the place, on the other hand, they fight for the rights and interests of the people on behalf of the people, speak out for their hometown, and play a vital role in the rule of the dynasty. .

Of course, there are also many "evil gentry" who take advantage of this position to profit from it and exploit the villagers. When a dynasty has problems, most of the problems are caused by its squires. In order to help the government communicate with the people, the dynasty gradually loses people's hearts.

At this time, when the people in the tent saw the two senior officials coming in, they were not surprised and a little panicked, but the official who was talking hurriedly said: "Everyone, don't panic, this is Wang Zhongtang, the governor of Beizhi, and this is Zhang Futai in Liaoning. Come and see Look at everyone's situation."

When everyone heard that it was the governor and the governor, they saluted in surprise, Wang Fuzhi waved his hands and said with a smile: "Don't be nervous, fellow villagers, I'm here today, just to hear what problems and concerns you have, and the government will do its best to help you solve them! "

Zhang Jiayu also raised his hand to press down, motioning for everyone to sit down, and then said: "Everyone, let's sit down and talk!"

More than 40 elderly people in the tent saluted together and sat down after thanking them.

At this time, under the auspices of the young officials, if everyone has any worries, they can directly respond to the two adults. An old man stood up under the recommendation of the people and saluted: "My lords, we have two worries. One We settled here, will the Mongols come and rob us, and the weather is cold here, and we can’t grow wheat, so what shall we grow and eat?”

These two issues can be said to be the concerns of all the people, one is related to their safety, and the other is related to farming.

Wang Fuzhi smiled and signaled Zhang Jiayu to speak, and the latter replied: "You can rest assured about these two points. The imperial court has sent troops to attack Mongolia in the north to ensure that they will not dare to invade Liaoning again. As for what to plant, the imperial court also has plans. Liaoning is very suitable for soybean planting, we will plant soybeans first, and then gradually increase the planting of new crops after we find that new crops are suitable for planting.”

The crowd immediately started talking, and the old man asked again: "My lord, can the soybeans be worth the wheat? Can we grow enough to eat?"

These people know how to farm, and they have only grown wheat, so they still feel uneasy.

Wang Fuzhi then smiled and said: "Villagers, don't worry, this soybean can be eaten, oil can be extracted, and bean dregs can be used to raise livestock. If you are not used to eating it, the government will contact you with merchants in Jiangnan and let them exchange it with good rice. Your soybeans will ensure that you can eat enough and live a good life.”

After listening to Wang Zhongtang's words, everyone felt relieved, and began to be full of hope for their future life.

(End of this chapter)