"Look!" Not far away, an engineer was operating a drill to drill small holes in the hard rock wall. Several other engineers rushed to carry wooden barrels filled with explosives to the holes. After everything was ready, the engineer raised the fuse in his hand and ignited one end neatly.

With a "puff", the explosives in the barrel exploded with a thunderous sound and thick smoke. When the dust settled, the workers were excited to find that a narrow gap had been dug out of this stubborn mountain, almost to the point of a tunnel!

"Great! Keep working! We can penetrate this mountain in one go!" The engineers clapped their hands in encouragement, set up temporary shelters, and directed everyone to work in waves.

In this way, blasting holes were blasted one after another on the rock wall. Due to the careful arrangement, each blasting was just right, which would not damage the tunnel structure and greatly improve the efficiency of the project.

The "咿呷呷" sounds of drilling, the "swoosh" sounds of burning fuses and the "boom" sounds of explosions intertwined together and echoed throughout the mountain.

Soon, the goal of opening the tunnel finally became a reality. Engineers came out of the tunnel and could touch the rocks in front of them. With just one throw of the matchlock, the rocks in front were shattered.

"Your Highness, come quickly! We have completely opened up this huge tunnel!" Seeing that the goal had been achieved, the engineers cheered and rushed to lead Chu Ze into the giant tunnel that had just been opened.

After passing through layers of protective shields, I saw a high dome on the top, a straight and unobstructed road, and the stone walls on both sides were as smooth as mirrors. The firelight flickered on the stone walls.

This is a nearly perfect steel corridor! During the entire construction process, not only was the construction period shortened several times, but the construction quality was also greatly improved. From line selection to lining support, everything reflects the most advanced engineering theory and scientific guidance.

"Good job! It's really a masterpiece carved by Hai Yi's hammer!" Chu Ze couldn't help but admire.

"Your Highness, although the tunnel project has been successfully put into use, we still have a bigger problem that needs to be solved urgently." Looking at this giant steel dragon that runs through the mountains, Zhao Si suddenly said earnestly.

"What problem?" Chu Ze looked at him in surprise.

Zhao Si stepped forward and whispered in a low voice: "Not long ago, I received secret reports from many sources saying that the Xianbei, Mongolian and other northeastern princes have begun to harass us again. They keep spying on our borders and cause harassment from time to time."

"Oh, it's true." Chu Ze couldn't help but frowned deeply when he heard this. Zhao Si looked serious and continued:

"The most terrifying thing is that they are said to have hired a group of armed civilians to take advantage of the situation and rob our people. This harassment has been going on for more than a few months, and the people in the neighboring countries have been ravaged and terrified!"

"Well, this is really worrying." Chu Ze nodded and fell into deep thought. "Although we now have the new soldiers of the Firearms Battalion as a restraint, it is obviously far from enough. If we allow the nomadic harassment to spread, it will surely lead to a disaster!"

"That's right." Zhao Si agreed, "That's why we are worried about you, Your Majesty, and we risked our lives to come here to report. I'm afraid we will have to spend more time and effort to deal with the unrest on the border."

"Okay, feel free to tell us what countermeasures you have." Chu Ze immediately motioned for everyone to sit down and listen carefully to Zhao Si's suggestions.

"I think this matter must be resolved fundamentally." Zhao Si stroked his chin and pondered, "Suppressing them with force can be a temporary solution, but the nomadic people will eventually be homeless and will continue to spy on them."

"So." Zhao Si took a deep breath and said what he thought, "If we want to completely curb their destructive behavior, we must start with their way of survival and let them follow us to gradually settle down!" "Oh?" Chu Ze and other confidants were obviously shocked by this bold idea. Zhao Si continued to say firmly:

"For a long time, those nomadic peoples have lacked roots and lived in a poor environment, which has led to them being homeless and robbing for a living. If we can provide them with a good home with more than enough food and clothing, they will naturally stay there wholeheartedly and will never wander around and harass our borders again!"

"But it would be very difficult to provide a place for so many nomadic people to settle down and ensure they have enough food and clothing," said a close confidant nearby with some concern.

"Yes, this is indeed a difficult task." Zhao Si nodded, "But man, please listen to me slowly."

As he spoke, Zhao Si took out a map and spread it out in front of everyone. On the map, a vast area was circled with a red line.

"This is where we have high hopes - the Northwest Reclamation Area!" Zhao Si pointed his finger at the area. "From the Great Wall to the northwest, this area used to be a barren Gobi desert with a lot of saline-alkali land and a very harsh environment. But now, with the new reclamation technology invented by our Ming Dynasty, there is hope that this place can be turned into a fertile land!"

"New invention? What new invention?" Everyone present was obviously very interested in this statement.

"Let me introduce it to you all." Zhao Si said with a smile, and then took out a few drawings from the back of the map. "This set includes a combination of many new technologies such as water diversion and irrigation, deep plowing and ventilation. As long as they are used reasonably, even the most barren and arid areas can be transformed into fertile oasis soil!"

As he spoke, Zhao Si began to explain the ins and outs of this new reclamation technology.

"First, we will develop water conservancy projects in these areas, draw endless water from the Yellow River, Wei River and other major rivers, and incorporate it into a large water storage network."

Zhao Si pointed to the long and narrow lines on the map and said, "These can be used for farmland irrigation and for nearby herdsmen. They will definitely not cause people and livestock to suffer from thirst."

"Secondly, we will vigorously promote a new set of deep tillage and aeration technology. It can make the soil loose and porous, which can not only increase water storage but also prevent water loss."

"Finally, the introduction of advanced rotary tillage and harrowing equipment will greatly improve planting efficiency. Once fully put into use, we will be able to reclaim new farmland and pastures on a large scale in a short period of time!"

Zhao Si spoke eloquently, and the audience was instantly infected by his enthusiasm. It seemed that once those emerging technologies were deployed, they could bring the dead land back to life.

"Oh my god, no wonder you are so confident, Zhao Si." A confidant beside him exclaimed sincerely, "With this set of advanced reclamation methods, we can naturally create fertile land in the northwest and provide sufficient living space for the nomadic peoples!"

"That's right!" Zhao Si nodded in agreement. "By then, they won't have to be homeless anymore and harass our border. I believe there is hope that we can turn hostility into friendship and completely eradicate this stubborn disease!"

Hearing this, everyone present was deeply impressed by this idea. Thus, the idea of ​​an immigrant settlement and a farm for every family was conceived.

Chu Ze nodded with satisfaction, then picked up his wine glass and got back to the point: "Everyone, it seems that we have come up with a feasible plan. Next, let us mobilize the whole country, concentrate our strength, and create a fertile land on the border!" (End of this chapter)

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