Chapter 237

Bai Yin, gold, or monetary profit is the root of all evil; this is a clear conclusion held in both the East and the West. Therefore, hoarding wealth and pursuing profit is a great harm to the state. Even the official Wang Chonggu, who hoards wealth and pursues profit, firmly believes this. He is a sycophant who hoards wealth and pursues profit, but only because the imperial court requires it, he has no choice but to do so.

Money is the root of all evil, an inevitable result that accompanies the process of monetization; money seems to have gradually become the standard for measuring all things.

Kinship, friendship, love, loyalty, honor, and faith—there is nothing that cannot be changed by money, which has given birth to a fallacy: that the reason people are loyal is simply because the chips for betrayal are not high enough.

Zhang Siwei and Wang Chonggu used both coercion and bribery against Li Le, the manager in charge of the Xuan-Da Great Wall construction project. Li Le had clearly already accepted the chips, but in the end, Li Le still went to the Quan Chu Hui Guan, because compared to Zhang Siwei, Zhang Juzheng appeared even more terrifying.

The chips to make Li Le betray Zhang Juzheng were still not enough. Li Le knew very well that Zhang Siwei would certainly discard him like a worn-out shoe, and then Li Le would surely die—and die a shameful death.

In basic cognition, some things should not be measured by money, but in the process of monetization, money seems to truly be able to measure all things.

For example, "there are no filial sons before a bed of long-term illness," but after monetization, one only needs a small amount of silver to exchange for another person's labor time. For the powerful and wealthy, are there really no filial sons before a bed of long-term illness? No matter how long the illness, before the old person's bed, there are always filial sons.

This is why the churches of the West and the Confucianism of the Great Ming view money as the original sin and the root cause of all evil.

Because in front of money, everything can be labeled with a price, the values and worldviews shaped by the church and Confucianism become fragile and even blurred in front of money. The foundation of their existence disappears, and naturally, they cease to exist.

"Bypassing passes to fight can be seen as a military adventure, and any military adventure is placing the national destiny of the Great Ming on the gambling table."

Qi Jiguang cited a few more cases, such as the Wei conquest of Shu, where Deng Ai bypassed Jianmen Pass, took the Yinping trail, and destroyed the state of Shu.

To put it more concisely: it is not taking down the outer towers but going for a stroll in the opponent's jungle.

The last time force was used, the death of Regional Commander Tang Kekuan of Miyun shocked the court and the public. This was the first Regional Commander to die in battle since the Wanli reign of the Great Ming Dynasty. Tang Kekuan's death meant: the Great Ming is not invincible; as long as there is war, there is winning and losing. Winning is certainly excellent, but if defeated, who will bear this responsibility?

If the Northern Hu invade the capital region again, how will the Emperor explain it?

"Indeed." Zhu Yijun nodded and said.

Tan Lun also has a volume, which is on the "Re-sleeve" strategy; Yu Dayou also has one in his hands, which is on the Great Ming Navy; Yin Zhengmao also has one, which is on coin casting; and Hai Rui also has one, which is the "Governance Memorial."

And the time this city blocks the enemy can give the Great Ming more reaction time to organize defenses.

"It's that the schoolwork wasn't finished, and he also talked back to the Lecturer," Zhu Yijun said with a calm expression: "Liu-er has already restrained himself a lot; I am very gratified. At least he no longer harshly criticizes the servants. If this were to cause another palace disturbance, wouldn't it be a joke?"

Land, as the Great Ming's greatest means of production, even if it cannot be farmed, can be used for grazing. There are also forest resources, coal, and so on. Excluding the profitable Mount Taotu, other places in the Daning Guard, even if only used for herding sheep, can be self-sufficient. Even with actuarial calculations, one cannot say the Daning Guard is spending more than it earns.

"Three years later, Jebe captured Xuanfu and Juyong Pass. From then on, the Jin state was completely under the iron hooves of Genghis Khan."

Zhu Yijun did not expect to correct Zhu Yiliu's education and restraint in one go.

Therefore, before the Crown Prince is born and comes of age, Zhu Yiliu must still become a person of talent.

"Your servant obeys the decree." Feng Bao bowed his head again to receive the order.

Actually, Wang Yaozhuo is very smart, even helping Feng Bao identify quite a few moles. At the Emperor's grand wedding, the position of Empress was a point that all parties wanted to fight for. For example, once Wang Yaozhuo received a strange summons; a minor eunuch said the Empress Dowager wanted her to go to the Ciqing Palace. From the Baoqi Office to the Ciqing Palace, one must either pass through the construction site of the central axis or walk through the outer city. Wang Yaozhuo took two steps, sensed that this minor eunuch's face was unfamiliar, walked obediently for two steps, and then turned and ran.

No one dared to respond to these words.

Just like today, she gave Wang Yaozhuo countless riches; tomorrow, she could also take Wang Yaozhuo's life.

Building the city, Zhu Yijun thought it would be relatively simple, but he never expected it to be extremely difficult to execute. First, the selection of the supervisor was chosen again and again. Finally, the principle of "whoever proposes it, handles it" fell into the hands of Zhou Liangyin.

"No." Empress Dowager Chen, upon hearing this, immediately expressed her opposition. Zhang Juzheng had resigned from all official positions, but he was still the Grand Preceptor. As the Emperor's teacher, educating the Prince of Lu, the Prince of Lu could easily develop some thoughts he shouldn't have. Even if the Prince of Lu didn't have such thoughts, some ministers would develop some strange thoughts.

Zhu Yijun took out his vermilion brush and approved the Grand Secretariat's preparation for the city construction on Hou Yuzhao's memorial.

Qi Jiguang had been prepared for this long ago, coming to ambush him, the fifteen-year-old young Emperor. He had been thinking about it for so many years, just waiting for this kind of wind in the court. The location Qi Jiguang pointed to is called Rehe on the map, which is the location of Chengde in later generations.

"Mother, has younger brother been disobedient again recently?" Zhu Yijun looked at Empress Dowager Li and asked about Zhu Yiliu's education problem. As the current de facto Crown Prince, Zhu Yiliu was truly like mud that couldn't be plastered onto a wall. Zhu Yijun had already beaten him once last time, but recently Zhu Yiliu had started his rebellion again.

"Ah, these later-generation writers will scold me for building a city for gold. Let them say what they want; let the Ministry of Works supervise the construction in the next chapter," Zhu Yijun said with a smile.

Therefore, building a city in Rehe has great strategic significance. And this time, advancing from the Daning Guard to the Quanning Guard, even if it cannot drive away the Tuman Khan, if this city is built properly, it can also make the defense of Beigukou become relaxed and simple.

It's just that this rebellion was much milder; Zhu Yiliu used not doing his homework to resist.

"In the second year of Longqing, your servant once submitted a memorial saying to find good land outside the passes to build forts and strong cities. First, it can train cavalry; second, it can act as a pincer with Beigukou; third, it can advance to attack and retreat to defend, just like today's Daning Guard." Qi Jiguang stated his attitude; he had proposed this suggestion nearly ten years earlier than Hou Yuzhao.

"Mother, I actually have an idea. Why not send Zhu Yiliu to the Yicheng Bo's mansion in the Western Hills? The teacher is idle anyway."

"Hmm." Empress Dowager Li said with a slight headache. She felt very sorry for her son. The eldest son is the Emperor and cannot be pampered, but too much love was poured into the second son. This love is pampering. In Zhu Yiliu, the prophecy that "a merciful mother spoils her son" is displayed vividly.

Qi Jiguang was truly grateful to the Emperor. During the Wanli years of fighting, no one ever urged him to supervise the battle. When Zhu Yijun wrote to him, it was also as a student reporting his progress in martial arts, occasionally nagging about the court, never urging Qi Jiguang, nor commanding him.

"For example, in the Jingnan Campaign, in the winter of the 34th year of Hongwu, Emperor Chengzu Wen led his troops south. He also never broke through a strong city along the way. In the winter of the 34th year, he reached Zhigu Town, which is today's Tianjin Guard, and then marched to Cangzhou, bypassing Dezhou and Lin Qing along the way, and headed straight for Eastern Depot Prefecture. The following February, he headed straight for Xuizhou. After breaking through Xuizhou and crossing the river, after the Battle of Lingbi, Emperor Chengzu Wen's great cause was already achieved."

Wang Yaozhuo whispered: "Your servant's meaning is, let Your Majesty take it to manage finances. Sitting and eating away at a mountain of wealth is not as good as giving it to Your Majesty to calculate interest every year; it is better than water without a source."

Qi Jiguang said very affirmatively: "Bypassing passes, actually, there is also this way of fighting."

"Why hasn't it been built all this time?" Zhu Yijun finished reading Qi Jiguang's memorial. On the memorial, there was only a red 'x'. Although this 'x' had faded, it was exceptionally glaring.

"Three feet above the head, there are gods," but where would a naturally noble person get a sense of respect? Toward matters of heaven, earth, and morality, they have absolutely no awe.

Passes are formed naturally because the roads in the surrounding hundreds of miles are difficult to travel.

"Then send him there." Zhu Yijun stood up, bowed slightly, and said: "Mother, Mother, your child takes his leave."

Empress Dowager Li's pampering exacerbated Zhu Yiliu's mischief. Empress Dowager Li actually knew it was wrong, but the child had no father. The absence of this strict father role led to Zhu Yiliu's wild growth. Empress Dowager Li was willing to admit Zhu Yiliu's mischief, which was to let Zhu Yijun, who acts as a father as the eldest brother, restrain him.

"Eunuch Xi Ning broke through Zijing Pass. Can a eunuch change his master?" Zhu Yijun said what Qi Jiguang wanted to say but didn't.

The turmoil of Zhang Juzheng's mourning and resignation had briefly calmed down. The court politics were gradually recovering their operation. The Emperor, who was bellicose, still wanted to use force against the Quanning Guard. The wind of opposition to bellicosity was brewing, and countless writers in the court gazettes were questioning the use of force.

Hou Yuzhao's idea was based on the successful experience of the Daning Guard, but the Daning Guard was too far from Beigukou. Therefore, choosing another place to build a city became a good choice.

If you are strong enough, you can naturally raid thousands of miles. If you are not strong enough, you should honestly take down one pass at a time, be down-to-earth, and advance step by step.

Zhu Yiliu didn't study, and Empress Dowager Li felt it was the problem of the lecturing scholar. Zhu Yiliu harshly criticized the servants, and Empress Dowager Li thought it was the servants who were wrong. Zhu Yiliu acted recklessly, and Empress Dowager Li thought it was the servants who bewitched him.

The basic ethical and moral system and public order and good customs followed by most people, and the values recognized by most people, were lost in the process of monetization. Priceless things like love, responsibility, honor, etc., are the foundation of morality, and the monetization of all things in the world led to the blurring of morality.

Was Xi Ning sent out by the Oirat Grand Master Yesen, or was he sent out by the "Fortress Emperor"? Obviously, the Great Ming ministers were also very clear that eunuchs have no way to change masters. The "Fortress Emperor" himself went to Xuanfu, to Datong, to the capital to knock on the door; this matter was recorded clearly by the "Fortress Emperor's" own son, Emperor Xianzong of Ming.

The opponents' arguments were very reasonable: the land outside the passes is barren and not suitable for farming. Building such a city inevitably requires a strong army to guard it. It is easy to build, but difficult to maintain.

Zhu Yijun could understand this principle, and Wang Yaozhuo could also understand it. The hardships of youth made Wang Yaozhuo deeply understand a principle: there is no concern without reason. The Empress Dowager's concern was based on the foundation that Wang Yaozhuo would not betray her. Wang Yaozhuo would not betray her; even in death, she would not betray her.

Empress Dowager Li did not understand court politics, but she knew very well that the road Zhang Juzheng and the Emperor were walking was very, very difficult. If they succeeded, the Great Ming would benefit; if they failed, the Emperor would die and his cause would vanish.

Qi Jiguang pointed the long pole in his hand at a location and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, this place is accessible from all directions, easy to defend and difficult to attack."

"What are you thinking about?" Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Yaozhuo's flustered appearance and asked with a smile.

There are too many places to use money.

Will to resist—as long as there is still a will to resist, the practice of bypassing passes and cities is an extremely stupid military adventure.

This Wang Yaozhuo was also very shrewd for her young age, knowing that the person best at managing finances in the Great Ming was not the Minister of Revenue Wang Guoguang, but the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yijun. Just with a wool business, the Emperor had come up with so many tricks, and the return rate far exceeded everyone's expectations.

Yes, no one.

"Aren't you going to learn music theory from your Imperial Uncle? Go ahead, I'm going to the Capital Camp." Zhu Yijun stopped; he had reached a fork in the road. He was going to the Capital Camp, and Wang Yaozhuo was going to the Academy of Physical Sciences for a music lesson.

"Build it!"

"There are many conditions, but actually, it boils down to one: the enemy has completely lost the will to resist, and then one can drive straight in. As long as the enemy still has the will to resist, it cannot be done." Qi Jiguang did not break it down into points one, two, and three, but chose to summarize it directly.

Passes cut off grain routes and supplies.

The "Fortress Emperor" is simply the floor tile of Great Ming Emperors.

Qi Jiguang still had to explain military affairs. Qi Jiguang was not trying to cultivate the Emperor into a fierce man who uses troops like a god, but to cultivate him into a monarch who can understand military reports. The Emperor must understand clearly why these generals would do this on the front lines so that he would not be deceived.

Qi Jiguang judged that Yesen was impatient because Genghis Khan had done it once—bypassing passes to fight is a very risky behavior. Even Genghis Khan, who was strong, didn't dare to risk it, but Yesen chose to risk it. The great victory at Tumu Fortress also blinded Yesen's eyes.

"Does the General have a good location choice?" After Zhu Yijun granted permission, he found that there was no specific location in Hou Yuzhao's memorial.

The two submitted a memorial to find a place outside the passes to build a city and an imperial palace.

This is the reification and alienation of people.

When Zhu Yijun left the Cining Palace, Wang Yaozhuo followed closely behind the Emperor. The Emperor suddenly stood still, and Wang Yaozhuo, not paying attention, bumped into Zhu Yijun's back.

Actually, near Rehe, there are also copper mines, iron mines, purple sand mines, magnetite, limestone, etc., but by comparison, using gold mines to tell a story seems more convincing.

This wave of questioning had an increasingly strong trend. Just at this time, a joint memorial from the Ningxia Inspection Secretary Zhou Liangyin and the Liaodong Censor Hou Yuzhao entered the court, exploding in the court and directly attracting all attention away.

In this regard, Zhu Yijun did not show proud talent, but he was a very patient student.

"These ministers!" Empress Dowager Li slapped the table and stood up. There were really too many messy things in the palace—assassinating the King, palace fires. Can one say the Emperor's worries were groundless? On the contrary, this was a situation that was very likely to happen.

Zhu Yunwen has never been recognized in the long history of the Great Ming. The title for Zhu Yunwen is "Jianwen Jun," and the unified title for Zhu Yunwen's descendants is "Jian Shuren." Zhu Yunwen's lack of recognition is specifically reflected in the fact that the first to fourth years of Jianwen were replaced by the thirty-second to thirty-fifth years of Hongwu.

"Yes." Wang Yaozhuo left obediently, and Zhu Yijun instructed Feng Bao to let the eunuchs of the Inner Treasury specifically write an account book for the future Empress.

For generals like Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang, that is the greatest luck!

Military talent is something that God rewards you with. If you have it, you have it; if you don't, you don't. The Emperor sitting in the capital hundreds of miles away, commanding blindly, can really cost the generals their lives.

Zhu Yijun said very affirmatively: "Mother, if I have an accident, and the country is entrusted to the wrong person, what should I do? It's better to send him away."

Beigukou is a pass. Once there is an alarm at Beigukou, one can support Beigukou from the high walls outside the passes, pincer from both sides, and repel the invading enemy.

The Battle of Tumu Fortress, the Great Ming's "Fortress Emperor," was fought too ugly. Qi Jiguang didn't know how to speak, but when talking about military affairs, Qi Jiguang had to talk about this case. It was close and had heavy educational significance.

"Okay." Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and nodded. This little clever ghost knew very well that Zhu Yijun, who knows how to make money, would make this money grow, and the expenses of the Kunning Palace would then flow like a long stream.

Just like the question Zhu Yijun asked Zhang Juzheng: if a rich family's son punches someone, he only needs to pay ten coins. Then, if he injures someone, he pays fifty coins. If he kills someone, he doesn't even have to sit in the jail, and there are plenty of people to clean up his mess. Then, in the eyes of the rich family's son, people are just objects, not even as good as luxury items like pearls and jade.

The address hasn't been chosen yet, but after this machine of the Great Ming starts turning, building a large city outside the passes is not a difficult task.

This is the unfulfilled wish of the loyal ministers of the Great Ming.

Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, liked to use battle diagrams to command—when to camp, where to camp, what formation to set up when encountering the enemy. Even if the river changed course, he couldn't change it even if they camped in the river. The generals and soldiers who fought for the old Zhao family were truly unlucky.

"Yesen retreated, was ambushed by Shi Heng at Qingfengdian, almost lost his life, and could only flee in a sorry state."

And Hou Yuzhao's meaning is to find a suitable place outside Beigukou to build an imperial palace and a city to prevent Beigukou from being broken through again.

There are many opponents to building a city outside the passes, and there are also many supporters. For this matter, the ministers began to argue endlessly.

"Bypassing passes to fight, how many prerequisites are needed?" Zhu Yijun turned the question back to the prerequisites for bypassing passes to fight that Qi Jiguang mentioned at the beginning.

Especially at Zhu Yiliu's age, everyone pampered him and spoiled him, and he naturally became worse and worse.

Zhu Yijun's expression changed slightly. No wonder Qi Jiguang wanted to say it but couldn't.

There wasn't much Empress Dowager Li could do. This road was already difficult enough; she could only do her best to clear away some obstacles.

That time, Feng Bao had four eunuchs drowned in a well. Who was behind these eunuchs, no one knew, because they didn't know themselves, but they had to die.

Zhu Yijun was also not afraid of Zhu Yiliu becoming a person of talent and having thoughts about the throne. If it really didn't work, he would just send Zhu Yiliu to Japan.

Eating and chewing for people and horses is not a small number.

"If we don't retreat, I'm afraid we'll be completely eaten by the Great Ming army."

This is not a memorial; it is the unfulfilled wish in Qi Jiguang's heart.

"General Qi, is the Beigukou pass so important? Why haven't the enemy troops thought about bypassing these passes?" Zhu Yijun asked Qi Jiguang in front of him. The lecturing teacher Zhang Juzheng had gone to the Western Hills for vacation, and Qi Jiguang began to teach the Emperor military affairs.

To absorb refugees, one must hold the banner of dividing land, but that place has no land, not to mention no post roads.

This kind of bribery is very common. For example, Wang Qian liked to bribe others' close attendants to achieve his goals.

What to use to support this city? Could it rely on the hinterland for transport? The loss of grain transport is huge. Building such a city is just opening another blood wound on the already scarred body of the Great Ming.

Lu Diaoyang and Wang Chonggu actually wanted to facilitate this matter. The Great Ming had money, and the Great Ming had grain, but it just didn't have people.

Qi Jiguang continued: "After Yesen entered the passes, he divided his troops into two routes. One route pressed toward Juyong Pass, and one route pressed toward the capital. Obviously, Yesen knew very well that bypassing Juyong Pass would make him very passive. But the Commander Zhao Wen and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War Luo Tong held Juyong Pass. The capital region was heavily guarded. Yu Shaobao, Shi Heng, Fan Guang, and others personally led troops out of the city to resist the enemy. Yesen's main force fought fiercely for five days and couldn't capture it, so he could only retreat."

Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao and said: "Ministers cannot accept an Empress without a maternal family. Superficial opposition is not terrifying; what is terrifying is the cunning means behind it. Feng, you must protect the girl's life."

"Your Majesty, why not take the silver? There is so much money, I can't manage it either," Wang Yaozhuo said tentatively. She believed that that money was the Emperor's money and should be handled by the Emperor.

"This practice of bypassing passes and cities has many harsh conditions. As long as one is not met, one will be defeated."

"Does the General think that what Hou Yuzhao said can be done?" Zhu Yijun asked about military affairs—whether to build a strong city outside the passes.

Zhang Juzheng was hiding in the Yicheng Bo's mansion in the Western Hills for leisure, so Zhu Yijun found some trouble for Zhang Juzheng to do. Since he was idle anyway, he might as well educate the de facto Crown Prince of the Great Ming.

Qi Jiguang shook his sleeves and took out a yellowed memorial with curled edges. This was his original copy from back then, which was finally rejected.

Zhu Yijun looked at Qi Jiguang, who was hesitant to speak, and asked: "Since it's a lecture, there's no need to be reserved."

"If you have it, just take it. As the mistress of the six palaces, if you don't have some silver, how can you buy people's hearts and win over servants? From today on, Empress Wang should think about how to balance the relationship between the concubines in the harem," Zhu Yijun shook his head. He didn't care for that little money. A pagoda alone cost 500,000 taels of silver; her gold and silver were only enough to build a foundation.

Bypassing passes means one must live off the enemy. Elite troops can bypass roads, but how can grain teams and supplies bypass roads? If the enemy's will to resist is still strong and one cannot live off the enemy, one will die in a mutiny.

"For example, in the late Northern Song Dynasty, Wanyan Zongwang went south from Beigukou and Shanhai Pass, capturing Youzhou, which is today's capital region, and then fought for thousands of miles. In one month, he reached the gates of Kaifeng, demanded rewards, and left. Afterward, Wanyan Zongwang returned to the court, led his troops west, joined forces with Wanyan Zonghan, attacked Taiyuan together, and broke through Taiyuan. This meant the Great Song's Western Army could not reach Kaifeng to support the King. After Taiyuan fell, the Northern Song's great cause was lost."

"When Genghis Khan attacked the Jin state at that time, he had entered the passes from Zijing Pass, besieged the Jin state's capital region, and also broke through Juyong Pass. Only because Xuanfu hadn't been captured at that time, the great general Jebe, who guarded Juyong Pass, advised Genghis Khan to retreat. Genghis Khan followed Jebe's advice, abandoned all captured cities, and retreated to the grasslands."

Qi Jiguang pondered for a moment, bowed his head, and said: "Your Majesty, your servant heard that there are gold mines around Rehe. Night Scouts once brought back gold ingots weighing catties from outside the passes as proof."

"No money, no grain, no people." Qi Jiguang answered the Emperor's question concisely. Financial losses are huge. Even if Qi Jiguang had ten thousand good ideas, weren't they just flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water?

"Advance to attack and retreat to defend, can overlook the inside of the passes, control the various tribes of the Northern Hu from the outside, and is the key location of the central hub." Qi Jiguang began to explain why he chose Rehe. This place is surrounded by mountains and water, building a city here is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it can also exert influence on the various tribes of the Northern Hu. Moreover, there is no reason to lose by occupying the territory.

Hou Yuzhao's idea is interesting because it changes from passively relying on the Yanshan defense line to actively burying nails in the grasslands. If there is such a city outside the passes, the enemy cannot bypass it and must break through this city to continue south; otherwise, they will be attacked from both sides.

Zhu Yijun said with great financial resources: "General, our Great Ming now has money!"

Building a city outside the passes also requires a bit of temptation, and gold mines are undoubtedly an excellent, top-tier story.

Zhu Yijun looked at the map and understood Qi Jiguang's explanation.

Qi Jiguang was hesitant to speak, stopped, and then finally began to say: "After the Tumu Fortress disaster, Yesen sent the Fortress Emperor's trusted eunuch Xi Ning to forge an imperial decree, tricking open Zijing Pass, one of the Inner Three Passes. After breaking through the pass, he couldn't wait to enter the Great Ming's capital region."

Supporters naturally support its strategic significance. After all, Beigukou was broken through once by Altan Khan and was almost broken through by Dong Huli.

"Nine bets, ten losses."

"Yesen had just won a great victory over the Great Ming Capital Camp, his morale was like a rainbow, and he held the Fortress Emperor as a chip. But the Great Ming's elite Capital Camp was completely lost, and there were only 20,000 old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers at that time. Yesen's act of bypassing Juyong Pass was because he was impatient. If he had captured Xuanfu and Juyong Pass before entering the capital region, the outcome of the war would have been unknown."

The post road from Xifengkou to Daning Guard to Guangning had already been built during the Yuan Dynasty, renovated during the Hongwu years, and the post road of Daning Guard was renovated until the Jingtai years. Even at the end of the Tianshun years, although the Daning Guard was lost, there were still merchants walking on this road.

But from Beigukou to Rehe, there is no old post road. In a place so poor that birds don't lay eggs, a place so poor that there isn't even farmland, how to attract refugees to go? Press-gang them, conscript them for labor.

But this is inconsistent with the Great Ming's current wind of "the people are the foundation of the country" and treating the small people well. No one dares to violate political correctness, risking the world's condemnation to do this kind of press-ganging.

Where people come from became a difficult matter.

Zhu Yijun discovered that for the Great Ming, arable land seems to be more attractive than gold.

Ask for monthly tickets, Aowu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(End of chapter)