Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 581

"Selling newspapers and selling newspapers! The state of Qi recruits people, and every household who migrates will get a hundred acres of arable land!"

"Sell newspapers and sell newspapers! His Royal Highness Qi State is recruiting people!"

At the beginning of September, with the release of the new issue of "Da Ming Pao", there was a lot of shouting at the gate of Huangdian on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, attracting many people who came to buy vegetables and rice.

"His Royal Highness Qi State?"

"His Royal Highness King Qi is going to be a feudal clan?"

"real or fake?"

"Isn't it?"

As soon as the words "His Royal Highness King Qi's State of Qi" came out, many people gathered around and newspapers were sold.

After the people around got the newspapers, they opened them one after another, only to find out that the feudal state that recruited immigrants this time was really the feudal state of King Qi Zhu Youjian.

At this moment, what the people felt was not novelty, but inexplicable fear.

No one can understand better than the common people of Ming Dynasty what the four characters "Qi Wang Jiu Fan" represent.

Right now it is only 18 years of Apocalypse. Taking the average life expectancy of 46 years in the Ming Dynasty alone, many people can be said to have survived the three dynasties of Wanli, Taichang, and Apocalypse.

What's more, they simply survived the Longqing and Jiajing dynasties.

What was Daming like when people like Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng were alive?What would Daming be like after they died?

No one understands these situations better than these people who have survived, so they are the ones who are most reluctant to leave King Qi to leave Daming.

"If His Royal Highness Qi Wang really goes, then our good days will come to an end..."

A penny-year-old man in a drag suit opened his mouth, causing the men and women in their forties, fifties, and sixties to nod their heads one after another.

For a time, the elderly people on the whole street had a feeling of "the sky is falling".

The morning market, which was supposed to be vibrant, suddenly became lifeless, and many people rushed home and to work worriedly.

Some of the clerks in the Huangdian who were in charge of selling newspapers were also a little dazed, and a 25-year-old clerk in the Huangdian couldn't help saying: "This is too exaggerated..."

"Exaggeration? This is not an exaggeration." A [-]-year-old shop assistant next to him couldn't help but said:

"You were born in the late Wanli period. You were young at that time. When you can remember, it was already the Apocalypse Dynasty. Naturally, you don't know what it feels like."

"You think that the Ming Dynasty will continue to prosper, and those of us who were born in Wanli more than ten years ago think so too."

"But what's the result?" The old clerk couldn't help sighing:

"After Mr. Zhang Ge and Mr. Shen Ge left one after another, the days are getting worse day by day."

"We have experienced relatively little. Some elderly people born in the Jiajing period have experienced turmoil, peace, and the 16 years of prosperity in Longqing and Wanli. As a result, when Zhang Ge left, life became worse. Many people It's hard to accept."

"The streets and bookstalls are full of their complaints, and you can hear them passing by every day."

"Since King Qi took power for four years, almost 15 years have passed."

"The last prosperity was 16, how many years will it last this time? This is really..."

As he said that, the clerk in his late teens shook his head and left, and the three or four young clerks who were selling newspapers were also said to be a little scared.

"It should be fine..."

"It should be... Don't all the government textbooks say that the current Reign of Apocalypse was created by King Qi and Long Live together... His Royal Highness King Qi is gone, but Long Live is still here..."

A few young clerks spoke hesitantly, and after the newspapers were sold out, they returned to the store with their heads down and continued to work.

Although they felt that even though King Qi was gone, Daming would still have the emperor, but the old clerk's words made them feel a little guilty.

It is not just the people of Nanjing who are as guilty as them, but also the people and officials from all over the Ming Dynasty...

"Son! Come and help me find out, is this true?"

In the Zhu family's mansion in Baishui Town, Lutai County, Xi'an Prefecture, when Zhu Fuju, who had been resting for two months, had just washed and walked out of the room, he saw his father Zhu Cunlin trotting into the courtyard in a panic.

He hurriedly brought the newspaper in front of Zhu Fuju, and Zhu Fuju wiped his face with a towel while reading it, but as time passed, the calmness on his face began to fade, and was replaced by sternness.

"How is it? Is it true or false?"

Zhu Cunlin asked anxiously, the sweat on his head was enough to show that he was very nervous now.

"It should be true..."

Zhu Fuju looked at the contents of the newspaper, with an uncertain face, and nodded under Zhu Cunlin's gaze.

"Then our fields and houses won't be taken back, right? You should be fine as an official, right? Do you think we should move to Qi? And..."

Zhu Cunlin shook his hands when he heard the words, and then walked back and forth anxiously, talking about what his family should do.

"Father, don't worry, we should be fine, the child is also a general, the court can't touch us."

Seeing that Zhu Cunlin had lost his mind, Zhu Fuju held him back and comforted him in a good voice.

"Besides, King Qin has moved overseas, so it's impossible for the imperial court to drive away all my Qin Fan population?"

Zhu Fuju was speaking, but Zhu Cunlin said worriedly: "You have never seen the old man Zhang Ge's death. If His Royal Highness King Qi really left, who can say for sure..."

"Impossible, Your Highness and Long Live have a very strong relationship..." Zhu Fuju shook his head, but Zhu Cunlin also retorted:
"Before Zhang Ge died of illness, he and Emperor Shenzongxian also..."

Realizing that he said something wrong, Zhu Cunlin immediately shut his mouth, but Zhu Fuju heard the meaning.

He couldn't help being a little silent. It is true that the relationship between people cannot be seen purely on the surface. After all, no one can guarantee that what they see is true.

After a while, Zhu Fuju raised his head and said:
"In short, don't worry, even if His Highness really wants to surrender the Qi Kingdom, and the court really wants to abolish His Highness's New Deal, I still have the official status of a general, and I have not made any mistakes, and the court cannot arbitrarily remove my official position of."

"If we really want to withdraw, I will definitely receive the news in advance. It is not impossible for us to take a boat to Qi State again."

"Although Qi State is enjoying a good life at the moment, there is also the threat of war. It is not now to go."

Zhu Fuju talked all kinds of things, and finally calmed Zhu Cunlin down.

It's a pity that after a while, his mother rushed back in a hurry, talking about King Qi and the country of Qi in a hurry.

Zhu Fuju could only comfort his mother patiently, but he didn't stop for a while, and soon he heard the sound of relatives knocking on the door.

As soon as he opened the gate, some children of the Qin family near Baishui Town had already gathered at the gate, and they all came to ask Zhu Fuju about Qi State and King Qi.

The dense crowd blocked the door, probably nearly a hundred people came to inquire.

Zhu Fuju understood that they were afraid of poverty, after all, they were used to the current life, and no one wanted to go back to the old life again.

The biggest official they knew was Zhu Fuju from the same town and clan, so they had no choice but to ask him.

In this regard, Zhu Fuju had no choice but to call more than [-] people in charge into the house, and then spent an hour to appease them.

But even so, before they left, they still turned their heads every step of the way, wanting to see whether Zhu Fuju would appease them or coax them.

Zhu Fuju felt helpless about this, but he also felt their fear from his relatives and fellow clansmen.

This kind of fear not only appeared in the clan of the Zhu family, but also appeared in the people in the remote areas of Daming.

E.g……

"Yang Yuanzheng, do you think His Highness will really leave?"

"That's right, after His Highness takes over, will our land be taken away by the government?"

"Will taxes change?"

"Yes, the land tax won't go up, will it?"

"Yang Yuanzheng..."

At the gate of a government school in Taihe County, Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province, when school was over in the afternoon, many people gathered around the gate to pick up their children.

Because Yang Lian is approachable and has been a high official in the capital, many people took the children's hand to find Yang Lian.

Facing their words, Yang Lian didn't know how to answer.

Sixty-six out of six he thought he was eloquent, but faced with this question, even he couldn't help being a little speechless.

Seeing his appearance, the surrounding people became even more worried.

"You don't have to worry, long live today..." Yang Lian's mind flashed Zhu Youxiao's appearance, he couldn't help worrying, but he still said bravely:

"Long live today has a very deep relationship with the king of Qi, and since the state of Qi is only recruiting people, maybe it is not the king of Qi, but the prince of Qi and the kings of the counties."

Yang Lian didn't even believe what he said, but the people who didn't know much about the government settled down after hearing this.

They breathed a sigh of relief, thanked Yang Lian and left. The pace of leaving was much more steady than before.

Just looking at their backs, Yang Lian felt an indescribable discomfort.

The answers the people want are also what he wants.

Thinking of this, he returned to the small courtyard inside the government school, came to the desk, and wanted to write a letter to ask Zhu Youjian several times, but he had no choice but to put it down.

He felt that what Zhu Youjian said was right, he was not suitable to be an official, so he should not get involved too much in official affairs.

"He should see me before he leaves..."

Yang Lian walked to the window and looked at the blue sky and white clouds that were within reach in the distance, and the little things he had experienced with Zhu Youjian in those years inevitably appeared in his mind.

"Ugh……"

These bits and pieces finally turned into a sigh and dissipated between heaven and earth.

Yang Lian turned around and continued to work on the courtyard. Compared with him and the people of Dali, some people with relevant interests heard the news of the recruitment of people in Qi State, but they cheered one after another.

Compared with the clan, common people, honest and loyal officials, officials who have connections with the gentry, or officials who are themselves gentry, they are all celebrating the recruitment of people in the state of Qi.

What's more, he even entertained his friends at home for ten days in a row to express his happiness.

They have been suppressed by Zhu Youjian's high-pressure policy for more than ten years, and they are almost out of breath.

Outside the mansion, in the yamen, they still had to pretend to be a little worried, but when they got home, they let themselves go.

Under Zhu Youjian's high salary, high-pressure anti-corruption, and high-intensity work policies, officials dare not be corrupt, slack off, and express their resentment.

These three emotions are mixed together. It can be said that most officials dare not speak out against Zhu Youjian.

Even the Yanshan faction has no shortage of corrupted officials, let alone these conservative officials who grew up in a corrupt environment?
In order to make the state of Qi become a vassal early, many officials pretended to be worried during the day and reveled all night at night.

They are more active than anyone else in Qi's recruitment of people.

Although [-]% of Ming's finances are sent to the central government and [-]% is withheld, so the economic autonomy is not great, but in order to facilitate the matter of King Qi becoming a vassal, many officials still put in a lot of effort.

Officials in the Jiangnan area even added a local policy of distributing ten taels of silver for relocation on the basis of the relocation department's original one-hundred-acre household.

Fatian and money were issued. Under such a policy, the recruitment of people in Qi State progressed quite quickly.

In just one month, nearly [-] households in the three provinces in the south of the Yangtze River were planning to move to Qi.

You know, even in the 14th year of the Apocalypse, when the three provinces in the south of the Yangtze River were jointly affected by the disaster, the number of immigrants from the south of the Yangtze River by the imperial court was only more than [-].

However, in the current situation where only the three prefectures and three prefectures in the south of Zhili and Jiangbei were affected by the disaster, the three provinces in the south of the Yangtze River organized nearly [-] households and more than [-] people to relocate in just one month.

If they are so willing to support the imperial court's immigration policy on weekdays, then the number of people in Jiangnan who can migrate every year may not be less than one million.

With their "enthusiasm", in just one and a half months, the number of people who were planning to move to Qi reached [-] households and more than [-] people.

As a last resort, Zhu Youjian urgently stopped the relocation, which disappointed many officials.

However, they can only hide this disappointment in their hearts, and it is absolutely impossible to say it...

"One and a half months, 10 people...hehe, they are really 'reluctant'..."

Holding the relocation department document in his hand, Zhu Youxiao in the Nanjing Qianqing Palace kept exerting force with his fingers, and the document was almost deformed.

"Long live..." Wei Zhongxian wanted to say something, but Zhu Youxiao raised his hand suddenly:

"You go and prepare meals first, and then tell Wang An to come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

"The servants take orders..." Hearing that the emperor wanted to pass on Wang An, Wei Zhongxian knew that the emperor wanted to discuss the matter of the King of Qi with Wang An, so he didn't dare to delay, and hurried to do it after returning the gift.

Not long after, Wang An, who was over [-] years old, came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"sit……"

Seeing Wang An coming in, Zhu Youxiao gestured for him to take a seat, and the expression on his face became complicated.

"Your godson Cao Huachun... Any news recently?"

Zhu Youxiao had mixed feelings in his heart. He didn't want his younger brother to leave, but he also understood that if his younger brother didn't leave, then his lineage's throne would not be stable.

It's not just my younger brother who wants to leave, but my younger brother's whole family has to leave, even one of them can't be left...

Even if only one baby is left behind, it is enough to threaten the father and son.

"His Royal Highness King Qi... recently dealt with government affairs in the morning, then took a nap in the afternoon, wrote a picture and wrote lyrics in the afternoon, and then played and frolicked with the county kings. There is no difference."

Wang An seemed to be getting old, and he couldn't hear what Zhu Youxiao was saying, so he just answered the wrong question and talked to himself.

His actions made Zhu Youxiao frown, but Zhu Youxiao calmed down and continued to ask word by word:
"Cao Huachun, there is news..."

"..." Hearing Zhu Youxiao's second question, Wang An was silent for a moment, and finally asked:

"Long live, why don't you trust your brother so much?"

"It's not that I don't believe in my brother!" Zhu Youxiao stood up suddenly as if he had been stepped on his tail, and then immediately calmed down, with a complicated expression:

"I'm worried about the people below, you should know..."

Zhu Youxiao's appearance was in Wang An's eyes. Although his eyes were cloudy, he was not confused.

He opened his mouth slowly, and said word by word: "As long as His Royal Highness Qi remains unchanged, no matter how the people below change, His Royal Highness Qi is also under control."

"That's good..." Zhu Youxiao breathed a sigh of relief, and sat back on his dragon chair again.

Seeing this, Wang An stood up tremblingly and bowed: "The old slave is exhausted, please return to the palace with long live grace..."

"Well... let's go!" Zhu Youxiao got the news he wanted, and waved his hand to signal him to leave without looking back.

Seeing this, Wang An turned around slowly, and staggered out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhu Youxiao looked at his back, and his complicated mood calmed down.

"Don't look angry... I did what you said back then..."

He seemed to be muttering to himself, but there was a hint of pain in his tone.

A gust of wind blew into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and at the same time it almost flew up the memorabilia opened on the desk, it also blew the pain to the north.

In mid-October, the Mobei Grassland has not yet snowed, but the coolness has arrived first.

Li Dingguo stood on the watchtower of the Yanran city wall. He watched the dusk slowly fall and listened to the sound of evening drums in his ears, and his mood was hard to calm down.

He held a copy of "Da Ming Pao" in his hand, so that people would know that he had learned about the recruitment of people in Qi State without asking.

He hid everything in his heart, just quietly looking into the distance.

It wasn't until the sun had completely set, the evening drum stopped, and the city gates closed that he folded the "Da Ming Pao" in his hand and put it in his arms.

He touched the Ming Pao hidden in his arms, as if he wanted to feel whether the newspaper really existed.

How he wished that this newspaper was his own imagination, but the touch from his hand told him that it was reality.

The family letters between Li Dingguo and Zhu Youjian have never been broken, but he doesn't want to recall the contents of those family letters.

He originally thought that he could become the governor of Qi, but he didn't want his way back to be Daming.

"Your path is chosen by you...then my path...why do you decide for me..."

Li Dingguo turned and walked down the archery tower, while Zhu Youjian, who was far away in the capital at the moment, also looked out the window with some feeling.

He saw the empty window sill, but before he turned his head, a clever head appeared on the window sill.

The little girl with two sky-high ties appeared suddenly, her face was fair and soft, making one want to pinch it.

"Dad~~~"

Auntie Zhu spoke with a sweet smile, her eyes turned into crescent moons. Seeing this cute look, Zhu Youjian also put aside the feelings she had just had, and responded with a smile:

"Why did you come to the front hall? Don't you play with your sister?"

As Zhu Youjian said, he got up and walked to the window sill, bowed his waist, picked up Aimee Zhu, and carried him into the hall.

Auntie Zhu sat on his arm, hugged his neck, looked straight at him, her smile bloomed like a flower:
"I miss dad..."

Auntie Zhu hugged Zhu Youjian tightly, and Zhu Youjian also hugged her and sat back on her seat.

"Father misses you too, but father will have to deal with the government affairs. Today, he went outside the city during the day. If this meeting is not dealt with, then father will not be able to rest at night."

"Then I'll make tea for dad!" Aimee Zhu patted Zhu Youjian's hand immediately after hearing Zhu Youjian's words.

Zhu Youjian put her back on the ground, and she also ran out of the hall with two short legs.

Seeing her appearance, the old father's smile on Zhu Youjian's face could not be stopped at all, until Lu Wenzhao came from outside the hall, he slowly put away his smile, and raised his hand to signal Lu Wenzhao to take a seat.

Lu Wenzhao bowed in return, and then talked about some things that Zhu Youjian asked him to investigate.

"For this recruitment, the gentry below followed the officials to contribute, and the gentry in many places encouraged the people to move."

"Your Highness, although these squires have been hit hard in the court, they still have a lot of appeal in the countryside."

Lu Wenzhao talked about the recruiting, but Zhu Youjian smiled and said nothing.

After Lu Wenzhao finished speaking thoroughly, he asked Cao Huachun who was sitting in the corner handling official business:
"Huachun, how many ships have been prepared for Huangdian, and how long will it take to move the 11 people?"

"Return to Your Highness..." Cao Huachun replied subconsciously. After realizing it, he searched for the memorabilia handed over by the imperial shop. After finding it, he glanced at it before replying:

"Mobilizing 11 ships, if [-] people move to Jingzhao Mansion, it will take at least four trips, and it will take about nine and a half months to completely move there."

"If you want to move to the east coast, it will take four trips, about two years."

In this era, the Panama Canal has not yet been opened, and Spain controls Central America, so naturally the only way to cross the sea is to go to the eastern coast.

If people want to relocate to the east coast of North and South America, then Daming can only go down the western sea route, and then prepare in Kyrgyzstan to cross the Atlantic Ocean to the colonies in North and South America.

Even a steamship would take at least two years to transport 11 people to the local area.

From this point of view, Spain in Central America is an eyesore.

"Let's move to Anling, Jingzhao, and Pingling first, and let someone bring news that the original França (French) colony in North America will be designated as Hejian Prefecture."

"Set the colonies of the other three countries in North America as Gyeonggi Province, and set the colonies on the west island of Frangza in Yani as Haiyang Province."

"As for the colonies of Franji and the Netherlands in Merica in South Asia, they are set up as Ninghai Mansion, Wendeng Mansion, and Jinghai Mansion from north to south."

"In these six prefectures, it is enough to garrison troops. There is no need to immigrate for the time being, and it is enough to recruit some local people."

After all, Zhu Youjian looked at Lu Wenzhao and continued:
"Let the people from the European Jinyiwei Hundred Households closely follow up on the war, and if Dafraji (Spain) shows signs of defeat, immediately fly pigeons to send letters back to Beijing."

"Yes!" Lu Wenzhao responded, and Zhu Youjian also said with a smile:

"Ignore those gentry for the time being, and let them contribute to Qi's immigration."

"At this rate, I estimate that in five years, the population of Qi will be no less than 500 million."

"What Your Highness said is very true..." Lu Wenzhao also responded with a smile, the master and servant looked at each other, and the laughter became louder...

(End of this chapter)