Zhu Biao put his hands behind his back and thought silently for a while, then asked Mao Xiang to check whether the man had left any manuscripts.
Zhu Biao turned around and returned to the Wenhua Hall. The imperial examination could not be rushed, so Zhu Biao simply concentrated on relocating the people. The relocation could not be done from one village to another, otherwise it would still be demolished. Does the wall make up for the western wall?
Seventy households will be removed from every 100 households in a village, with priority given to the poor. In fact, in addition to those who are difficult to leave their hometown, it is actually good to relocate those people who are poor and unable to live in the local area. The subsidies and policies of the court are also very good.
Zhu Biao laid out a map. This time the immigrants are going to Fengyang, Anhui, Zhu Yuanzhang's hometown. It is estimated that more than 200,000 people will be moved. Of course, this is only the first batch, and hundreds more are expected to be moved in the future. Thousands of people.
Since the Yellow River overflowed at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, it had not been flooded for twenty consecutive years. The Yuan Dynasty had no control over the internal and external troubles. As a result, large areas of land in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River became swamps. Eventually, the people were extinct and the villages were reduced to ruins.
The current population of Shanxi is estimated to be over 20 million according to Gu Xuda's report, while the rest of the Ming Dynasty may not even add up to 10 million.
Therefore, it is very important to do a good job in relocating people for the first time, so as to set the stage for subsequent relocation work.
The move to Fengyang is also to replenish the population nearby. After all, Fengyang is very close to Nanjing and is the hometown of the emperor, so it is natural to give priority to replenishment.
Zhu Biao looked through the records of the migration of people in previous dynasties. Unfortunately, most of them were small-scale migrations. Thousands of soldiers drove the people away like sheep, and those who fell behind were whipped.
Most of the rest were natural disasters. Even if there was no imperial organization, the people could only be forced to migrate, just like the people from all over the Central Plains took the initiative to run to Shanxi due to famine and war.
First of all, you have to tell them the benefits and lure them with benefits. Most of the people who fled to Shanxi did not live a good life. Shanxi is not their hometown, so it is relatively easy for them to move.
He told them that all their food rations were provided by the court. When they arrived, a man would be given ten acres of land. If he was willing to open up ten acres of land, he would be allowed to keep eight acres for himself.
When you go to a certain place, fertility is encouraged. As long as you have more children, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, the court will reward you.
Fifty thousand cattle and sheep brought by Zhu Biao from the grassland have been placed in Fengyang, and the court is also using tea and salt to trade with various Mongolian tribes. Cattle, sheep, and horses are all good things.
Of course, forced relocation is inevitable in the end, but it cannot be like herding sheep. In these days, everyone is extremely precious. Zhu Biao plans to relocate the young and strong first, so that they can walk faster after they are full, and follow them when they arrive. The army uniformly built houses, cultivated fields and burned carbon, and completed infrastructure construction.
The old and young at the back can go slower. They won't be of much use when they get there anyway. If they rush to Fengyang with a rapid march, they will lie down and have to arrange for manpower to take care of them. The gain outweighs the loss.
Zhu Biao also plans to recruit orphans. Although the people of Shanxi are living a good life, compared with places that have experienced wars for a long time, there are many orphans in the local area, and they survive by eating hundreds of meals.
Compared to adults, these orphans are undoubtedly more liked by Zhu Biao. As long as they are given food and then trained well, they will be good no matter what they are used for.
And not only Zhu Biao needs it, but Zhu Yuanzhang's pro-military Duwei Mansion also needs it. When it is adapted into Jinyiwei in the future, a large number of manpower will be needed. It would be inappropriate to just transfer them from the army. At least the middle and high-level people should be trained by themselves.
When the time comes, Zhu Biao will gather them together and train them in a unified way, and distribute them according to their talents. Compared with the expansion of special agents, Zhu Biao now hopes to cultivate a group of talents who are talented in science and engineering and those who build ships.
Thinking of this, Zhu Biao felt a toothache. It would be great if that guy hadn't died, even if he knew some basic things to teach students.
According to current estimates, when the people move to Fengyang, it will be autumn. The next biggest problem is that winter is coming soon. Only after getting through this first cold winter can the relocated people really settle down. Begin spring plowing, summer harvesting, autumn harvesting, and winter storage.
In this way, after two or three years of the imperial tax-free policy, the people of Fengyang began to farm and raise children with peace of mind.
But although Fengyang is said to be in the south, the winter is still very cold. The winter at this time is much colder than in later generations. Although the cold in the south is far less than that in the north, if there is not enough heating equipment, people will freeze to death at night.
No matter where you live in later generations, even if your family is poor, you will always have at least a cotton coat, a thick quilt. But it is difficult to get these now, such as cotton. You must know that the origin of cotton is India and Arabia.
Before cotton was introduced to China, China only had kapok for stuffing pillows and no cotton for weaving. Before the Song Dynasty, there was only the word "mian" next to silk in China, but not "cotton" next to wood.
Zhu Biao still remembered that he had seen their quilts when he went to Fengyang to worship his ancestors. Most of them were filled with catkins, kapok and other materials. The thermal insulation effect could be imagined, but he had no choice but to cover them with a few more layers. Of course, he couldn't buy them. With so much fabric, we could only cover it with linen.
The common people crowded together all night. If the conditions were better, they could use chicken feathers, goose feathers, duck feathers and other animal hairs to make quilts and clothes to keep warm. These things are very irritating and smelly. It was uncomfortable, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Wealthy households can cover themselves with a mattress made of whatever skin they can, such as dog skin or something. Hunters in the mountains generally use the furs of wild animals. If it is a peaceful season, the common people can trade food with the hunters for furs.
Although cotton has been introduced now, how can the common people dare to grow cotton as a cash crop? There have been years of famine and war. If you can grow a grain of food, you may survive. Who would waste land to grow cotton? How can cotton be sold if there is no food to eat? Going out.
Zhu Biao has to praise his father for this. Two years ago, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered that some cotton must be planted in the cultivated land near Nanjing City. Maybe Lao Zhu has also experienced the hardships of winter. Now the Ministry of Household Affairs has arranged manpower to start making quilts. Yes, it will be shipped directly to Fengyang when the time comes.
With clothes and quilts in the house, the only thing missing is heating facilities. Fire pits have actually appeared in the north for a long time, but they are generally not used in the south. The main reason is the lack of fuel. Wood cannot be burned, so carbon must be used.
Coal is actually available now, and it is in Shanxi. Zhu Biao has read "Shui Jing Zhu" written by Li Daoyuan, which records the spontaneous combustion of coal seams and the development and utilization of coal in Datong, Shanxi.
Coal was widely burned in the Datong area during the Song Dynasty. During the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, the coal mining industry in Datong was already very developed, and the iron smelting industry also endured.
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