Chapter 1064 Gengzijuan Blessed General, do what he likes
"It's rare that Feng Qing is so considerate of the court's difficulties. Now that the Mongolian invasion of Shuntian Prefecture is weak, refugees from the northern counties are flocking in. The capital city is overcrowded. Maybe Feng Qing also saw it when he entered the city. There are still a large number of refugees gathered outside the city. But the capital city no longer dares to open its doors to accept them, otherwise once everything in the capital city is in chaos, it will be uncontrollable."
Feng Ziying's words made Emperor Yonglong feel a little dissatisfied with Shuntian Mansion. Feng Ziying had only been to Yongping Mansion for less than a year. When he learned the news that the Mongols might invade, he knew to respond proactively, strengthen the walls and clear the fields, prepare in advance, and even They took the risk to form a people's army to defend the city, but what did Shuntian Prefecture do?
He didn't do anything. He just looked at the court eagerly, waiting for the court to solve all the troubles at once. So what's the use of the Shuntian Mansion Office?
If Shuntian Prefecture can also prepare for the response in Huairou, Miyun, Changping and other prefectures and counties in advance, it does not necessarily mean that it must adopt the policy of clearing out the wilderness like Yongping Prefecture, but at least it can evacuate some people in the wild areas outside the city to prevent the Mongols from passing through. Capturing them provided food supplies and prevented the Mongols from plundering these people back to the grasslands.
As for the reinforcement of the city, people in Yongping Prefecture started doing it early, while Shuntian Prefecture, apart from attaching great importance to the city wall of the capital, did not pay much attention to the cities in other states and counties, and all states and counties seemed to have followed the past practices. , let it be, and the result was that when the Mongols came in, they were panicked and became a mess.
Comparing these two, the gap is really huge. No wonder Emperor Yonglong was sulky.
"But Your Majesty, if you close the door to others, it will not only damage the reputation of the Emperor's benevolence, but also give opportunities to secret societies such as the White Lotus Sect and the Wenxiang Sect. These refugees are no better than the residents from other places. They are all in the capital." Once the refugees in the land cause trouble, it will be extremely harmful to the entire capital city." Feng Ziying reminded.
“Does Feng Qing have a better idea?” Emperor Yonglong frowned slightly.
Fang Congzhe and he also mentioned this matter, but the relief costs are huge, but they have to be done, and the key is that these refugees can survive this winter just relying on rice and porridge relief, but what about next spring?
Their homes and buildings were destroyed, and it was impossible for the court to rebuild their homes for them. This would leave a lingering scar in the city and become a huge hidden danger of instability.
“Is it possible to consider following the Dongfan policy of relocating people, and let the court and merchants work together to solve the livelihood problems of the poorest landless refugees?” Feng Ziying reminded hesitantly.
Emperor Yonglong suddenly woke up, but then frowned: "This group of refugees is quite large, not three to five thousand people, but tens of thousands of people may be involved. Can this be done?"
"I think it is completely feasible." Feng Ziying paused for a moment before saying: "The Anfu businessmen's reclamation in Dongpan is going very smoothly. The salt fields and rice planting have already opened up, and people from the Anfu Chamber of Commerce are still working hard. To move more refugees in, of course, there are a lot of wastelands in the east. According to the current progress of relocation and reclamation, it will be difficult to achieve the expected goal even if it takes thirty to fifty years. So if there is a chance, we can actually increase our efforts. Of course, this is We need the support and cooperation of the government..."
"The current situation is actually beneficial to all parties. Once these refugees go to Dongfan, they can obtain land as long as they are willing to cultivate it. Why not? As for the Anfu businessmen, as long as they are willing to go, they can get these People are included in the unified reclamation plan, and some land is actually not important to the merchants. What the merchants want is the production and future market here,..."
Feng Ziying patiently explained the reclamation model of Dongfan to Emperor Yonglong, "These refugees moved to Dongfan. According to the original agreement of the imperial court, they are exempted from taxes and labor for a certain number of years. They can cultivate the land with peace of mind, but the grain and salt produced can be supplied." The stability of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Eastern Fan can prevent the Hongmao Fan and other Western Yi and Japanese people from spying on our southeastern coast..."
Emperor Yonglong nodded, "The only thing that is worrying is that the people from Beizhili suddenly left for Dongfan. I heard that the climate in Dongfan is hot and humid, but I don't know if they can adapt to it?"
"This is also a problem and requires a process. In addition, I have also considered another plan, which is to move to Liaodong!"
Feng Ziying's words shocked Emperor Yonglong, "Feng Qing, you are not the only one who mentioned moving to Liaodong, but do you know the difficulties involved?"
"I know." Feng Ziying nodded: "In the final analysis, it is still a logistical support issue. The climate in Liaodong is cold and it is difficult to be self-sufficient in food. The original poor sea transportation has led to high costs of land transportation, making it difficult to transport grain, oil and other necessary supplies. After Liaodong, prices were extremely high, so Liaodong’s population capacity has always been a bottleneck, but I think this bottleneck can actually be broken now.”
“Oh, how to break this restriction?” Emperor Yonglong became interested.
"Yuguan?" Emperor Yonglong thought for a while, "You mean Yuguan under Shanhaiguan has opened a port?"
"Yes, haven't the people in the North always had great doubts about the strategy of opening up the sea? They believe that Jiangnan has benefited a lot from the strategy of opening up the sea, while the north has gained nothing. I must break this inherent Let them see that we in the north can also benefit from the opening of the sea. The opening of the Yuguan port is the first step. , cloth, oil, tea and other materials can be landed directly from Yuguan into western Liaoning. The transportation cost of a line guard like Guangning can be saved by at least half compared to landing via Tongzhou and Tianjin Wei,..."
"…, and in the next step, these businessmen intend to open ports and build wharves at Sanchahe Estuary, Yalu River Estuary and Jinzhou Zhongzuo. In this way, the cost of material transportation and supply in most areas of the entire Liaodong region can be reduced compared to now. More than 70%,…”
Emperor Yonglong's eyes were bright. Liaodong has been a big pain in the Zhou Dynasty since the 30th year of Yuanxi. The rapid rise of the Jianzhou Jurchens simply kept the Zhou court awake at night. However, to defend Liaodong, soldiers who are good at fighting are the most important thing. The biggest headache is logistical support, and transportation costs have become the biggest constraint.
For one stone of grain transported from the south of the Yangtze River to Shenyang Zhongwei, not even 40% of it is left, and 60% of it is consumed on the road. The cold climate in Liaodong makes its agricultural production conditions relatively harsh. As long as one-season millet is mainly grown, Liaodong is prone to disasters. , even this season’s millet planting is often affected.
If the transportation problem can be solved, it will undoubtedly greatly improve the supply capacity of the entire Liaodong.
"If we can open ports and build docks from Yuguan, Sanchahekou, Jinzhou Zhongzuo and Yalu River Estuary, we cannot say that we can completely solve the food supply problem in Liaodong, but I think that at least half of it can be solved. Then the land of Liaodong can support the population Steady growth can be achieved, but this is only one aspect. I heard that Mr. Xu Guangqi lived in seclusion in Tianjin Wei to cultivate several crops introduced from the Western Yi, including potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn. There are many mountains and hills in Liaodong, which are not conducive to the cultivation of rice and wheat. If these three crops can be widely planted in Liaodong to replace millet and wheat in selective areas, it can also make up for the lack of grain production in Liaodong to a certain extent."
If Feng Ziying gave Emperor Yonglong great joy with the previous question, then the following suggestion was a surprise to Emperor Yonglong.
"Feng Qing, you said that I know that Xu Qing lived in seclusion in Tianjin Wei, but I have never heard of him cultivating Western crops in Tianjin Wei. Do you think those three things are really better than rice and wheat?" Emperor Yonglong said this The problem is not simple.
For thousands of years, the Han people's food has been mainly millet, wheat, and rice. Wheat and rice gradually replaced millet as the main crops after the Song Dynasty. Especially in the north, millet still occupied an important position even in the pre-Ming Dynasty, especially in Liaodong. in this way.
"I can only say that these three methods are more suitable for planting in some mountainous areas and areas with poor soil. I dare not say that they can replace millet, wheat and rice. However, I heard that the yields of potatoes and sweet potatoes are quite large, especially wheat and rice, but other The taste is not as good as that of wheat and rice, and it is accepted by the public. However, I think that in times of war and famine, this kind of food is the most suitable to fill the stomach and survive..."
Feng Ziying's words made Emperor Yonglong nod his head, "Feng Qing's words make sense. If you are so hungry that you don't even have enough for your life, how can you care about the taste? If this is really feasible, then not only Liaodong, but also Ningxia, Gansu, and Shaanxi Can all the barren and barren lands on the border be promoted on a large scale to relieve the plight of the small people?"
"Your Majesty, Mr. Xu is still experimenting with planting and cultivating this matter. It may also differ due to the differences in soil, climate, and moisture in different places. The specific situation will probably depend on the results of Mr. Xu's trial, so I have also done it before. I dare not make false claims, I can only say that it can be used as a supplement to Liaodong."
Emperor Yonglong was greatly relieved. He found that every time he saw Feng Ziying, this guy could bring him some unexpected surprises, as if this guy was really his lucky general.
"Well, I know, I won't put my hope on such an inconclusive matter all of a sudden." Emperor Yonglong said with a smile: "Feng Qing's work is done in three ways. No wonder he is always successful."
"Your Majesty praised me, but I was frightened." Feng Ziying quickly stood up and saluted.
"Well, Feng Qing is worried about state affairs. I only want to be happy. Why should you be afraid?" Emperor Yonglong smiled and nodded, "I heard that Huang Degong's troops came out of Xifengkou to reinforce Li Ruzhang's tribe in Caojiazhai. Feng Qing is worried about the defeat of Li Ruzhang's tribe. Will it give your father a bad reputation?"
Feng Ziying felt a chill running down her spine again. This person was really heart-wrenching with every sentence he asked. It was not appropriate for him to answer from any angle.
After thinking about it, Feng Ziying could only kneel down and bow, "Your Majesty is wise."
Emperor Yonglong laughed heartily and looked very happy.
(End of this chapter)