Chapter 28: Conscription and Stationing Troops to Farm

"The first thing I'll do when I get back is beat this wicked creature to death."

This was the only thing on Zhu Di's mind at this very moment.

Standing behind him, Zhu Gaoxu had no idea his old man had already developed a "desire to kill" toward him.

He was still there, heartlessly picking his nose, before asking unhurriedly: "Grandpa Emperor, if I say it well, what reward will I get?"

Once these words were out, let alone Zhu Di, even Mao Xiang, who was standing to the side, looked at Zhu Gaoxu with new eyes.

This guy is ruthless!

Do you not see the situation clearly before your eyes?

Zhu Di was even more direct; he simply gave up.

Zhu Di's thinking was very simple: I'll just pretend I never had this child.

Unlike the others, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed happily upon hearing this.

"You want to be a Great General, don't you? If you speak well, I'll reward you with a generalship to hold."

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang revealed a meaningful smile.

Unfortunately, Zhu Gaoxu did not see this scene; upon hearing that Zhu Yuanzhang was going to appoint him a general, his eyes lit up, and he immediately perked up.

Clearing his throat twice, Zhu Gaoxu put his little hands behind his back and stepped forward two paces, passing Zhu Di who was blocking the way, and said: "Actually, it is very simple to restore production in the North."

"An immigration policy combined with stationing troops to farm; without saying too much, at the very least, the decline can be halted and show slight improvement within a year, and it can recover by seventy or eighty percent in two or three years."

Once these words were out, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, and just as he was about to speak and ask more, Zhu Di below spoke up a step earlier.

"You rebellious son, stop spouting nonsense!"

He felt that this son of his had already gone mad; this was crazily courting death.

How could he not know what the North looked like when others didn't?

It would be no exaggeration to say that the entire road was filled with starving corpses.

To say nothing else, just the claim of halting the decline and showing slight improvement in one year is purely impossible.

In his view, it would take at least four or five years, along with a massive transfer of immigrants, for this to be possible.

Now, these words from Zhu Gaoxu were clearly courting death; if Zhu Yuanzhang believed them, he would surely die.

Under these circumstances, making jokes about the common people and spouting nonsense about the state was the crime of deceiving the Emperor!

Even though he was already the Prince of Yan, guarding Beiping against the Northern Yuan, he would gain no benefit; being stripped of his rank and becoming a commoner would be the lightest punishment.

Thinking of this, beads of cold sweat broke out on Zhu Di's forehead, and he didn't even dare to look at Zhu Yuanzhang out of the corner of his eye.

Fearing that his father-pit-ing ancestor would speak again, Zhu Di raised his large hand, ready to strike down.

"You dare!"

Zhu Yuanzhang roared from the Dragon Throne; Zhu Di seemed to freeze in place, then slowly withdrew his hand.

Zhu Di, having failed to land that slap, was clearly unwilling, but just as he gathered his courage to say something, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke first.

"Shut your mouth!"

Knowing a bit of Zhu Gaoxu's background, Zhu Yuanzhang certainly wouldn't let Zhu Di interrupt Zhu Gaoxu's words.

Looking at the anxious Zhu Di below, Zhu Yuanzhang reluctantly said to the fourth son: "You aren't a very competent father; I know this little monkey better than you do."

After saying this, he ignored Zhu Di and urged Zhu Gaoxu to continue.

Rubbing his nose, Zhu Gaoxu didn't let the small interruption break his train of thought, and clearing his throat twice, he continued: "The immigration policy and stationing troops to farm are the same framework as the Marquis of Xiping's governance of Yunnan, only the content is basically different."

"In the past, when we in the Great Ming thought of immigration, we always thought of immigrating from the populous province of Shanxi; the Marquis of Xiping did the same when immigrating to Yunnan, but doing so is time-consuming, laborious, and thankless."

"Common people are reluctant to leave their ancestral lands, and once they go to a new place, trouble is bound to arise; the key is that the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty in the North are still eyeing us covetously, so the most important thing in the North is stability!"

Once these words were out, both Zhu Di and Zhu Yuanzhang nodded secretly.

Zhu Di suddenly realized something.

"I was wondering why my father was interested in listening to that little brat; it turns out this little brat really has something to him. Have I paid too little attention to Xuer? Could it be that I really don't understand him as well as my father has in these past two days?"

Zhu Gaoxu didn't know that his two sentences had already caused his wretched father to doubt himself; he just continued: "So, what we need to do next is conscription!"

Conscription?

Zhu Yuanzhang and the others, who were listening intently to Zhu Gaoxu's explanation, were all stunned upon hearing the word "conscription."

We were talking about restoring construction just fine, what do you mean by wanting to conscript soldiers?

As if knowing the two men's confusion, Zhu Gaoxu didn't play coy and directly began to clarify.

"It's actually very simple: issue conscription notices in the South, telling them that as long as they join the army, the imperial court will reward them with fertile land and allow their families to follow."

"Once they join the army, move these people directly to the North, along with their families!"

"In normal times, let them resume farming and reclaim wasteland, and train when there's nothing else to do; in this way, the decline in the North can basically be halted within a year."

"Afterward, open up relative policies to attract nearby common people, and at the same time, dispatch a portion of garrison troops from the nearest commanderies and prefectures using the same method."

"In this way, we can not only strengthen the military power of the North but also not have to worry about grain and fodder, while simultaneously solving the problem of immigration and construction."