Father can be an enemy country

Chapter 1356 Huludao

Huludao is not an island, but a peninsula located on the Liaoxi Corridor. It is named after the bay that looks like a gourd and is under the jurisdiction of Liaodong Dusi. At this time, the famous Ningyuan Guard had not yet been established, so this throat-like area between Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan was previously in a state of no one's jurisdiction.

Later, the Ministry of Marine Affairs was responsible for transporting grain to the north, and Zhu Zhen chose this place as the port to supply grain to the Liaodong Military Region.

Although this place is a little far from Liaoyang, it has the advantages of a wide harbor and deep water, being sheltered from wind and waves in summer, and only a thin layer of ice forming in severe winter. It is a rare ice-free port, and its hydrological conditions are much better than those at the mouth of the Liaohe River.

After the establishment of the Daning Metropolitan Government, it was the most convenient place to supply food to the grassland, and Huludao had a greater advantage. As a result, a large-scale seaport city was quickly formed here, and its bustling level was almost catching up with Liaoyang.

Well, it’s mainly because the population of Liaodong is too small…

~~
When Zhu Zhen and his entourage arrived at the city gate, they saw colorful flags waving and firecrackers blasting. Han Yike and Shen Rong led more than 10,000 soldiers and civilians to line the streets to welcome them.

"Welcome the prince back in triumph!" The two had received the news long ago and had been waiting in Huludao for a long time.

"Hahaha, brothers and elders, please stand up quickly." Zhu Zhen clasped his fists and thanked the soldiers and civilians of Huludao loudly: "The army has been able to fight in the depths of the grassland for nearly a year, thanks to your hard work in transporting food and grass. I have already asked the emperor for credit for you. Please show mercy and exempt you from taxes for three years!"

"Oh, thank you, Your Highness!" The soldiers and civilians were immediately overjoyed and kowtowed to express their gratitude.

"In addition..." Zhu Zhen did not finish his words, and continued: "I have discussed with Lord Han that you will be given a holiday starting from the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, and it will last until the second day of the second lunar month next year, so that you can have a good rest. Moreover, your salary will be paid during the holiday, plus two taels of silver per person for the New Year!"

"Ahhh! Long live the emperor! Long live the prince nine thousand years!" Everyone really didn't know how to express their gratitude. They even invented the term 'nine thousand years old' for him.

Zhu Zhen almost couldn't hold it anymore. Oh my god, I have become Wei Zhongxian...

~~
When they entered the city, because they had informed in advance, the soldiers and civilians of Huludao all knew why Prince Yan and their group were locked up in the prison car. So not only did no one laugh at the fourth brother and his two companions, but many ordinary people even stuffed delicious food into their prison car.

In the common people's simple perception, taking the initiative to eliminate the Tartars was a manifestation of bravery and fearlessness, and the court's locking up of the three people was actually inhumane.

Ping An really regarded himself as a hero. He waved to his former subordinates frequently in the prison car. Many officers came to toast him, bid him farewell with tears, and then knelt down to beg Zhu Zhen to save the lives of the governors. The scene was as if he was being taken to the execution ground.

Zhu Zhen had no choice but to assure them that Ping An would be safe, and only then was he able to escape. He went to the dock with Han Yike and Shen Rong to check the sea conditions.

In the calm natural harbor, there was a thin layer of ice floating on the sea, reflecting the bright sunshine in spots.

"Is it possible to sail in this sea condition?" Zhu Zhen asked calmly, "If it really doesn't work, we can use the alternative plan and sail out from Qingnipu."

Qingnipu was later called Dalian Bay. Due to its low latitude and the influence of the warm current, it would definitely not freeze over there, but it would just be an extra 700 miles to travel.

"No problem." Han Yike said confidently: "This level of thin ice can't hurt the ship."

As he spoke, he pointed to the two thousand ton ships quietly parked at the dock and said: "And these ships have been specially modified. Copper plates have been installed outside the hull, so they can break through ice one finger thick without any damage to themselves. These days, I will send them out to sea every day to clear the waterway to ensure that nothing goes wrong." "Okay, then get on board!" Zhu Zhen absolutely trusted his number one general.

Following the officer's order, the soldiers led their horses and lined up to board the ship. The prisoner car of Lao Si and others was also slowly lifted onto the deck with a winch.

"Be careful, don't let me fall into the sea!" The sea breeze was howling, blowing the prison car from side to side. Zhu Di grabbed the railing with both hands, very nervous.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Our crane can lift 2,000 kilograms." Shen Rong hurriedly comforted him, "You and the crane together weigh less than 1,000 kilograms."

"I'm not afraid of ten thousand, I'm just afraid of one..." Zhu Di said fearfully as he looked at the sea with broken ice under his feet.

Fortunately, the crane operator who operated the winch was very skilled and placed both him and the crane steadily on the deck.

"Oh my god, I'm scared to death." Zhu Di finally breathed a sigh of relief. The feeling of having your life and death in the hands of others is even more terrifying than fighting on the battlefield.

~~
While the troops were boarding the ship, Zhu Zhen inspected the Huludao wharf. He saw that the wealthy naval administration had not only built four permanent stone trestle bridges that could accommodate 20 large ships to berth and unload at the same time, but also built a breakwater at the mouth of the bay. There were lighthouses and gun emplacements on the breakwater, which obviously also served as navigation and warning.

"Well, you can tell that a lot of effort was put in." Zhu Zhen nodded with satisfaction.

"It's mainly because the prince has a keen eye for talent. The conditions of the port he chose are excellent." Han Yike praised from the side:
"Not only is the water temperature high, it is navigable most of the time in winter, and the coast is made entirely of rocks, so it is not silted up. The seabed slopes steeply, so the water is deep. The gourd-shaped bay can block wind and waves, and it is also a natural shelter. There are few ports in the country that can compare to it."

"And its location is great. Not only is it on the Liaoxi Corridor, but it's also the sea gateway to Daning." Shen Rong said with a smile, "In my humble opinion, this port will have to be expanded in a few years."

"That doesn't matter. Space for four trestle bridges was reserved during the design," Han Yike said with a smile, "I expected this to happen."

"It seems that we have similar views." Zhu Zhen smiled and said to the two of them, "In the future, the court will focus on managing Daning and the Northeast. Father is planning to appoint my three younger brothers to the Northeast, and Daning will also have one. Let alone other things, just the construction of these four palaces, as well as their future maintenance and expenses, all have to go through Huludao. Isn't this a huge demand?"

"Then the population of Northeast China may reach millions in the future!" Han Yike and the others were surprised, "I didn't expect the emperor to attach so much importance to Northeast China."

"The Northeast is too important. It is related to the peace of the country. If Daning and the Northeast are well governed, there will be basically no border troubles in the northern border." Zhu Zhen said in a deep voice: "For this, Liaodong alone is far from enough. At least we must actually control the Songnen Plain, which is a good place to develop military settlements!"

He lowered his voice and said, "I strongly advocate the establishment of provincial governments in Daning and the Northeast. It will not work without a civil service system to build water conservancy projects and organize production."

"It would be great if Daning and Northeast China could become provinces!" Han Yike and the others' eyes lit up. That way they would have two more big customers.

"But I can only make suggestions on this matter. In the end, it is up to the old man and my brother to make the final decision." Zhu Zhen asked the two to calm down and said, "If you want to see it succeed, you should help Liaodong and Daning develop well, and then everything will fall into place naturally."

(End of this chapter)