Chapter 348

This left Zhu Youjian somewhat puzzled; now that the Liaodong war was nearly resolved, Hong Hong Chengchou had also been transferred back from Liaodong.

He was estimated to return to Jingcheng within a few days.

This meant he was now free.

Hong Hong Chengchou's military capability was quite strong; whether against rebels within Great Ming or the original Jianzhou Jurchens and Tatars, he was very effective.

Coupled with a powerful general like Lan Yu, the two complemented each other.

One could say Zhu Youjian's top choices in his heart were these two.

Now Su Qiao had unexpectedly chosen Sun Chuanting instead.

This was truly beyond Zhu Youjian's expectations.

"Why choose Premier Sun?"

"Grand Secretary Sun is steady and prudent, and being from the southeast himself, he knows much about the Japanese pirates; I believe he already has a strategy in mind for dealing with them."

Su Qiao said without hesitation.

Hmm?

Why does that sound quite reasonable?

Zhu Youjian's inner balance slowly tilted.

"Hmm, what if I wanted you to go, how would you feel?"

Zhu Youjian suddenly had a thought and asked.

Me?

Su Qiao shook his head and refused without hesitation.

He wanted Zhu Yuanzhang to chop him to death, not be killed by Japanese pirates.

Besides, the southeast is so far away; why go there? Isn't it better to stay in the capital and offer strategies properly?

Zhu Youjian was actually just asking casually.

Seeing Su Qiao refuse, he suppressed the idea.

But in the group chat, Zhu Yuanzhang exploded.

After Su Qiao left, he immediately launched a barrage of curses at Zhu Youjian.

"Are you a pig brain? Sending Su Qiao there is to let him help you solve administrative problems; who told you to send him to fight a war?"

Zhu Youjian said weakly:

"Great-Grandfather, I didn't let him go to war either; isn't the Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office there? Su Qing also said Great Ming's overseas lands are wealthy, so I was just curious..."

"Curious my foot! Do you not know to take things one by one? Who can eat a fat man in one bite? What, can you sail the seas now? Do you have sea ships? Do you have nautical charts? Always thinking of reaching the sky in one step?!"

Zhu Youjian trembled and dared not refute a single word.

Only after Old Zhu scolded him for over half an hour was he let off.

Hmm, he also learned his lesson and abandoned the idea of transferring Su Qiao away from Jingcheng.

Not long after Su Qiao left the palace, Zhu Youjian summoned Sun Chuanting into the palace again.

After inquiring about the Japanese pirates in the southeast, he immediately made a final decision.

Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangsheng would head south to reorganize Great Ming's coastal defense garrisons.

Additionally, after Hong Hong Chengchou returned to Jingcheng with his troops, he received many rewards.

Hong Hong Chengchou was too slick and had too many schemes; otherwise, he would not have been turned by the famous Xiaozhuang.

Zhu Youjian had known before that although Hong Hong Chengchou had ability, he could not be trusted one hundred percent.

If not for the urgent situation in Liaodong and the lack of available generals in Great Ming, he would not have sent Hong Hong Chengchou to Liaodong.

Now that the Liaodong war was over, Zhu Youjian felt it was better to keep Hong Hong Chengchou under his own eyes.

So Zhu Youjian ordered Hong Hong Chengchou to take his several close aides and reorganize the Northern Great Camp.

This counted as having work to do for the time being.

A few days later, to everyone's surprise, Zhu Youjian decided on migration.

First, places like Shaanxi and Shanxi severely affected by drought.

These were also the places where Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and others rose up in rebellion most frequently.

These areas suffered severe disasters; many starved to death and were forced to rebel out of desperation.

Although there were now high-yield grain seeds like potatoes and sweet potatoes, during the Little Ice Age, drought could not be solved immediately.

Plus, the population here was large, so Zhu Youjian's breakthrough point was placed in Shaanxi.

When the government posted the edicts and summoned many highly respected figures to guarantee and explain,

the people of Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces immediately gathered to inquire.

"Is it true? Do they really give so much land in Liaodong?"

Following Su Qiao's request, Zhu Youjian specifically warned the officials of both provinces that when facing the people's questions, they must explain patiently and clearly.

Whoever dared to evade would be punished according to the law.

Since the Tatars were destroyed and the court was bloodily purged by Zhu Youjian,

everyone knew they must obey Your Majesty's words.

Otherwise, their heads would truly be removed.

So no one dared to cut corners; even if impatient, even if asked many times.

From high-ranking provincial officials down to Yamen Runners and Constables, no one dared to have a bad attitude; all had to patiently explain clearly to the people.

"Yes, this was deliberated together by Your Majesty and the court ministers; Your Majesty personally issued the decree!"

Hearing that Your Majesty personally issued the decree, many people began to believe it.

Mainly, the court's credibility has now recovered considerably.

Disaster relief has truly reached the hands of the common people, so the people are willing to believe.

Yet many still harbor worries in their hearts.

After all, that was formerly where the Jurchen Tatars lived.

"Is going to Liaodong dangerous? Will the Tatars come again?"

"The Tatars were long ago annihilated; they simply cannot come. The land there is better than ours here. Our land here has been farmed for so many years, while the land over there is black soil. It is just sparsely populated, which is why Your Majesty issued an edict hoping people would go, even offering such good conditions!"

With this propaganda strategy implemented, the effect was significant.

Very soon, a huge crowd eagerly signed up!

Most were common people and tenant farmers living in hardship, or on the verge of being unable to survive.

The government hurriedly tallied the numbers; upon counting, they found no fewer than two million people!

This was only the first batch!

The number is already considerable; once the first batch establishes a foothold in Liaodong,

and harvests grain, they will certainly happily tell their former fellow villagers.

That will make even more people yearn to go and be willing to go.

After that, the court will not need to propagate anymore; the migration to Liaodong will be completed smoothly.

Su Qiao offered Zhu Youjian a strategy, then stopped managing it further, and instead used this time to design new ocean-going ships with craftsmen and several European sailors.

It was somewhat like a galleon; Su Qiao borrowed quite a few advantages of the galleon.

203, Devil Flower!

For instance, the height of the forward structure on the warship was lowered significantly, moved directly into the hull.

This facilitates cannon battles and reduces the area exposed to attack.

Additionally, the ships added masts, increasing from the original two or three to four or five.

The front carries a large sail, while the rear has adjustable triangular sails.

This greatly increases speed when sailing without wind, or rather against the wind, as well as the ship's ultra-long endurance at sea.

They were in Jingcheng at this time; there was no suitable ocean nearby for them to test.

They could only refine the design, build models, and test the effects in a lake.

The wind and waves in the lake certainly cannot compare to those of the open sea.

But they can still verify some theoretical situations.

Early this morning, Su Qiao had a rare day off.