Chapter 1156 Geng Zijuan: Let’s get through these guys
The undercurrents in the DPRK have not affected Feng Ziying. Now he just wants to focus on getting things done.
Theoretically, the population of Yongping Prefecture is not small, but the vast majority of the labor force is tied to the land. It is very difficult to free up enough labor force to launch large-scale industrialization and infrastructure construction in Yongping Prefecture.
But now the Mongolian invasion has given Feng Ziying such an opportunity in disguise. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from the northern prefectures and counties of Shuntian Prefecture have poured into the vicinity of Gyeonggi, which has brought great pressure to Shuntian Prefecture. Even with the help of the imperial court, it is still difficult. , especially now is not the time when the finances were still relatively healthy during the Yuanxi period.
From the thirty-fifth year of Yuanxi onwards, the imperial court's financial resources became increasingly fragile. Although the Japanese Rebellion of Imchen ended with Zhou's apparent victory, it dealt a heavy blow to Dazhou's finances. In a sense, Emperor Yuanxi's initiative to abdicate was actually A disguised form of abandonment, unable to find a better solution to the problem of financial constraints, and facing political criticism from the six expeditions to Jiangnan, made the exhausted Emperor Yuanxi take the initiative to meditate and give up the throne.
This financial difficulty situation became even more stretched after Emperor Yonglong came to the throne, and improved slightly after the Kaihai Strategy. However, a series of rebellions in Ningxia and the rise of Jianzhou Jurchens brought huge military pressure to Liaodong, and now it is The Bozhou Rebellion dragged the slightly improved finances to the point of collapse.
If tens of thousands of laborers can be diverted from the refugees in Shuntian Prefecture, not only can the concrete road construction from Lulong-Funing-Yuguan be started immediately, but also part of the labor force can be attracted to build and serve the Yuguan Port, which will become increasingly busy in the future. .
Feng Ziying even considered that if conditions matured, the iron ore, iron smelting, ironmaking, charcoal making, and cement industries in Qian'an, Lulong, and Luanzhou counties in Yongping Prefecture could increase in scale, and Luanzhou-Lulong , it is not impossible for the road from Qian'an to Lulong to be built according to standards.
Of course, the premise is that the scale of the coal, iron and building materials complex industry in Yongping Prefecture reaches a considerable level, and businessmen feel that the transportation of goods will be more cost-effective and profitable after the road is completed, so they may be willing to continue to invest in support.
If the Lulong-Funing-Yuguan road is completed in one year, then this part of the labor force can either consider transferring to several major mines, iron smelting plants, ironmaking plants, charcoal fields and cement plants to make a living, or they can leave Yuguan Feng Ziying believes that by then, it will not be a problem for Hong Kong to absorb some of the labor force of 20,000 to 30,000, and it may not even be enough.
"Ziying, the imperial court has issued a decree, asking us to prepare to accept more than 20,000 households of refugees from Miyun, Huairou and some Jizhou. There are about 22,000 households and close to 90,000 people. It is estimated that they will be admitted one after another in more than a month. Come on over."
Zhu Zhiren sighed and held the official letter in his hand, not without worry.
This is an official document from the cabinet through the General Affairs Department, which means there is no room for negotiation.
Of course, Feng Ziying had already gotten angry with him before. In a sense, this was Zhu Zhiren's last government task in his position as the prefect of Yongping Prefecture. If he did it well, it would be a political achievement. If he did it badly, it would be hard to say.
After meeting with the representatives of Shanxi and Shaanxi businessmen, Zhu Zhiren felt a little relieved. With the backing of this group of Shanxi and Shaanxi businessmen with strong financial resources, at least the situation would not be too bad. Moreover, Feng Ziying had also obtained funds from Shandong and Jiangnan through various connections. Buy food and cloth there to prepare for the arrival of refugees.
As for equipment and materials such as shovels, shovels, hoes, picks and carts, Yongping itself is a large producer, so there is no need to worry. They can prepare them within half a month. Now Qian'an, Lulong and Yuguan are all Cement plants have been built, and three of them are producing at the same time, which is more than enough to meet the entire road construction needs, and there is still a considerable surplus for export.
"Prefect, don't worry. I've already said hello to the Funing and Lulong county offices, and I've also communicated with Shanhaiguan. Some of the wood, fodder, charcoal, bedding and other supplies that need to be prepared are also there. We have already asked the businessmen to start preparations to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Feng Ziying knew that Zhu Zhiren was very worried about problems caused by the refugees coming over. Death from freezing, starvation and epidemics were all political responsibility. You took the initiative to ask for a fight, but now that people have come and troubles have arisen, Zhu Zhiren, the palace official, will bear the brunt and cannot escape.
Feng Ziying also knew in her heart that Zhu Zhiren did not agree with this matter, but Feng Ziying pushed hard, and businessmen also came to "visit" him. If he still does not understand the mystery here, then he is ignorant of current affairs.
Of course, Zhu Zhiren also knows that this kind of thing will definitely be extremely beneficial to the future development of Yongping Mansion. Looking at the increasingly prosperous industries and the caravans that have begun to appear on the grassland, they come directly here, plus Yuguan Hong Kong's prosperity, everyone knows that this trend is unstoppable.
However, with his age and experience, he would not compete with Feng Ziying at this time. He just wanted to survive the past few months in Beijing safely, and the merchants' filial piety did not miss him a penny. Also happy to see its success.
The only troublesome thing is that the local gentry are a little jealous now. They used to look on coldly when businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi come in to open mines and build factories. It’s not like they have never seen mines and iron factories built. The conditions in Zunhua are so good that they are now struggling. Whether it is Qian'an or Lulong, the conditions are no better than those in Zunhua, and roads, craftsmanship, and export channels are all difficult problems, so the local gentry is not optimistic at all.
But when Foshan Zhuangji came with a large number of craftsmen, plus Yuguan Port was opened to navigation, and the arsenal factory jointly established with the Ordnance Bureau of the Ministry of War was completed and put into operation, everyone became a little restless.
So when the Mongols invaded, many of the local gentry also hoped that the Mongols would carry out a large-scale looting of these foreign merchants with some malicious intent. It would be best to completely sweep away these foreign merchants.
It was just Feng Ziying's advance warning that the Shanshan and Shaanxi merchants' precautions made all the local gentry's ideas come to nothing. Then they watched the Mongolians retreat to the city, and then the Mongols actually retreated to the Santun Camp in the northwest corner. The Yongping gentry could not believe this bizarre and magical plot after overthrowing the Jingying camp.
Now Shanshan and Shaanxi merchants are starting to expand again. Seeing that the money may be filling the pockets of Shanshan and Shaanxi merchants, the local gentry can't sit still.
No one wants to feel bad about money, and they are watching businessmen from other places making money on their own land. There is no reason why they can't join in and take a share.
The first person they are looking for is naturally the prefect.
"Ziying, I heard that the Shanshan-Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce is planning to expand in Qian'an and Lulong, and also explore and open mines in Luanzhou?" Zhu Zhiren coughed dryly and accepted the offer from the local gentry in Yongping Prefecture. Gifts, Zhu Zhiren is also a man of rules, so naturally he has to make peace with them.
"Well, the Luanzhou side has actually been explored initially, but I thought that Lulong and Qian'an had better conditions and were closer to Yuguan, so I opened mines and factories in Qian'an and Lulong first, and now since Yuguan As the port's throughput capacity continues to expand, it is reasonable to expand the scale appropriately, and it just so happens that these migrant labor forces can also be supplemented in the future, which is just right."
Feng Ziying didn't react yet, but when she saw Zhu Zhiren's somewhat artificial dry cough, she knew something was wrong.
“Master Fu, what’s the matter?”
"Ziying, you have been in Yongping Mansion for more than half a year. It is good for you to introduce businessmen from Shanxi and Shaanxi to our Yongping, but we cannot ignore our local gentry and merchants in Yongping. Now there are some rumors from the outside world that although you You are a scholar from the North, but you are too biased towards Shanxi merchants, and you treat our Northern Zhili and even Yongping gentry and merchants as if they were worn out shoes. This is not good for your reputation."
There was not much inclination in Zhu Zhiren's words, "I am getting older, and you will have to take care of the affairs of Yongping Mansion in the future. I think these local gentry can actually get a share and be used by you. "
“Sir, don’t you know that these guys went to the capital city to complain, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate received no less than ten petitions about me?”
"Hey, Ziying, things like this happen everywhere. If you have to worry about it, you won't be able to do anything." Zhu Zhiren coughed a few more times, "I mean, in this land, after all, they are Local snakes, since they are willing to give in now, then you might as well give them a step up. In addition, the Shanshan merchant family is too dominant and is too strong, which is not in the interest of our government. It is best to have checks and balances..."
Zhu Zhiren's words are not unreasonable, but Feng Ziying has no intention of sparing these gentry easily. Even if he wants to give them a chance, he has to show their attitude.
"Sir, this matter is not urgent. I know that these guys are jealous now, but we were very angry with these guys at the beginning and they also caused us a lot of obstacles. How can we just say a few words? Are we just going to be open-minded?" Feng Ziying said cheerfully: "I have to deal with them anyway. Don't worry, I will do what you said, of course, but wouldn't it be better to endure it for a while? If I ask, you will just pretend. Blame me, put the responsibility on me, and let these guys become anxious and angry for a while, and feel the suffocating feeling of our nest."
Zhu Zhiren also laughed. This guy really knows how to learn things instantly. His mind is smarter than anyone else's. He also brings his own words to the table, and others are willing to act according to his own opinions. As for the process being delayed, isn't this a good thing? I can also get through the temper of these Yongping gentry. I have been criticized by these guys for so many years.
(End of this chapter)