Princess Ye Qi Guanyin of Yan, along with Kou Zhun, Zhang Xingfang, Concubine Mu, and Prime Minister Han Derang of Liao Kingdom. Let’s inspect Ryukyu together. In early March, when Yang Peng was still on the way to annihilate Xixia, Huang Guang felt that the cost of land reclamation in Ryukyu was too high and stopped transporting new farmers to Taiwan. At that time, there were 200,000 farmers on the island of Taiwan cultivating fields, and another 500,000 farmers were cultivating new fields. Now the half a million farmers who have cultivated new fields have tidied up their fields, set up waterwheels on the river banks, and can plant late rice for one season.
When farmers in the old days started farming, Yang Peng no longer needed to pay them wages for land reclamation. Each of these 500,000 land reclamation workers needs 20,000 taels of silver per month, and the 500,000 people need to spend 100,000 taels of silver each month. The monthly expenses are a huge amount of money. After these people do not need to pay monthly fees, Tianjing New City's finances will be greatly relieved, and new farmers can be recruited.
Recruiting new farmers is a very simple matter. Nowadays, farmers in Shanxi know that they can live a good life by following Yang Pengqian. As soon as Yang Peng posted notices in various states and counties, countless people signed up to participate in reclamation in Taiwan. However, Yang Peng was worried about financial collapse and did not dare to recruit too many farmers at once. Yang Peng limited the number of farmers he recruited to 50,000.
After that, the Tianjing New City fleet transported the 50,000 people to Taiwan in batches. This time, Ye Qi Guanyin followed the fleet transporting farmers to Taiwan to inspect Taiwan's development situation. Kou Zhun also resigned from Zhao Heng this time, so Yang Peng sent someone to ask Kou Zhun to come over and inspect Ryukyu. Kou Zhun was also happy.
It’s still a bit cool in Tianjing New City in March, but it’s still warm in the south. The fleet went all the way south, and when it approached Taiwan, Ye Qi Guanyin had already taken off her inner garments and protective clothing, and was only wearing a middle coat under her official robe. When they arrived in Hsinchu, Taiwan, before Ye Qi Guanyin and the others got off the ship, they saw a large commercial market already formed on the pier inside the harbor.
Every time the fleet sails to Taiwan, it brings a large amount of daily necessities. Including cotton cloth, ironware, pottery, porcelain, cement, farm tools, etc., all need to be transported from the mainland. These commodities were purchased by Gao Ligong in Tianjing New City. When they arrived at the port of Hsinchu, they were all sold to Taiwanese farmers. Of course, Lu Hu will not retail these products one by one. He sells these products wholesale to local traders in Hsinchu.
At this time, the fleet docked, and some traders were pushing carts, waiting for the ships to unload the goods sold from the mainland. Although these traders are not engaged in agriculture, they can still earn a lot of income by retailing various commodities.
Of course, compared to the various cargoes in ballast, there were more poor people on board to open up wasteland. After the farmers got off the boat, they immediately saw officers wearing crimson Tianjing Xincheng military uniforms guiding them. Under the guidance of military officers, farmers walked in groups to temporary resettlement sites across Hsinchu.
Ye Qi Guanyin and the others took a look on the ship and saw that although the thirty-five people and goods on the ship were all mixed up, under the organization of Lu Ming and Lu Hu, all the work was in order. Lu Ming, wearing a bright red official robe, led the officials from Hsinchu to wait at the pier to greet Ye Qi Guanyin and his party. As soon as Ye Qi Guanyin got off the boat, Lu Ming ran up and bowed down and shouted: "Lu Ming has met Princess Yan. Congratulations to King Yan on being named King of Yan. We are honored to do so."
Ye Qi Guanyin patted Lu Ming on the shoulder and said: "This time to fight against the Khitan and Xixia, you have also been promoted to the rank of second-grade Jinyiwei Commander and Tongzhi. Are you happy?" Lu Ming said loudly: "I am happy, Lu Ming is very happy. Take it, I'm grateful, and I'm willing to do my best for your prince's career." Ye Qi Guanyin laughed loudly, got on the horse brought by Lu Ming, and led everyone to Hsinchu City.
Passing by a temporary resettlement site for newly arrived farmers, Yedi Guanyin pointed his riding whip and said, "Go in and have a look." Lu Ming quickly jumped off his horse and led Yedi Guanyin's horse toward the settlement site. Yao Minle is a farmer from Qingxian County, Cangzhou. His family was lucky enough to join the team that reclaimed Taiwan and followed the fleet to Taiwan.
The couple separated from their clan when they got married. They had no land in Tianjing New City, so they farmed 35 acres of farmland owned by Mr. Qiao in the village. Those dry fields only harvest seven to eight bushels of wheat a year. After excluding 50% of the land rent and one bushel of two liters of seeds, Yao Minle and his wife are busy from the beginning to the end of each year, and they can only get eight to nine bushels of wheat. Go into your own barn. These grains barely allowed Yao Minle to have enough food and clothing.
Even during the Chinese New Year, he and his wife did not dare to eat a bite of meat. The two have been married for three years and had a daughter the year before last. But this daughter did not bring joy to the Yao family, but instead became a worry for Yao Minle. He was always worried that his daughter would not be able to feed her when she grew up - how could a family of three be fed with eight or nine stones of food?
At the end of July, Yao Minle heard that King Yan was recruiting a second batch of people to open up Taiwan, and he signed up without saying a word. Everyone in Qing County knows about the prince. As long as you follow the prince, you will have endless good days. As for where Taiwan is and what he will experience when he arrives in Taiwan, Yao Minle has not even thought about it.
When I heard that I had raised funds, my family of three could sail to Taiwan on the first day of September. Yao Minle and his wife spent the whole night dancing in the two shabby huts at home, celebrating that the good day was coming.
The official of King Yan's shogunate who was responsible for organizing manpower asked Yao Minle not to bring anything with him, but said that he would send everything to Taiwan. Yao Minle trusted King Yan very much. After hearing this, he gave all the pots and pans at home to his relatives, took his wife and daughter on the boat empty-handed, and set sail for Taiwan.
King Yan's ship was very tall and looked like a fort. But after going out to sea, Yao Minle realized how big the sea was. The big boat he was riding on was like a leaf in the sea, floating with the waves. The boat was so bumpy that Yao Minle's wife vomited, but Yao Minle did not. Yao Minle had been standing excitedly on the top deck when he was at sea, holding on to the side of the ship and looking excitedly at the sea he had never seen before.
When he arrived in Taiwan, Yao Minle thought he would see a dilapidated wasteland. But he didn't expect that as soon as he arrived at the port and stepped off the ship, Yao Minle saw a large area of prosperous business shops, with mules and horses noisy and people buzzing.
Yao Minle and his family got off the boat, and more than a hundred people followed an officer and walked forward for a mile. The officer led two hundred people into a small square full of small stalls. There is a brick door at the entrance of the small square, with the four characters "Talent Market" written on it.
The officer leading the way said loudly: "If you don't want to farm, you can find something to do in the job market. Let's go in and have a look!" Is it possible not to farm when you come to Taiwan? Yao Minle was stunned and walked into the talent market. When he walked in, Yao Minle found that there were many stalls in the market. Those stalls were unattended, but each stall had a sign with dense writing on it.
Yao Minle and the farmers behind him were illiterate and didn't know what was written on the stalls. They all looked at the officer leading the way with pleading expressions. The officer laughed, walked up and pointed to a stall and shouted: "Hsinchu City Zhangji Restaurant is recruiting two boys. They are required to be between fifteen and fifty years old, with good conduct. Those who have been boys will be given priority, and they are quick and agile. Priority will be given to those who are good at entertaining guests. The salary is 4 taels per month, including lunch. Those who are interested can go to Zhangji Restaurant on Chengnan Street, Hsinchu and find the shopkeeper, Boss Liu."
Hearing the words "four taels per month, including lunch", Yao Minle opened his mouth in shock. Do you need to pay four or two months to hire a servant? You must know that in Qing County, anyone who is willing to pay one, two or five yuan to hire people is considered a good employer. Such jobs are often fought over by more than a dozen people. The employer has various demands, and the applicants can't get it even if they fight hard. For ordinary errands, you can recruit people with only one or two yuan a month.
However, in Taiwan, a waiter from a restaurant only pays four or two months' worth, and a meal is included. Is this a good day to keep up with King Yan?
This is Taiwan! Walking to another small stall, the officer read again: "Gaoji Tailoring Shop is recruiting female workers. Our shop is the official cooperative tailor shop of King Yan. It is strong and has long-term custom-made clothing for newly recruited farmers in King Yan. The income is stable. Recruiting Female workers are required to be between fifteen and fifty years old, and skilled female workers will be given priority. The wages are based on a basic salary plus piece-based bonus, with a basic salary of 2 taels per month and piece-rate wages. The current average monthly income of tailors is 4 taels per month. If you are interested, please come to Apply for a job at the Gaoji Tailoring Courtyard on Chengxi Street, Hsinchu."
Another job recruitment job that earns more than 40 taels a month. It seems that it is not difficult to earn 40 taels a month in Taiwan. The officer leading the way looked at the excited farmers and said: "In Hsinchu, if the tenants farm Yanwang's fields, as long as they are more agile, they can harvest an average of 20 shi of rice into their own granary in a year. According to the current parity of grain prices, The price in the store is two taels and five cents per stone, so this is fifty taels of silver."
"After all, the monthly income of a farmer in Hsinchu is more than 4 taels of silver. Therefore, when recruiting people in other industries, the monthly income must be higher than 4 taels of silver to recruit people." It was already March of the sixth year of Xianping, and people from all over the Song Dynasty Food prices in China have remained at a high level due to last year's military disaster. Yang Peng's cheap grain store adapted to the situation and changed the buying and selling price of grain to two taels and five cents per stone. This change has significantly increased farmers' income.
Farmers in Taiwan are now considered well-off. The officer leading the way said: "Of course, labor is more expensive in Hsinchu, and everything is transported by sea, so prices are also higher. Except for the price of food, which is the same as Tianjing New City, other things are 30% more expensive than Tianjing New City, and silver is not as durable. ."
The farmers had no reaction when they heard the officer's words. These farmers have been living below the subsistence line. Their living expenses are basically food, and they have not yet developed various consumption habits. They secretly thought that it didn't matter if things were 30% more expensive. As long as food was cheap, they could raise more children. Just spend less on things other than food.
The officers smiled when they saw that the farmers had not yet realized the qualitative change in their lives after earning four taels a month. The officers read all the job advertisements on other stalls again. Speaking of which, there are many farmers in Hsinchu now, and there is an urgent need to develop supporting businesses and service industries. However, most of the farmers who came to Hsinchu by boat were willing to work in agriculture, while fewer people were willing to do odd jobs in the city. There was a serious shortage of people in various positions in the city.
Every time the farmers heard about the four-two-month payment, they would marvel, as if they never recovered from their surprise. However, I heard from the officers that farming can earn more than four taels of silver, and only a few people are interested in doing work in the city.
The officer shook his head and continued to lead the new farmers forward. At this time, paddy fields have been opened up on both sides of the road, and only thousands of hectares of fertile fields can be seen crisscrossing the road. It was September and the late rice seedlings had been planted. The fields are green and many farmers are busy working in the fields. This was the first time for the farmers in Tianjing New City to see paddy fields. They only knew that paddy fields were highly productive and that they would grow such paddy fields in the future. They were all very interested.
The good days in the future will depend on this paddy field. Along the smooth road paved with gravel, the officers led the farmers through Hsinchu City. Although Hsinchu City has just been founded, it is already quite large. The four city gates are four stories high and have wide door openings below. The eight-mile-long earthen wall surrounding the city has been repaired, and the cross roads in the city are all paved with bluestone slabs. Like Tianjing New City, Hsinchu City also has drainage ditches on both sides of the road, and there is a trash can every two hundred steps on the road.
Compared with the dirty county towns in Qing County, Hsinchu City is much cleaner and tidier. Yao Minle walked on that clean and wide road, feeling like he was walking in a paradise. In the center of the city, there is a majestic and dignified "Prince Yan's Mansion". The two large stone lions at the door are taller than one person. The officer told the peasants that the place to do business was not here. The place to go to the government to do business was in the "general office" in the south of the city, where Mr. Lu sat in charge. This Prince Yan's Mansion is Yang Peng's residence.
At this time, Hsinchu City had just been built and there were not many shops in the city. The more lively one is the cheap grain store in the middle of the city. Farmers who have harvested early rice come here pushing large carts and small carts of rice to sell. The farmers who had sold out their grain got the money and happily looked for something to buy in the city. Therefore, the shops on both sides of the cheap grain store are doing very well.
Yao Minle looked at the small shops on both sides of the cheap grain store and saw that there were butchers selling meat, tea, tobacco, shochu and rice wine, and even children's toys. These shops are bustling with people at this time, and the doorways are full of farmers who have enjoyed a good harvest and have money in their pockets.
Yao Minle secretly sighed and sighed that the farmers in Taiwan were really rich. Passing through Hsinchu City, farmers walked into the temporary resettlement site. The resettlement sites were several large yards built on small hills, with rows of brick houses built inside. Yao Minle held his wife with his left hand and his daughter with his right hand. As soon as he walked into the resettlement site, he smiled happily.
Look at the sturdy house, the rows of wooden bunk beds in the house, and the complete set of sheets, pillows and other items on the bed. This is simply the life of a master. This is just a "temporary" settlement. Then if you officially settle down in the future, what kind of good life will you live?
After the officers brought a hundred farmers into the settlement, they began to assign rooms and beds to them. In the resettlement site, sixteen people share a room, husbands and wives are separated, and men and women are placed in separate courtyards.
The first thing after allocating a bed is to take a shower. The peasants were taken to the large bathhouse by the officers. As soon as Yao Minle entered, he was startled by the mist-filled bathhouse. He took a closer look and discovered that there was a large pool built in the bathhouse, which was filled with warm water and was constantly emitting water vapor. Dozens of men were taking a bath in the bathhouse.
The officer gave each farmer a piece of soap, briefly explained how to use it, and then asked the farmer to take off his tattered old clothes.
The old clothes were thrown into a big basket. Yao Minle asked the officer, what to do with the old clothes? The officer replied: "Burn it!"
Yao Minle sighed secretly and jumped into the bathhouse to take a clean bath. After taking a shower and walking out of the bath, Yao Minle had just wiped himself clean when he saw a clerk coming in with a large basket of new clothes. The clerk walked up to Yao Minle and asked, "How high?"
"Five feet two inches." The clerk took out two sets of brand-new middle coats from the basket, stuffed two sets of brand-new cotton round collars into Yao Minle's hands, and said, "Pack them away!" New clothes are being distributed? Yao Minle grabbed the new clothes in his hand and couldn't restrain a smile on his face.
Yao Minle worked in Hsinchu for a month. Every day he followed the team leader to burn wasteland, level the land, dig and ram soil to build canals. Although it was hard work, Yao Minle worked very hard, because the resettlement site provided adequate food - the temporary resettlement site provided three meals a day, including white rice, a lot of vegetables, and occasionally meat.
At dinner on March 15, the day Yao Minle's family of three had meat, Yao Minle cried. This is how people live. In the past, in Qing County, even during the Chinese New Year, a family of three would not be willing to cut a piece of meat. Yao Minle felt very guilty after his wife had been with him for three years and had children for him. She lived a miserable life for three years and did not eat meat during the New Year for three years. However, when we arrived in Hsinchu, it was just an ordinary meal, and the prince gave meat to the land reclamation team.
Yao Minle was reluctant to eat the large piece of meat. He wiped his tears and gave the piece of meat to his wife, saying, "I don't like eating meat. You can eat it, wife!" Yao Minle's wife smiled and took the piece of meat. He handed it to his daughter and said, "The bird eats meat!" The bird looked at the two large pieces of pork belly in the bowl and said, "The bird has meat!"
Yao Minle's daughter-in-law touched her daughter's head and said, "The bird eats the bird's meat, and the bird eats daddy's meat as well." Yao Minle's daughter then burst into laughter and bit into the pork belly. It smells so good. Seeing the happy look on his daughter's face, Yao Minle shed a few more tears. He secretly said that he would work harder to repay the prince for his kindness.
What shocked Yao Minle even more was that on March 20, after having breakfast, Yao Minle was about to go to work when he heard the squad leader yelling: "Everyone, go to the yard and pay monthly!"
Yao Minle was stupid at that time, giving him monthly money? What kind of monthly payment should I pay to myself when I can open up wasteland and have a house with bricks and tiles to live in, food to eat, new clothes to wear, and meat to eat?
Seeing Yao Minle standing there dumbly, the squad leader pushed Yao Minle and said, "Yao idiot, why don't you hurry up and line up to get the money? If you don't want it, you can give it to me if you get the money!"
Yao Minle then put away his shovel and shovel and ran out to collect his monthly payment. In the yard, hundreds of land reclamation farmers gathered in front of a small platform in the yard, waiting for the team leader standing on the platform to hand out money. The captain shouted: "You farmers who opened up wasteland were transported to Taiwan by the prince's fleet. The prince organized you to give out new clothes and rice. You have decent houses to live in and meat to eat. How are you living?"
The farmers below shouted in unison: "Have a good life!"
"Good days!" said the team leader who distributed the money: "Not only that, the prince will also give you monthly money. Each person will receive two taels of silver a month. Those who work hard this month will also receive bonuses!" The farmers below heard this. At these words, everyone's face was full of surprise and their eyes were shining.
After the captain finished speaking, he started calling names. The farmers whose names were called came up one by one to receive their money. When Yao Minle was called, he walked up to the team leader and saw the team leader stuffing an envelope into his hand: "Yao Minle, you work hard and your performance is considered to be top-notch. You will be paid two or two months' salary, five yuan." The total bonus is twenty-two-five cents of silver."
Yao Minle actually became a little nervous. He took the envelope with trembling hands and walked off the platform. He opened the envelope and saw that there were two to five pieces of silver in it. Yao Minle worked in Qingxian County with his back to the earth and the earth. When did he get so much money in his hands? I just feel like I have a huge sum of money in my hand. He took a bite of the silver and felt that the silver was soft and of excellent quality.
Yao Minle felt that Taiwan was giving him surprises one after another. Yao Minle was excited there when he suddenly saw a dozen soldiers from the Zhenhai Regiment rushing into the yard. They checked the yard back and forth to confirm that no one in the yard had offensive weapons, and then controlled the entrance and exit of the yard. After a while, two soldiers wearing gilded full-body armor stood at the door of the courtyard and shouted:
"Princess Yan has arrived!"
Seeing this posture, the captain was the first to kneel on the ground. Under his leadership, all the farmers who were opening up the wasteland knelt on the ground, prostrate themselves and kowtowed. After a while, the guards walked into the courtyard holding gorgeous flags and pumpkins. Uncle Xing Guo, who was surrounded by hundreds of guards, rode in on a tall horse and was guided by Mr. Lu in red official robes. In the middle of the yard, Yedi Guanyin jumped off her horse and looked at the farmers clearing wasteland with interest.
Ye Qi Guanyin took Kou Zhun and Zhang Xingfang into the farmer's house, inspected the living environment of the farmers who opened up wasteland, and then walked back to the yard. Ye Qi Guanyin looked at the peasants kneeling on the ground and suddenly asked Yao Minle, "What is your name?" Yao Minle looked up and saw Ye Qi Guanyin looking at him, and quickly replied: "The younger one is Yao Minle. !”
Ye Qi Guanyin asked: "Yao Minle, stand up and talk. What did you eat this morning?" Yao Minle stood up, swallowed his saliva, and replied nervously: "The little one ate two large bowls of white rice. Porridge, an egg.”
Ye Qi Guanyin nodded and asked: "Is it hard to open up wasteland?" Yao Minle shook his head and said: "Here we have good food, good clothing, good housing, and monthly payments, so there is nothing to do even with a lantern." Looking for a good life is not hard at all.”
Lu Ming, who was standing behind Ye Qi Guanyin, shouted loudly: "Yao Minle, the prince has given you such a good life, how will you repay my uncle in the future?" Yao Minle's face turned red and he said with some excitement: "The prince has given you such a good life." On such a good day, Yao Minle will definitely work hard in the future. The prince asked Yao Minle to go east, but Yao Minle will never dare to go west!"
Hearing Yao Minle's words, Ye Qi Guanyin burst into laughter, waved her hand and said to the farmers, "Get up." The farmers got up from the ground. Ye Qi Guanyin did not stay long. Surrounded by her guards, she mounted her horse again and left the yard on horseback.
Ye Qi Guanyin left the temporary resettlement site on horseback and said to Lu Ming with a smile: "Lu Ming, you have organized well in Taiwan, and you have contributed a lot!" Lu Ming cupped his hands and said: "Hsinchu can be built like this only because of the material supply from the prince. Lu Ming doesn't dare to take credit." Ye Qi Guanyin asked: "Is there any problem?" Lu Ming thought for a while and replied: "There is a problem, that is, the red hair covets our wealthy Hsinchu and always wants to rob us. From last year to this year , the Zhenhai Regiment has defeated Hongmao’s team twice.”
After hearing what Zheng Hui said, Ye Qi Guanyin said calmly: "If you are not of my race, your mind must be different! Hong Mao has Relanja City in the south of Taiwan Island. It is convenient to sail the ship to Hsinchu to rob." After thinking about it, Ye Qi Guanyin said: "This time I came to Taiwan with two thousand soldiers from the Zhenhai Regiment, plus one thousand soldiers from the Zhenhai Regiment stationed in Hsinchu, so there are three thousand soldiers. Let's go to Relanze and pull out the red-haired stronghold. Yes!" Lu Ming cupped his hands and said: "The princess is wise, if Hongmao doesn't have a stronghold in Taiwan, he won't care about the wealth of Hsinchu."
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
