Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1076 The Huang Brothers
"Two young men!" Du Yinxi suddenly said.

The two people who were chatting heard Du Yinxi interrupting and greeting them, and subconsciously turned their heads to look. When they saw Du Yinxi wearing scholar's clothes, they hurriedly stood up and saluted to Du Yinxi: "Sir, are you asking us to wait?"

"Haha, I'm not a master, just a scholar who has read a few books." Du Yinxi waved his hand and smiled.

"He is also a master." The two men said hurriedly. To them, even an ordinary scholar is naturally a master. Moreover, although Du Yinxi was wearing ordinary scholar's clothes, he looked extraordinary. How could they neglect him?

He asked them to sit down in a friendly manner, and then Du Yinxi asked about what they had just talked about regarding the Taiwan Prefecture, and inquired about the government notices they had mentioned.

In response to Du Yinxi's questions, the two men naturally told the truth, and the matter was not a secret. Even if they didn't tell others, Du Yinxi would be able to find out by asking other people. What's more, it was a matter of face for them to be asked by the scholar, so how could they not answer?
"So, this notice was posted just a few days ago?"

"To answer your question, I really don't know the exact time when it was issued. I heard about it the day before yesterday from Mr. Liu, a scholar in the village. I am illiterate. Mr. Liu was talking about this matter with others and said that a notice was posted at the government office. I happened to hear it from the side." The young man who spoke first answered respectfully.

The other person also nodded and indicated that this was the case. They happened to be present at the time and heard about the incident, but they had only heard about what Liu Xiucai and others said, and they did not know much about the specific circumstances.

"I see..." Du Yinxi nodded slightly and understood the reason, then asked about the content of the notice. The two replied immediately, but they didn't see it themselves, they just heard people talking about it, so what they knew was basically what was just discussed.

After listening to the other party's story, Du Yinxi had an idea in his mind, nodded, and was about to look for the notice later. Just as he was about to end the conversation and thank the two young men, one of them, the young man who was originally interested in Taiwan, looked hesitant, hesitated, and bowed to Du Yinxi and said, "Sir, can I ask you a question?"

"Oh, you have something to ask me? Haha, just tell me what it is." Du Yinxi said with a smile.

"Thank you, sir." The man bowed again, then said with a little trepidation: "I am a farmer, but my family lost their land a long time ago, and I make a living by renting land from Mr. Qian in the village. In the past few years, there were chaos and natural disasters, and life was difficult. In recent years, thanks to the emperor's kindness to the people, everyone's life has improved a lot after the bandits were wiped out, and the famine has also been alleviated a lot. With my strength, I can earn some money to support my family by looking for work at the ferry on weekdays, but in my heart..."

The man stammered, thinking as he spoke, and from time to time he looked at Du Yinxi's expression, fearing that the master would be bored with him and not want to continue listening to him. After finally saying all this, the man gritted his teeth and finally mentioned what he wanted to ask: "Master, I have never been to school and I don't have much knowledge, but this government notice really moved me. Farmers like me have been thinking about having a piece of land all our lives. If we can pass down the land to our family, it will be worth it even if we die."

"Master, you are a scholar, so your knowledge is much higher than mine. I want to ask you, can I go to Taiwan Prefecture? Is what the government notice says true? Can I really get land there? Can I be exempted from taxes?"

When he finally asked what was in his mind, his companion beside him also looked at Du Yinxi with expectation. Although the two had just discussed it, one was tempted and the other felt it was not safe, but no matter what, if it was true, how could farmers like them not be tempted? Even if they said there were risks, it was still worth a try if there was land and good conditions.

"What are your names, young men?" Du Yinxi asked with a smile.

"No, no, my last name is Huang, and I am the seventh child in my family. You can just call me Huang Qi. This is my cousin Huang Wu."

"Oh, it's the two young men Huang." Du Yinxi nodded, thought for a moment and said, "Although I haven't seen the government notice, I have heard about the establishment of a prefecture in Taiwan. Not long ago, the court sent troops to destroy the red-haired barbarians who occupied Xiaoliuqiu and recovered the place. Afterwards, the court decided to establish a prefecture in Xiaoliuqiu, send temporary officials, set up government offices to educate the people, reclaim wasteland, and carry out governance. This is absolutely true and it can't be false."

"Excuse me, sir, what is a wandering official?" Huang Qi asked doubtfully.

Hearing him ask this, Du Yinxi laughed immediately. When he explained just now, he used the terminology in official circles, but ordinary people like the Huang brothers could not understand it, so he explained what a floating official was. After the Huang brothers understood it, they suddenly realized it.

Then Du Yinxi continued, "Since the court has set up an official office in Xiaoliuqiu, it is natural to have immigrants. In addition, Xiaoliuqiu has been renamed Taiwan Prefecture, which is the intention of Your Majesty. According to our Ming system, there has always been a policy of immigration and land reclamation. There was a precedent of using civilians to fill the border during the Hongwu period. Moreover, Taiwan Prefecture is overseas, but the climate is warm and it is like spring all year round. Although it is an island, the area on the island is not small, and its land is almost equivalent to a province. Now the people on the island plus the barbarians are only a few tens of thousands. There are many people and sparsely populated areas, so immigration is inevitable."

"Since the government has issued a notice, in my opinion, this notice should have come from your majesty's approval, and what is said in it should not be false. As for all the treatment mentioned in the notice, such as land distribution, settlement expenses, allocation of agricultural tools and seeds, and even household registration for self-protection, etc., they should all be facts. Moreover, the establishment of a prefecture in Taiwan is a concern of your majesty, and the implementation of policies is under your supervision. In addition, your majesty will send special capable ministers to serve as officials in the Taiwan Prefecture. This matter is of great importance and no one dares to disobey. In my opinion, this is an opportunity for you. Although going to sea is slightly risky, it is worth it. As long as you work hard in Taiwan for a few years, you can own land that can be passed down from generation to generation. This is something ordinary people cannot ask for in their entire lives. As for whether to go or not, it is up to you to consider." After listening to Du Yinxi's words, the Huang brothers were greatly moved. If the person who said these words were an ordinary citizen, they might not believe them all. But the problem was that Du Yinxi was not only a scholar, but also looked extraordinary. He was definitely not an ordinary person. Moreover, his analysis was very logical. Although they could not understand some things due to their limited knowledge, they could understand the last sentence "an opportunity that ordinary people would never get in their lifetime". Thinking of this, the two men's eyes lit up and they made a decision in their hearts.

Just when Huang Qi was still thinking about asking a few more questions, Du Yinxi's old servant came back in a hurry. When he saw Du Yinxi, he reported that the ferry had been found and asked Du Yinxi to go to the ferry. Hearing what the old servant said, Du Yinxi nodded and stood up, smiled at the Huang brothers, then called the store owner, took out a penny for tea, put it down, got on the carriage, and the old servant led the horse to the ferry.

After Du Yinxi left, the Huang brothers still maintained the posture of saluting, and only stood up after a long while.

"Fifth brother, I have thought it over and decided to go to Taiwan Prefecture!" Huang Qi finally made up his mind and said seriously to Huang Wu.

"Seventh Brother, have you really thought it through?"

"Think it through!" Huang Qi nodded vigorously. "What the old man said just now is right. It's hard for you and me to encounter such a good thing in our lifetime. If we miss it, we will never have a second chance. Our ancestors have been digging for food in the fields, but we don't have our own land. How can we miss the good thing of dividing the land? Besides, what is life? In the past few years, there were wars and natural disasters. Human life is like grass. Our cheap life is nothing. I can fight for a chance for my family. What does it matter if I die? I don't want to miss this opportunity and regret it later!"

"This..." Huang Wu was speechless. To be honest, he was also tempted, especially after listening to Du Yinxi's explanation. What Huang Qi said was indeed right. How many chances can ordinary people like them have in their lifetime? Besides, their lives are not worth anything. Even if they really take the risk and lose their lives, don't they still have land to leave to their descendants? This is enough.

Besides, life and death are unpredictable. If everything the court has given is true, maybe it won't be that dangerous. Instead of living like this, it's better to go out to sea and give it a try. This is an opportunity!

"In that case, I will go with you."

"Fifth brother...?"

Huang Wu waved his hand and said, "After all, we are all clansmen. Your family won't be able to stand out there. If you are assigned to a village with a different surname, you will definitely be ostracized. Relatives, relatives. Without relatives, you can't make a single step on your own. It's better for me to go to Taiwan with you. The two families can take care of each other together. Even if something happens, you and I brothers can join forces and we won't be bullied."

"Yes, yes, yes! Fifth brother is right! I feel much more at ease with fifth brother here with me." Huang Qi nodded repeatedly, a smile appearing on his face.

Huang Wu also said that since it was an opportunity, in addition to their two families, all other families in the clan should also be notified. They couldn't just care about themselves and ignore their clan members, right? Besides, the more people from the clan went, the more reliable they would be when they got there. Fathers and sons fought together, and brothers fought together. In this era, clans are the bond. It is not easy to gain a foothold in Taiwan without the support of clans.

After returning, tell the elders of the clan about this and ask them to gather everyone to discuss it. Those who are willing to go can go, and those who don't want to go can stay. When they arrive in Taiwan, the Huang clan can open another branch there. This is the best choice.

Huang Qi clapped his hands in approval after hearing this. Since they had made the decision, they would not delay any longer. They could not even take care of the work at the ferry for the time being. He picked up the tea bowl in front of him and drank it all. He left the two eldest sons and hurriedly headed home.

A few days later, the Huang clan made a decision under the auspices of the clan elders. Nearly 11 families of the local Huang clan, totaling 68 people, decided to go to the government to register to go to Taiwan Prefecture. As they left, the Huang clan members who stayed behind continued to live in their hometown, while the Huang clan members who went to Taiwan Prefecture not only received resettlement funds issued by the government, but also went from Henan to Jiangnan under the arrangement of the government. After arriving in Jiangnan, they were sent to Ningbo, and then took a boat from Ningbo all the way south to Quanzhou, and then transferred to a boat in Quanzhou to go to Taiwan.

The journey took more than four months. Among the 68 members of the Huang family, except for two elderly and frail people who unfortunately died of illness on the way, the remaining 66 people finally arrived in Taiwan Prefecture safely.

After arriving at Taiwan Prefecture, considering that they were all from the Huang clan, the Taiwan Prefecture settled them in Taiwan County under the jurisdiction of Taiwan Prefecture and allocated fields to them and provided them with farm tools and seeds. With the land deeds representing the government in hand, everyone was so excited that they burst into tears when they looked at the fields that had not yet been reclaimed. In everyone's opinion, the hardships and efforts along the way were worth it, as they finally owned their own fields and had hope for the future!

(End of this chapter)