Some people are happy and some are sad, some are in favor, and some are bound to be against it. This world is always full of contradictions.
"Immigrate, immigrate as a bird. Isn't this the same as being sent into exile?"
On the deck of another large ship, an unkempt prisoner with a gold tattoo on his face said lazily.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, the penalty of assassinating one's wife was abolished. It was the practice of the Song Dynasty court that as long as it was not the death penalty, the general penalty period would not exceed three years.
It has been almost three years since the new emperor ascended the throne. From the golden mark on his face, it can be seen that this person has refused to change despite repeated admonitions and is a habitual offender.
"What kind of good emperor? When he ascended the throne, when the empress dowager passed away, when he gave birth to a prince, he never granted amnesty to the whole world. Bah!"
Another prisoner, also disheveled and with a gold seal on his face, spat hard out of the boat.
These two men refused to change despite repeated admonitions and were punished for multiple crimes. It seemed that they were very dissatisfied with being sent to Nanyang for reclamation.
"It's okay for you two. You often come in and out again. I served here for three years. This is great. If you are sent thousands of miles away all of a sudden, it will be difficult to go back!"
Another prisoner with a fair face and no sashimi was also full of complaints and had a look of displeasure on his face.
"You are all unsatisfactory. Three to five years is nothing. Those who had their death sentences commuted have all been exiled overseas. Living in exile and being alone for the rest of your life is like living like a year, and you are miserable!"
The older prisoner spoke politely and seemed to be a scholar, and seemed to have accepted the established facts.
"Bear it, endure it for three to five years, the sun and the moon pass by, and the vicissitudes of life will pass quickly!"
The scholar persuaded the irritable prisoners, but was ridiculed and ridiculed by the prisoners.
"Wang Datou, just shut up. If it weren't for you corrupt officials, my life would be so difficult? Why should I do those beheadings?"
"Old Wang, to tell you the truth, no matter whether the new emperor is good or not, when it comes to dealing with you dog officials, the emperor is really good and perfect!"
"Old Wang, are there any of the immigrants on the ship who are your illegitimate son or daughter? You are a bitch!"
The prisoners laughed and cursed, feeling more balanced.
After all, there is a "husband-in-law" who was once aloof and shared their fate, not to mention how sad it is.
Lao Wang shook his head and smiled bitterly, without saying a word.
Under the new emperor, one of the new policies is to fight against corruption, and it is thunderous and merciless. He was really unlucky to be found out.
"If you don't stay well in the cabin, what are you talking about?"
Zhao Tai suddenly came over and interrupted, startling the grumbling prisoners.
Although Lao Wang is a criminal, he is also a member of the immigrant community, so he cannot be ruined by these guys.
"General, you're not mumbling anything, you're just joking."
The prisoners smiled playfully, nodded and bowed, and saluted Zhao Tai one after another.
"Just have fun, don't cause trouble."
Zhao Tai nodded and said seriously:
"After you go there, make good changes. Three to five years will pass quickly. The court treats you well. You will receive 10% of your hard work for three to five years as a means of supporting your return home. I'm afraid that it will be too comfortable here. When the time comes, You yourself don’t want to go back!”
In fact, just like the prisoner immigrants, they are also full of curiosity and even a little confused about the future world.
"Yes, yes, listen to the general!"
"Yes, yes, we must work hard!"
The prisoners nodded repeatedly, cursing in their hearts that the turtle grandson was unwilling to go back.
"I know you are scolding me in your heart. But to be honest, there is plenty to eat and drink here, and there are not so many laws and regulations. You will understand after staying here for a long time."
Zhao Tai looked at the endless sea in the distance and muttered to himself. I'm afraid we still have to walk for half a day to get to the port where the sea and river intersect.
"General, do those whose death sentences were commuted also have this 10% money?"
Some of the prisoners couldn't help but ask.
"It's a beautiful thought! It's good that they haven't beheaded! After ten years of work, there will be a harvest after ten years. However, they must live and work here in peace and contentment and take root properly!"
More than three years after the new emperor took office, the backlog of prisoners from the previous dynasty, as well as the current dynasty's death row prisoners, totaling 5,000 to 6,000, were all sent overseas. Among them, many of the able-bodied ones were going to colonize Africa, but the ships departed a few days later.
"General, will there be prisoners and immigrants in the future?"
Lao Wang couldn't help but ask.
"I believe you have read about immigration in the newspapers. Starting from this year, the imperial court will emigrate in large numbers, and the number of people will increase significantly. Think about it, in Guangdong and Fujian alone, nearly 200,000 people will be born in a year , but only over 100,000 people died of old age, disease, and illness. The extra 70,000 to 80,000 people can only be exported through immigration."
Zhao Tai's words made Lao Wang suddenly enlightened.
Under the New Deal, drowning of infants was strictly prohibited, exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes were eliminated, and the people would have enough to eat and would naturally have more children. However, the Song Dynasty was located in a corner of the south of the Yangtze River, and its land area was limited. The extra population could only be solved through immigration.
"The emperor is wise, powerful, knowledgeable about the past and present, he is truly a wise king through the ages!"
Lao Wang sighed unconsciously.
"If the emperor wasn't wise and powerful, how could he catch you corrupt officials?"
Zhao Tai made a joke at Lao Wang and then said:
"Especially in Fujian and eastern Zhejiang, where the population is prosperous, the land is small and there are many households, the per capita cultivated land is only about two acres, and the taxes are heavy. In addition, the land shortage is serious, and many people have no cultivated land. Now they have to allocate 10 acres of land in vain. There are three crops a year and no taxes. Do you think they are willing to come?"
Local officials issued repeated orders and newspapers widely publicized that many poor people sold their fields and immigrated with their families, hoping to reap the dividends of immigration.
"General, what should we do if we get to a place and they don't let us plow the fields and we have nothing to eat?"
Another prisoner was itchy and asked anxiously.
"He dares!"
Zhao Tai's eyes widened, his face full of arrogance.
"You think our Song Dynasty navy is all vegetarian! You are not afraid of the Tatar army, but you are still worried about these rabble? Let's blast them with a barrage of artillery and grenades to save their shit!"
When the warships of the Song Dynasty were replenishing water for vegetables in Bo Ni, officials from Bo Ni came to find out what was going on, but were prevaricated by Zhao Tai.
The Song Dynasty had its own guides and channels and did not need anyone else to interfere.
When passing through the harbor where Bo Ni was located, the naval warships did not stop, but went all the way south, heading straight to the wild lands in the south.
The interior of Borneo is mountainous and contains large areas of virgin forest. There are mountains in the middle and plains all around. The southern part is very low-lying and consists of large wetlands, which is suitable for development and reclamation.
I don’t know how the emperor knew so much geographical knowledge?
Thinking of something, Zhao Tai's face turned serious and he solemnly warned the prisoners.
"I forgot to tell you that the weather here is hot and many women don't wear tops on weekdays. Don't be confused and don't do stupid things. It doesn't matter if you marry a prostitute, don't do anything random, otherwise you will lose your head. It’s too late to regret! Especially you, Lao Wang, don’t be obsessed with sex and make the same mistake again and again!”
All the prisoners were stunned, Lao Wang looked embarrassed, and some prisoners asked confusedly.
"General, can we people marry into mixed families?"
Even though he is in prison, he can still marry a wife and live happily, which is a wonderful thing that he could never imagine.
"One in the Song Dynasty, and another here. As long as you don't mess around, cultivate the land well, and abide by the laws, no one will stop you, and no one will care about how many more you have!"
Zhao Tai said it seriously with a serious face.
"sure!"
The prisoners had smiles on their faces, and unknowingly they had expectations in their hearts. In the future, we can still enjoy family happiness, and this sea journey does not seem to be so boring.
"General, what should we do if we run out of food, oil, vinegar, etc. on the ship?"
Lao Wang had been a court official and was very thoughtful. He also knew that food was the most important thing for the people and they were worried about their future.
"Don't worry. There are so many countries and tribes in Boni, Guawa, Chenla, Champa, Sanluqi, etc., where can't we buy food? What's more, the merchant ships of our Song Dynasty continue to go south, and we can still starve you. !”
"What if they don't sell it on purpose?"
Some prisoners deliberately found fault.
"Did you see these cannons? I really wish he didn't sell them, so we can test whether their city walls are strong. It's ridiculous to have strong ships and powerful cannons, but to worry about not having enough to eat!"
Zhao Tai snorted coldly, and Lao Wang shuddered.
The new emperor's subordinates turned out to be these reckless men who were like wolves and tigers, which was really chilling.
"What a pity! The sea is very windy, and we have to rely on the monsoon to go north and south. We can only go back and forth once a year. It's too time-consuming!"
Another prisoner sighed.
All the prisoners nodded in agreement. If you are unlucky, you may be "released after serving your sentence" and die in a storm.
"Don't sigh!"
In order to boost morale, Zhao Tai couldn't help but start leaking secrets again.
"To tell you the truth, the imperial court is building some kind of "steamboat". It does not need people to row it, nor does it need to borrow wind. It only needs to burn coal. It can run faster than the wind and is safe. Maybe when you go back, you can On board the steamboat!"
"Steamboat? That would be great!"
"General, what is a steamship?"
"You don't even know about steamboats, you don't know about boiling water in kettles, just..."
In the evening, a huge bowl-shaped bay appeared. Two wide rivers stretched out from the mainland and slowly flowed into the bay. There seemed to be some houses on the south side.
The setting sun reflects on the river bay, and the water is sparkling and bright red. Countless seabirds are covered in red clouds and hovering over the bay, which is a spectacular sight. As the loud bells and sharp whistles sounded, the guide led the way, and the people on the boat started to move. The soldiers and civilians of the Song Dynasty sailed towards the land in the harbor in one sampan boat after another.
This new continent in the central and southern part of Bo Ni is waiting for them to explore and conquer.
Zhao Tai shouted loudly, commanding the navy officers and men to follow in the boat.
For the Song Dynasty court and the Song Dynasty Navy, this was just the first step in overseas colonization.
There are many new and old continents, Australia, Africa, and even the distant American continent, waiting for them to conquer.
