Fu Shanhe

Chapter 401 Immigrants
"It's useless. Lai Yaohua can't join the cabinet."

Xu Wenyue's affirmative answer startled his staff.

As a prominent figure of the Qingliu faction, although Lai Yaohua does not have many political achievements, his prestige in the government and the opposition is not low.

He has always been regarded by all parties as a cabinet reserve and is ranked among the top three among the seeded players.

“Lord, Lord Lai has great prestige in the court.

With your support, it should be a sure thing, right? "

Master Yu asked doubtfully.

“You have overestimated my influence. When Lai Yaohua was in office, he impeached people everywhere in the Censorate and offended countless forces.

His current prestige is the result of flattery.

I fell into someone else's trap and was completely unaware of it.

Such a waste, even if he enters the cabinet, won't stay there for long."

Xu Wenyue shook his head and said.

In the past, the competition for entering the cabinet was a fight within the civil service camp, but now the noble faction also has a say.

Perhaps the nobles do not have the ability to decide who enters the cabinet, but they can decide who cannot.

During his tenure as Left Censor-in-Chief, Lai Yaohua often caused trouble for the nobles. At this time, they will definitely hold him back.

In addition to offending the nobles, Emperor Yongning also hated the censors very much, so how could he allow the chief censor to enter the cabinet and cause trouble for himself?

Apart from these two external forces, Lai Yaohua does not have an overwhelming advantage in the competition within the civil service.

Even if the Qingliu Group fully supports him, at most they can put him on the list of candidate cabinet ministers.

It will not be able to meet the expectations of the people and be passed with a high vote in the court, but it will be suppressed when it comes to the emperor later.

Xu Wenyue naturally couldn't promise something that was destined to be impossible.

Deep down in his heart, he couldn't help but secretly suspect that the Feng Shui of the Censorate was bad, as several consecutive Left Censor-in-Chief had ended up badly.

Yue Shufeng died on the way to exile, Lu Zhifan was involved in party disputes and died in prison, and now it is Lai Yaohua's turn to be unlucky.

There were also risks in participating in the dispute for cabinet membership in the Dayu Dynasty.

In order to increase their chances of winning, competitors often stab each other in the back, and many secret scandals will be exposed.

The Qingliu faction only claims to be clean, but that does not mean they are truly clean.

In essence, the moral qualities of the major factions are similar, except that the Qingliu Group is better at packaging and has the dominant power in public opinion.

If other ministers had lost, they might have been able to remain silent for a few years, but Lai Yaohua did not have this opportunity.

He has been too active in the past one or two years and I don’t know how much hatred he has attracted. These people will not give him a chance to make a comeback.

As long as there are signs of betrayal, all parties will quickly follow suit, because the Qingliu faction is about to have a prime minister again!

If we don't take advantage of this opportunity to suppress the Qingliu Group's arrogance in advance, life will be difficult for everyone in the future.

"The elder is wise!"

All the staff said in unison.

Master Yu, who originally spoke for Lai Yaohua, has now changed his stance.

The premise of fellow-townsman friendship is mutual benefit. A Zuodu Yushi who is about to fall is not worth his continued investment of energy.

……

Annan Protectorate.

Since Li Mu announced the new policy, a vigorous land distribution movement began.

Looking at the deeds in their hands and the land under their feet, the officers and soldiers who originally wanted to go back changed their minds.

When they were in Dayu, they were the lowest level of existence.

Life only gradually got better when he followed Li Mu to join the army and eat food.

Although they also farmed in the garrison, the land belonged to the garrison government and they only farmed on behalf of the government.

Even if you can get a good share, you will still not feel at ease.

The situation changed when they arrived in Annan. The Protector-General, who had always loved his soldiers like his own sons, directly distributed land to everyone.

The most important thing is that these military merit fields are permanently tax-exempt.

For those who had never owned land before, the temptation was too great.

It's your own land, so you can't keep worrying about it.

Without any need for mobilization, they spontaneously wrote letters to their families, persuading them to immigrate here.

In order to facilitate everyone's immigration, the government has also opened the door.

Food and accommodation are provided along the way, and there are doctor's offices every ten miles to provide free medical care to immigrants.

A massive population migration is taking place across Guangdong and Guangxi.

In addition to the military immigrants, there were also the pardoned families of the White Lotus Sect.

Although the land they obtained was far less than that of the officers and soldiers, the five acres of food-grain land per person was still enough to make them leave their homes.

After all, the court only pardoned their crimes but was not responsible for their livelihoods.

Now that I'm back in my hometown, it's not easy to live there.

The strange looks from their neighbors alone can make it difficult for them to move around in the area.

It is better to apply for immigration directly. Not only will there be no discrimination, but you can also get your own land.

The land in Annan is fertile and the agricultural production conditions are much better than those in Guangdong and Guangxi.

As long as you are not too lazy, supporting a family is not a problem at all.

……

"What's going on ahead?"

Looking at the large number of people gathering, Li Mu, who was patrolling the area, frowned and asked.

“My Lord, that’s the National Registration Office.

It's lunch time now, and there's still half an hour before we start working.

Those people outside are all local people from Annan, who have come here to register for land distribution."

Kong Yutang opened his mouth and answered.

"Ok!"

"Pay attention to strengthening order management. From now on, everyone must queue up to register and no one is allowed to cut in line.

This Marquis hopes to use the opportunity of land distribution to instill a sense of discipline into the hearts of all the people."

Li Mu nodded and said.

It is human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm.

Perhaps a month ago, in the eyes of the people of Annan, the Yu army was still an invader.

But as the land distribution movement unfolded, everyone became citizens of Dayu overnight.

The King of Annan, who was once supported, suddenly became the object of everyone's scorn.

After all, not only did Li Daduhu distribute land to everyone, he also did not collect taxes from them.

The few old people who missed the previous dynasty had nowhere to hide in this wave of land distribution movement.

Having lost the support of the local people, they are like a beacon in the darkness, and are reported wherever they go.

Now, if you report a remnant of the rebels, you will be rewarded with ten acres of land. This price is enough to buy a life.

In order to get a share of the land, many bandits gave up their crimes and left the mountains.

For a time, social security in Annan improved significantly and the private economy began to flourish.

The only regret is that the locals have a weak sense of discipline and are often in chaos.

"I will obey your orders!"

Kong Yutang agreed immediately.

Although he didn't know why Li Mu emphasized discipline alone, he still chose to follow orders out of habit.

The newly established Annan Protectorate was essentially a huge military camp.

Since there were not enough civil servants available, Li Mu used all military generals to manage the local area.

In fact, he once planned to turn Annan into an enlarged version of the Wei Suo.

After all, everyone's management experience comes from managing garrisons.

Just copy the entire disk over, without any gaps at all.

However, considering the existence of military merit fields, problems would easily arise if this management model was followed.

It is estimated that within 20 years, the shortcomings of Dayu Guards will appear in Annan. Driven by interests, officers can easily become vampires who suck blood from ordinary people.

Once contaminated by the interests of generals, the combat effectiveness of the army will quickly decline.

A compromise was simply adopted, whereby officers, soldiers and civilians owned their own land without the government interfering in their production.

Outside of this system, the previous management model was continued to be used to establish state-owned farms.

Criminals exiled by the imperial court, as well as war criminals and their families captured in Annan, were all employed in state-owned farms.

Anyway, there is not much else in Annan except a lot of land waiting to be reclaimed.

After developing Annan, you can also develop Sanxuan and Liuwei, or continue to expand southward.

The "Annan Protectorate" was located in the area south of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou. The imperial court did not clearly stipulate how far south this area was.

Theoretically, as long as we have the ability to advance southward, we can continue to expand.

"Mr. Lan, what stage has the resettlement work reached?"

Li Mu turned to Lan Linjie and asked.

Immigration during the feudal dynasties was a history of blood and tears.

Immigration organized by the government itself cannot be left to its own devices as it has been in the past.

In addition to providing logistical support along the way, the resettlement sites must also solve the problems of food, clothing, housing and transportation.

The migration of millions of people cannot be accomplished overnight and requires a lot of preliminary work.

“My Lord, in order to resettle the immigrants, we have set up a thousand temporary settlements and built 100,000 temporary houses.

The early immigrants were mainly military dependents, and there was no need for them to stay in settlements.

At the location of the military merit fields, they were allocated food ration fields and resettled nearby.

Due to the lack of sufficient labor, they had to build the houses themselves.

The Protectorate opened up the nearby mountains and forests, allowing them to cut down trees and build houses on their own.

For temporary accommodation, we can lend them tents from the army.

Temporary housing in settlements is mainly for domestic migrants.

Taking into account the actual situation, it is expected that the immigrants will stay in the temporary settlement for no more than two months and will then be arranged to local areas.

All infrastructure is still under preparation.

In order to save costs, we plan to resettle the military households first and then allow other immigrants to come.

But there is a problem. According to our immigration plan, we will introduce three million immigrants from Guangdong and Guangxi in the next three years, which will inevitably lead to a population deficit in the Guangdong and Guangxi garrisons.”

Lan Linjie replied with a serious look.

There is no way. Li Mu’s land distribution policy is too attractive to the lower-class people.

Especially the military households, they were the most active in running.

At the beginning, some people were homesick and didn't want to leave, but as neighbors signed up one after another, these people were inevitably affected.

To the extent that up to now, more than 90% of the military households in the Guangdong and Guangxi garrisons have signed up to join the immigration army.

This is because the news has not spread yet, otherwise, people outside the garrison would also sign up.

As a large number of people left, the garrison became idle.

Although Li Mu's business focus shifted to Annan, Guangdong and Guangxi were still his base and could not be easily abandoned.

If the garrison is well managed, it can support an army of over 100,000.

By placing such a troop in Guangdong and Guangxi, he will still be able to maintain his influence over the local area even if he steps down from his post as Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi in the future.

"Don't worry about the population deficit, the last thing the Dayu Dynasty lacks is people.

Since the population in Guangdong and Guangxi is insufficient, we can draw people from other provinces.

With this visiting card, you can directly contact the government offices of various provinces.

Especially in the northern provinces, people who have gone out to make a living can be brought here in the event of natural disasters or man-made disasters.

Focus on Shaanxi, the officials there will give me face."

Li Mu thought for a while and said.

Although the Li family, with two marquises in the family, is not the richest family in the world, it is definitely a talisman for protecting officials in Guanzhong.

If we take his business card with us and have the help of the Li clan, the immigration work will be much smoother.

Although population is a valuable asset, it does not count in years of disaster.

For local government offices and local gentry, disaster victims are the biggest destabilizing factor.

Having someone help them get rid of their troubles was undoubtedly a great help, and everyone couldn't wait to see them off.

Once the disaster victims entered Huguang, his old subordinates were everywhere on the road behind them.

If necessary, the army can also provide escort.

"My Lord, it is not difficult to bring in immigrants from Guanzhong, but the problem is that the cost of money and food will be huge.

In fact, it would cost us millions of taels just to relocate the military households from Guangdong and Guangxi.

Relatively speaking, the situation of military households is relatively good.

Most of the soldiers gained something in the southern expedition, and combined with their previous savings, most of them were enough to support them in rebuilding their homes in Annan.

If it were other immigrants, they would all be extremely poor.

Not to mention rebuilding homes, I'm afraid even the daily meals will have to be provided by the Protectorate.

If we bring in disaster victims from Guanzhong, the money and food expenses will be even greater.”

Lan Linjie hurriedly persuaded.

Only when you become the head of a household do you realize how expensive firewood, rice, oil, salt and fuel are.

Immigrants’ food, drink, defecation and urination all cost money.

It is essential to have enough food after a long journey. In the absence of oil and water, each soldier in the Ping army had at least two kilograms of grains a day.

In fact, this is an underestimate.

Food will not appear at the intermediate stations and requires manpower to transport.

Taking into account the consumption during transportation, management and processing, the per capita consumption would probably double.

In addition to the big expense of food, various logistical supports also cost money.

On average, the Protectorate had to pay at least three taels of silver for each immigrant it brought in.

And these costs will continue to increase as the distance increases.

Although the Protectorate gained a considerable amount of wealth by confiscating the property of Annan officials and gentry, most of the money was used for post-war reconstruction.

Bridges damaged in the war must be rebuilt and roads destroyed must be repaired.

The ruins in the city need to be cleaned up and then rebuilt.

To develop agriculture, water conservancy projects are indispensable.

The most important thing is to maintain the army, which also costs money.

In the short term, military expenditures can rely on financial support from various provinces, but this is time-limited.

If he doesn't exercise restraint, Li Mu's wealth will be exhausted in no time.

“It is a problem, but expenses are increasing and our revenue can also increase.

The war is over, the private economy is recovering rapidly, and it won't be long before business in the Protectorate resumes.

Apart from anything else, the salt tax alone is a considerable source of income.

In addition, mines in Annan can also resume production as soon as possible.

This income should be able to cover half of the expenses.

The remaining gap will gradually enter a positive cycle after the first year.

As long as we control immigration, we can get through this.”

Li Mu thought for a while and said.

The most profitable business is undoubtedly monopoly.

The highly profitable products in the Annan region, such as salt, iron, tea, and wine, are now all monopolized by agencies under the Protectorate.

In addition, all mines were nationalized.

The Protectorate has a large number of free laborers and only needs to provide them with food, which can greatly reduce mining costs.

Especially those gold, silver and copper mines, which can be used to mint currency directly after mining and smelting.

(End of this chapter)