Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 477 Forming Cliques
"Sell newspapers and recruit workers from Liangzhou, Ganzhou, and Suzhou. The wages are 20 yuan per day. The registration place is on the newspaper!"

"Selling newspapers and selling newspapers..."

On the rammed earth street, a young man kept shouting, and there were people squatting around him.

As the young man shouted, those who were squatting immediately pooled their money and bought a newspaper, and then followed the young man's instructions to the place where workers were recruited.

They were illiterate and bought newspapers just to obtain information. Now that the information had arrived, they naturally had to leave.

They walked through extremely dusty streets. The roads here were all local. Occasionally, they could see bell towers and drum towers. Although the people on the streets were dressed as Han Chinese, their deep eyes and high noses made it easy to distinguish them from Han Chinese.

This is Wuwei County, Liangzhou Prefecture under the rule of Gansu Province. It used to be a place for thousands of households, but now it has become a well-developed county.

Of course, the good development here is only compared to the past. If we compare it to the east of Longshan, it is still incomparable.

Dozens of people in their 40s and 50s gathered together, dressed in simple coarse linen clothes and walked out of the city.

The soldiers and horses guarding the city glanced at them and let them go without any hesitation.

In addition, the common people must wear pigskin boots and are not allowed to ride. If they violate the rules, civilians will beat them to death without being guilty.

I heard that the imperial court has a machine that can pump water. If this machine can be used by ordinary people, then life will be much easier.

Thinking of this, the workers immersed themselves in work again, while an official standing on the official road couldn't help but nodded when he saw the situation.

Seeing them walking out, many people stood up and came closer, and one of the officials also walked out and said loudly:
"The salary is 20 cash, including food and accommodation. In addition, if there are those who are willing to follow the team to build roads in other counties, after leaving Wuwei County, the salary will be 30 cash per day. Are you clear?!"

You must know that even if they work as laborers, their daily wages are only ten cents.

"Clear!"

In contrast, government-run factories often provide food, shelter, and wages.

The official said this, and an official next to him sighed: "If the railway can go directly to Guanzhong, then we will truly have no worries about food and clothing."

Zhu Gaoxu's expression was a little unpredictable. After a while, he spoke:

After they left, in the next few days, more and more workers began to come here to participate in railway construction.

"However, if we start construction from densely populated areas and use high labor prices to lure people to travel far away to build railways, then I think this problem can be solved."

In addition, Semu people are strictly prohibited from wearing their own traditional clothing, including jewelry. They must wear Hanfu, otherwise they will be killed.

"If it wasn't like this, I would have dealt with them long ago." Zhu Gaoxu interrupted Yishuha and said at the same time:
"The road from Longshan to Wuwei is impassable. It seems that we have to find another way, otherwise the imperial court and Gansu will still be unable to connect."

Everyone spoke Chinese, and they all understood clearly. Soon the officials divided them into thirty teams, with ten people in each team receiving tasks.

"In this way, the imperial court can go to Gansu via the Hetao. The only change is that the population is insufficient, making it difficult to build roads."

Although the accommodation was just a tent and the food was just ordinary rice with some fried vegetables, it was better than their usual meals.

"It's a pity that it's too difficult." The official shook his head and soon shook the reins and left the construction site.

There is not much land that can be cultivated in the Qilian Mountains. The nearly two million people in Gansu only have two or three acres each. The yield per mu is only nine dou, which is considered extremely high. Normally, it is only seven or eight dou.

"Let Huang Fu use the grass grid method to see if he can build a railway to Ningxia based on the desert and the edge of the Qilian Mountains, and then find a way to connect Ningxia and Wuyuan County."

Under the fifty-one-year rule of the Hongwu, Yongle, and Hongxi dynasties, in fact, most of the Semu people could no longer speak their own language. Except for their appearance, they were no different from the Han people.

A laborer can carry thousands of kilograms of goods every day, and sometimes even ten thousand kilograms of goods per day when encountering unscrupulous merchants.

Zhu Gaoxu threw the memorial on the table. Yishiha next to him heard the words and bowed: "Your Majesty, don't get so angry. I think it's just that the people below are eager for quick success."

Sitting next to the post station on the official road, on both sides of the official road is the endless vast Gobi desert, which is bare and shiny. Occasionally, I see a plant, standing majestically among large and small cobblestones, without bowing its head under the strong light.

"Wuwei is the starting point of the Gansu Railway. If the railway here is repaired and combined with the water pumps shipped by the court in the future, the people of Gansu will not have to worry about not being able to afford food."

Gradually, the materials began to fail to keep up with the speed of manpower construction, and the cold winter was approaching, so I could only take a few days off.

Not long after, they walked out of the city gate and followed the directions in the newspaper to a certain official road station a few miles away.

"Besides, the land in Gansu is barren, so being able to find a job for half a month before winter is a benefit to the people."

It seemed that there were too many people arriving, so several officials also walked out of the inn.

Under the command of the officials, they quickly began to work on the Gobi Desert not far from the official road.

In addition, Zhu Yuanzhang also stipulated that women with lustful eyes must marry Han men and are not allowed to marry Han men. Those who violate the rules will have a staff of eighty, and both men and women will become slaves.

Behind them, there were more than a dozen sergeants responsible for escorting them.

When you come to work on a construction site in a government camp, you only have to dig roads, sift stones, use horse-drawn carriages to pull cement, and pull rails with the army every day, and you can get 20 cents in wages. It can be said that it is much easier than Lifu.

If you dare to disobey, you will be cast into slavery in the light case, and you will be slapped in the serious case. This is the so-called restoration of the clothes of the Tang and Song Dynasties, and prohibiting the use of foreign language.

When the news came back to Beijing, it was already the fifth day of winter in the second year of Hongxi.

Although they are all common people in the Ming Dynasty, due to different wages, the wages of railway workers are also different.

Hundreds of people of various ethnic groups wearing coarse linen clothes are already waiting here. Due to Zhu Yuanzhang's policy, although the Semu people in the Ming Dynasty were spared from massacre, they had to use Chinese characters, learn Chinese and speak Chinese. At the same time, the previous Semu people's surnames It should also be simplified to Han surnames.

From a few thousand at the beginning to tens of thousands later, the progress of the project became faster and faster.

"Forget it, let's call him over!"

After receiving the memorial, Zhu Gaoxu did not look very happy, but frowned and said: "I told Huang Fu earlier that the construction would not start until the spring of the first month of next year, but they have already started construction now. Tell me, what do they want to do?" ?”

The wage of twenty coppers is considered a normal wage in Jiangnan, but in a place like Gansu it is sky-high.

Things are expensive in Gansu, with one stone of rice costing more than 500 yuan. Even if the New Deal has been implemented for many years, it is extremely difficult for the people here to get a taste of meat.

Zhu Gaoxu slapped his head and told Yi Shiha the solution he had thought of these days. In the end, he still felt that it would be better for him to tell Huang Fu personally, so he sent a message to him.

Not long after, Huang Fu hurried over, and Zhu Gaoxu also stood up and asked someone to pull out a map of the northwest of the Ming Dynasty and said to Huang Fu:

"You sit down first. What I mean is that the railway from Zhangjiakou to Fengxiang via Taiyuan is still under construction, but on the original basis, the railway in Hetao will be extended. After it reaches Wuyuan County, it will go south to Ningxia Prefecture, and then Detour to Wuwei.”

Zhu Gaoxu said this. After hearing the words, Huang Fu bowed and said:
"I have thought about this plan with the people below, but the problem is that the four hundred miles the railway passes is the Gobi Desert. When the wind and sand blow, the grass squares of a hundred steps cannot stop it."

"If a hundred steps doesn't work, just two hundred steps, five hundred steps, a thousand steps!" Zhu Gaoxu frowned:

"If the grass grid doesn't work, then use water pumps to plant trees. I don't believe there will be no water in these hundreds of miles of mountains!"

Zhu Gaoxu only felt that Huang Fu and the others were limited by their past thinking. Who said that humans cannot defeat God?
With the addition of water pumps and grass grids, Zhu Gaoxu did not believe that a protective forest could not grow in a place that was an oasis hundreds of years ago.

"I...I will do my best."

Huang Fu was not sure, so he had to bite the bullet and accept it.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu explained to him: "The Yellow River overflowed in the Hetao area, and the Wuyuan area was flooded by the Yellow River all year round. Floods were common in the Tang and Song Dynasties."

"Although the imperial court has built many canals in Wuyuan County, facing the Yellow River, these canals are not enough."

"Before building the railway in Wuyuan, the Ministry of Industry should first think carefully about how to manage this area and domesticate the local swampland into cultivated land."

"I accept the order." Huang Fu no longer had any opinions of his own. He also knew what the connection between the Gansu Railway and the Central Plains Railway meant, so he had to try it even if it was extremely difficult.

With Zhu Gaoxu's promise, he felt somewhat confident and was ready to send someone to try.

Seeing that Zhu Gaoxu had no other instructions, Huang Fu withdrew from Wuying Hall.

He did not return to Wenhua Palace because his Ministry of Works was now the busiest yamen among the six.

After walking out of Xihuamen and returning to the Ministry of Industry, he immediately gathered everyone to study the feasibility of this method.

"Actually, it's not impossible. After all, prisoners in Zhangjiakou area also planted trees in the Gobi. And the area on the map relies on Shoulu Mountain and Qilian Mountain. It was once an ancient route of the Silk Road. It's impossible not to plant trees."

"The problem now is whether the local groundwater is sufficient and whether trees can be planted."

"Also, how many pumps are needed to cover a distance of four hundred miles?"

A young official touched his chin and began to persuade everyone. Another person nodded after hearing the words:

"As long as there is groundwater, it's easy to say, but this place is the Gobi Desert. If there is groundwater, it won't be barren."

"Not necessarily. Judging from our experience in Hetao and Hami, groundwater does exist underground in the Gobi Desert."

"These groundwaters are mainly derived from recharge from desert rivers, with a small contribution from rainwater, but the difficulty is that they are generally very deep."

"For example, there are some Gobi deserts in Dingxiang, Hetao, but their groundwater levels are less than three feet, while the Gobi desert in Hami has the deepest groundwater level, about ten feet."

"These examples all show that the Gobi desert is very rich in groundwater resources and the reserves are amazing. It just depends on whether we have the ability to obtain them."

Two young officials dispatched by Taixue discussed the theoretical knowledge of groundwater in the Gobi desert. Facing their words, many officials from the Ministry of Industry seemed to be listening to heavenly scriptures. Even Huang Fu felt that he had been eliminated by the times.

Taking a deep breath, Huang Fu pushed up his reading glasses: "No matter what, you have to try to know."

Hearing this, the others could only discuss and sent several officials who surveyed hydrology and railways to investigate this ancient road.

After making the decision, they continued to pay attention to railways and river projects in various places.

At the same time, the finishing work of Yunnan's reform of native land and returning to local rule was also completed. So far, the chieftains in Yungui, Sichuan and Guizhou in the Ming Dynasty were wiped out, and only the chieftains of the Three Annals and Ten Weis remained.

It was precisely because the Ming army was so aggressive in reforming the southwest that the chieftains in Laos and other places became wary, often causing friction with the people of Che Prefecture. "Uh-huh!"

"It hurts to death!"

"Mother!"

In the coldest month of winter, snow has fallen for thousands of miles in the north, but in the south, shrill screams can be heard in the cars.

The place where the screams came out was in a military camp surrounded by cement walls.

There are many doctors and nurses in white cloth walking around here, most of them stained with blood.

Not long after, Lu Yu, wearing official uniform, hurried over in a hurry. Hearing the wailing in the military camp, his face turned pale.

"what happened?"

Lu Yu asked the Fu Cheng next to him nervously. He didn't expect that a war broke out in Cheli Mansion just once he went out. Many people were injured and sent to the military camp.

"It was the chieftain of Fengsaly from the Lao Military and Civilian Xuanwei Department. He suddenly led his men to attack two villages. Fortunately, he sent out smoke to scare them away."

Fu Cheng's face was ugly, and Lu Yu's face was even more ugly: "How many people were killed or injured?"

"Seventeen people were killed and fifty-six were injured." Fu Cheng clenched his fists. When Lu Yu heard the words, he felt that there was anger in his chest that was about to burst out.

He had only been in charge of the car for more than a year, and he had just settled down the immigrants in Longchuan when he was attacked by the chieftain.

Once this news spreads, immigrants will definitely flee north, so all this must be resolved before things escalate.

"What did Commander Liu say?"

Lu Yu asked the Fu Cheng with red eyes, and the Fu Cheng shook his head: "Commander Liu said that they must have a military order from the Governor's Office before they can send troops to conquer."

"I will go back and report to the court now!" Lu Yu left one sentence, and then hurried out of the military camp.

In the distance, Jinghong County, which once had only Muzhai, has been built with a concrete city wall built with stones. The road from the military camp to the city wall is lined with rice fields, but now the people standing in the fields can see Lu Yu, who was in a hurry, also looked at the military camp with fear.

Obviously, the news that the two villages had been attacked had spread, and if Lu Yu could not think of a way to appease people, he would probably face the result that the people would flee north.

The two villages that were attacked were only more than twenty miles away from the county seat. God knows whether it will be the village or the county seat that will be attacked next time.

After returning to the government office, Lu Yu quickly wrote a memorial and sent someone to rush it to the capital 800 miles away.

At the same time, he also wrote the list by hand, and asked the newly established "Che Daily" to expedite the publication of the first newspaper, and personally wrote an article on it to appease the people.

The people in Che Fu still trust Lu Yu. After all, he often travels across mountains and rivers to every village to put forward his opinions and listen to the voices of the people.

Therefore, after reading his article, many people gradually gave up their thoughts of fleeing north, but this was only if Lu Yu could solve all this.

If this matter cannot be resolved, then even if they risk being exiled again, these people who have been convicted and migrated will have to flee north for their lives.

Compared with Lu Yu, who was exhausted due to the war, Jiang Huai of Longchuan Prefecture did a great job.

"The situation is still good. We can build a railway to Manmo. However, the terrain here is too complicated. It is not easy to build a railway from Longchuan to Kunming."

On the official road of Longchuan Prefecture, as an official from the Ministry of Industry on horseback shook his head and said these words, Jiang Huai, who was following him on horseback, also expressed worry: "Is the cost relatively high?"

"No..." The official from the Ministry of Industry shook his head and finally sighed:
"To tell you the truth, with the current technology of the imperial court, except for short-distance railways in central Yunnan, other places are not suitable for building railways."

"Of course, the four counties of Longchuan Prefecture are located in the river valley, so it is not difficult to build it, but with the local iron output and population situation, this railway will not be able to be built in less than ten years."

"Wen Qing, my senior brother would like to advise you. After these three years, you should change your place as soon as possible. If you stay here as a prostitute, you will be buried for at least ten years."

The official from the Ministry of Industry stepped back to persuade Jianghuai, but Jianghuai smiled and said: "As long as the railway in Longchuan Prefecture can be built, then I will have the confidence to develop my hometown."

"Senior brother, you don't need to persuade me. I believe that where there is a will, there is a way."

"Besides, it's only been ten years. I'm only in my early twenties now, and I'm only in my thirties after ten years. I accept senior brother's wishes, but I don't trust leaving the development of Longchuan Mansion to others, I have to do it myself."

Jiang Huai is polite and has a smile that makes those who talk to him feel like spring breeze.

Seeing his persistence, the officials from the Ministry of Industry could only follow his wishes and plan the Longchuan Railway.

After planning the railway and determining the cost, Jianghuai immediately printed a copy. After bidding farewell to the senior fellows from the Ministry of Industry of Jiangning Middle School, he took the brochure to Nandian County.

He rode back to Nandian with several guards and rushed directly towards the military camp in Nandian.

Facing him, a civil servant, the soldiers on duty let him go after a brief inspection.

Entering the military camp, Jiang Huai also took the documents and found Wang Xuan, who was sitting in the tent and resting.

He hadn't gone on an expedition during this period, so when he saw Jiang Huai coming, a smile appeared on his face and he said, "How is it?"

"This is a rubbing. Although the Long-Sichuan Railway can be built, the terrain in Yunnan is complex and it is difficult to connect to Kunming."

After Jiang Huai handed over the brochure, he sat aside directly. Wang Xuan looked disappointed when he heard this, but he still opened the rubbings.

"Yes, if you do this, the livelihood of the people in Longchuan Prefecture will be solved by you. However, if the railway cannot connect to Kunming, then the Southwest Railway may not be able to be implemented."

Wang Xuan shook his head in reply, and Jiang Huai also nodded and said: "I think so too, so I am going to slow down the matter of converting rice into mulberry in the county, leaving enough cultivated land to ensure the food rations of the people and the army."

"Okay!" A smile appeared on Wang Xuan's face: "It's great that you can think like this."

"By the way, uncle..." Jiang Huai suddenly stopped smiling and couldn't help asking:
"Actually, the student has been puzzled by something. I would like to ask my uncle..."

"Say it!" Wang Xuan smiled and picked up the tea cup and took a sip. Jiang Huai waited for him to finish drinking before saying:

"Both the DPRK and China regard the New Deal faction as the Bohai faction, so why don't you let me associate with the New Deal faction?"

"..." Wang Xuan paused, the smile on his face slowly faded, and then he said:
"The Bohai School is the Bohai School, the New Deal School is the New Deal School, the topography of the Bohai Sea is outside the customs, the Bohai Sea is the north in the imperial examination, and our place is the southwest..."

"One is Northeast and the other is Southwest. Do you think we are really the same faction?"

"You mean, competing for resources?" Jiang Huai frowned and Wang Xuan nodded:
"You can understand it easily. You don't need me to explain too much. It saves you a lot of trouble."

After acknowledging it, Wang Xuan continued: "The Northeast and the Southwest are diametrically opposed. Once many things involve resource investment, they will inevitably fall into disputes."

"If you don't talk about anything else, you should understand just this railway."

"The signs are not obvious yet, but when conflicts break out in the future, I don't want to have no one to talk to in the temple."

Wang Xuan meant to protect himself. When Jiang Huai heard this, he nodded and said, "It's a pity that we can't join forces with the Duke of Guizhou, otherwise we can have a place in the temple."

The Mu family, which has been the headquarter of Yunnan for more than 30 years, actually has many disciples. When the Duke of Guizhou encounters problems, they can also help speak in the temple.

In this regard, Wang Xuan, as a rising star, is beyond the reach of others, so he needs to support his students.

Although he has Zhu Gaoxu's trust, if Zhu Gaoxu dies one day, or if he leaves early, who else in the temple can protect the Wang family?
Although Wang Xuan seems simple and honest, he is very thoughtful. He knows very well that his great prestige in western Yunnan is not because of his repeated military exploits in western Yunnan, but because he is deeply trusted by Zhu Gaoxu.

In other words, without Zhu Gaoxu, the Wang family would be like a duckweed without roots, and the outcome is hard to say.

If a Jianghuai can be cultivated, then even if the Wang family's descendants are incompetent in the future, Jianghuai will be able to protect the Wang family for decades.

Thinking of this, Wang Xuan said:

"The New Deal faction seems to be monolithic, but in fact it's just because the Jiangnan group is still there."

"One day, if those people in Jiangnan are integrated into the New Deal or destroyed by His Majesty, then the temple will lose balance and party strife may come."

Wang Xuan's words made Jiang Huai's heart sink. He didn't want to see that day, but he knew very well that that day would come, even if it wasn't the New Deal faction and the Jiangnan conservative faction, it would be other factions.

In the final analysis, the Ming Dynasty was too powerful, and dynasties that were too powerful often perished internally.

"With your intelligence, you shouldn't be able to figure this out. You just didn't put your mind on it."

Wang Xuan looked at Jiang Huai and couldn't help but like him a little more: "I intend to betroth my niece to you. What do you think?"

Wang Xuan expressed his thoughts. When Jiang Huai heard this, his heart skipped a beat, and the pretty girl from the past could not help but appear in his mind.

Looking at his appearance, Wang Xuan chuckled and said, "I know what happened between you and the little lady of the Qi family."

"But regarding this matter, please listen to my advice. It is not a good thing for someone like you to marry a woman with children, not to mention that the young lady and her husband have not yet reconciled."

"You forced a relationship with her, but in the end you harmed her..."

"I..." Jiang Huai wanted to say something, but Wang Xuan shook his head and said:

"Okay, go back and think about what I'm talking about. My niece is eight years younger than you and is only fourteen now. She has plenty of time to wait for you."

"Students resign..." After receiving permission, Jiang Huai stood up and exited the tent, frowning and walking out of the military camp.

When the "prefect" guard saw him walking out, he quickly held the horse and handed him the reins.

Jiang Huai took the reins of the horse and looked at Nandian County in the distance, but he didn't know what he was thinking.

He thought of the young lady of the Qi family, but he also thought of what Wang Xuan said to him.

He just wanted to take the imperial examination and go home to make his hometown better and better, but why does such a simple thing need to be made complicated by this world.

"As an official...do you have to form cliques to stay in the officialdom..."

(End of this chapter)