Dragon City, which had just been established as the provincial capital, was like a monster that swallowed the sky and the earth, constantly attracting people from all directions.
This place has now become a focus for immigrants.
Following Pan Yunlong, tens of thousands of new immigrants came.
When they got off the boat and stood on the land, these people who had traveled thousands of miles all looked pale and weak.
Thinking of the previous trip, I just felt like I was a new person in another world.
These people who have lived in their hometown all their lives know for the first time that the world is so big.
The empire is so vast.
Finally setting foot on land, they looked at the new world with curious eyes.
This is a place completely different from what they know.
The land is as flat as a mirror and stretches endlessly. Countless trees cover the entire land with a green carpet, lush and spectacular.
The sky is also high and blue, with white clouds shining with holy brilliance under the sunlight.
The breeze blows from the north, carrying an overbearing coldness that instantly dries out the intestines.
The bustle on the pier made these new immigrants not to worry about exhaustion, and they had to run for the next new life.
"Workers come here! Come this way!"
There are staff here to greet you and perform their duties.
The new immigrants are not only farmers, but some are also workers.
Following the call, a large group of people immediately walked over carrying large and small bags.
The staff was very conscientious and carefully counted several times to make sure the number of people was correct.
"Everyone, please stay close and follow me. Now I will send you to your residence and have a good rest."
Hearing that they could finally take a break, all the new immigrants breathed a sigh of relief. They cheered up, took their luggage, and left the pier with the staff.
Although Dragon City is very prosperous today, everything is still very rudimentary, and the corresponding urban planning is also relatively rough.
The factories are all on the east bank of the Jingqili River, which is the lower reaches of Heilongjiang.
In this way, it will not affect the domestic water supply of upstream cities.
The factories that were first established here were mainly cement factories, brick and tile factories, and steel factories.
After all, these are the most basic things needed to build a new city, and other industries will be built around these.
According to Longcheng's plan, at least 100,000 workers are needed.
If the empire on the mainland had not begun to act in unison and now occupied Hebei, Shanxi, Henan, Huguang and other places, it would be extremely difficult to gather enough immigrants.
Workers have to go to the east bank of the Jinqili River, while farmers have to pass through the city and settle on the vast plains in the north.
Chen Laowu is among such a team.
He is from Guide Prefecture, and his family has been farmers for generations.
Naturally, he suffered a lot in the troubled times of the late Ming Dynasty.
The government's exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes brought him to the edge of bankruptcy. Subsequently, the government army and the peasant army fought several times in Guide Mansion, and his home was repeatedly robbed, and he was finally destitute.
If this was the case, Chen Laowu could grit his teeth and persevere.
But the Yellow River flood in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen destroyed his last hope.
He still remembers the huge flood that night that swept away the entire village.
If he hadn't gotten up to go to the toilet in the middle of the night and felt something was wrong, so he quickly woke up his wife and children and climbed into the big locust tree at the entrance of the village, he would have been swept away by the flood like everyone else in the village.
After a natural and man-made disaster, Chen Laowu lost everything except his family.
He could only become a refugee with his wife and children, and embarked on the road of begging.
Just this year, the empire finally started the war of unification, entered Guide Mansion, and resettled the people.
After listening to the immigration policy explained by the officials, Chen Laowu was very excited. After discussing it with his mother-in-law, he took his three children on the journey.
It's been half a year since I left.
It was the first time that the native farmers knew how big the world was, the first time they saw the sea, and the first time they ate seafood until they felt like vomiting.
Just when he was about to forget what the land felt like, they finally reached their destination.
"Master, it's going to get colder today. Do we have a place to stay?"
Seeing that after walking for a long time and getting further and further away from the town, Chen Laowu couldn't hold himself back and cautiously approached the staff leading the way to ask.
The other immigrants also pricked up their ears.
The staff are young and cheerful.
"Uncle, don't worry. In order to welcome you here, nothing has been done here. They just built a house to ensure that you can live comfortably."
The cheerful smiles of the young people gave Chen Laowu and the immigrants confidence, and they couldn't help but speed up their pace.
After walking like this for more than a day, after turning a gentle slope, I saw several rows of brick houses suddenly appeared on the flat land, with as many as hundreds.
And every brick house comes with a large yard.
The courtyard door made of solid wood has also been painted, and it is as clean and tidy as a wealthy landlord's house.
"Everyone has seen it, we are here."
A group of immigrants stood stunned, and many even rubbed their eyes, completely unable to believe what they saw.
Is such a beautiful house and such a big yard really prepared for them?
At the entrance of the village in the distance, someone had already been waiting, and they took the initiative to greet them.
"I am the village chief of our Baijiang Village. I will be responsible for managing the affairs of the village from now on. Everyone will stay in Baijiang Village from now on. If you need anything, come to me."
Zhao Zhihe, the head of Baijiang Village, is an old immigrant and is already familiar with everything here. Therefore, they were dispersed by the government and assigned to each village to serve as the most basic village-level officials.
This is of course a great thing for ordinary people, so Zhao Zhihe took office eagerly.
Looking at these new immigrants, who would be the villagers in the future, Zhao Zhihe was delighted.
"You guys have come all the way, so you must not be familiar with this place. But don't worry, let's do one thing at a time. First, let's allocate rooms."
Chen Laowu and others couldn't believe it when they heard that everyone was assigned a house to live in.
"Village Chief, this house is quite expensive, isn't it? How much do we have to pay?"
Zhao Zhihe laughed.
"You poor guys, do you have any money to give? You don't have any money, so what the hell are you talking about?"
Although the words were vulgar, they immediately brought everyone closer together, and the scene suddenly became lively.
Even though I had heard from the government before I came here, I would be allocated a house when I got here. But now that they have seen it with their own eyes, these new immigrants finally feel at ease.
Everyone is looking forward to it and imagining what it will be like to move into their new home.
Zhao Zhihe has already started presiding over the work.
"The population of each household has been counted. Now, if you want to know which house you want, go to the corresponding courtyard. Keep it in your heart. There will definitely be enough room for the big guy."
(End of chapter)
