The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 641 Spring Blossoms and Autumn Fruits
Spring blossoms and autumn fruits.

Autumn is the harvest season.

While the soldiers of the Beijing garrison were harvesting rice and wheat, six hundred massive Weiyuan warships and more than two thousand flying shuttle boats were speeding along the Chaobai River.

This is Yu Zigao and Li Zhizao returning.

As the sun set and its afterglow lingered, the two of them appeared in the main hall of the former Miyun County government office.

Li Zhizao brought over another huge scroll.

Clearly, this is a newly redrawn map of Nurgan Commandery.

After the emperor and his minister exchanged greetings, Wanli impatiently raised his hand and said, "Zhenzhi, unfold the map so I can take a look."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhizao quickly placed the huge scroll on the table, tore off the tightly bound strips of cloth, and slowly unrolled the scroll.

The area north of Nurgan Commandery on this map is no longer a blank space.

The mountains and rivers north of Heilongjiang were all clearly marked, and a fortified city was marked at the mouth of each major river.

Wanli examined it carefully and then asked, "Kemai, how is the extermination of the wild Jurchen tribes in this area going?"

How do you say this?

Yu Zigao thought for a moment before carefully saying, "Your Majesty, this humble general has been clearing out the enemy along the coast and rivers. Wherever the navy's fast ships can reach, this humble general has cleared out almost everything."

I'm not entirely sure about other places, but this area is mostly covered in dense forests, and I estimate there are probably still quite a few Jurchen tribes living there.

This still needs to be dealt with by the Sichuan Army soldiers.

The Sichuan Army soldiers are all busy right now, so we'll have to talk about it later.

Wanli nodded slightly, then pointed to the Siberian Khanate marked on the map and asked, "Have you investigated the current situation of the Siberian Khanate?"

Such a large area is impossible to explore.

Yu Zigao carefully explained, "Your Majesty, the plains west of the Yeni River cover an area of ​​three to four thousand li. I did not bring any cavalry with me, so it is difficult to investigate."

If the naval officers and soldiers and the garrison soldiers went too far ashore, they would be in danger of being ambushed by cavalry.

Therefore, I only explored southwards along the main branches of the Yeni River and the Ye'er Stone River.

They still have quite a few nomadic tribes, with an estimated population of at least 100,000.

"I even spotted the Russians in the distance; they seem to have muskets."

Has the Russian Empire invaded the Khanate of Siberia?

It's also possible that the Russian Empire has already conquered the Siberian Khanate!
This is a bit troublesome.

Should the Ming Dynasty contend for or not contend for this vast plain of the Siberian Khanate?
If we fight, we will definitely go to war with the Russian Kingdom. If we don't fight, the Russian Kingdom will develop with such a vast plain, posing a huge threat to the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty must fight for the Siberian Khanate!
The Rakshasa Kingdom must be driven back to the European continent.

However, he is not available right now.

Wanli stared at the map and thought for a moment, then asked, "Kemai, have you talked to General Ma about this year's harvest in Liaodong? Did General Ma tell you?"

Yu Zigao nodded repeatedly and said, "This humble general has spoken with General Ma about this."

This year they planted more than 15 million mu of grain, and the grain is growing much better than it used to be in Liaodong Town. General Ma said that this year's harvest is estimated to be around 60 million shi.

There are also all kinds of fruits and vegetables, and the quantity is unknown. General Ma is even preparing to ask His Highness the Northern King for hundreds of thousands of piglets to raise.

"By the way, Your Majesty, His Highness the Northern King went to Liaodong Town last month, and he also accompanied me to visit the Terinwei City."

This kid just loves to run around everywhere.

However, Liaodong Town was already under this kid's jurisdiction, whether it was under the Liaodong Regional Military Commission or the Nurgan Regional Military Commission, so it was normal for him to go there.

Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "How is the harvest for the garrison troops of Liaodong Commandery and Nurgan Commandery this year? Has Xu'er talked to you about it?"

Yu Zigao nodded repeatedly and said, "His Highness the Northern King likes to talk about this with people."

He said that the Liaodong Regional Military Commission and the Nurgan Regional Military Commission produced at least 700 million shi of grain this year.

There are also potatoes and sweet potatoes, which would amount to at least tens of billions of kilograms.

He also said that he plans to have the various guard posts of the Liaodong Commandery and the Nurgan Commandery grind at least 10 million catties of vermicelli this year.

Furthermore, he said that next year, with the addition of the newly cultivated land in Liaodong Town, he would increase the grain output of Liaodong Commandery and Nurgan Commandery to over one billion shi (a unit of dry measure).

He also said that he plans to produce 5 billion jin (2.5 billion kg) of pig feed next year to raise tens of millions of pigs.

This kid!
When Wanli heard this, he was stunned.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhu Changxun couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Second Brother is planning to raise tens of millions of pigs. Will they be able to eat them all?" Yu Zigao nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Highness, they can eat them all. The combined population of Liaodong Commandery and Nurgan Commandery is more than twenty million. Tens of millions of pigs wouldn't even be enough for everyone to have half a pig."

His Highness the Northern King said that they need to raise at least 30 million pigs a year to make a fortune over there.

Thirty million pigs!
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhu Changxun was dumbfounded and said, "How much grain would 30 million pigs eat? If Second Brother raises pigs like this, how much grain will they have left over?"

Yu Zigao estimated, "His Highness the Northern King said that 5 billion catties of feed would be enough to feed 10 million pigs. 30 million pigs would probably require 15 billion catties of feed, which is less than 100 million shi of grain."

According to His Highness the Northern King, the grain output of the Liaodong and Nurgan Regional Military Commissions next year will exceed one billion shi (a unit of dry measure), and less than one-tenth of that will be used for pig farming.

That's less than 10%?
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhu Changxun wanted to ask something else.

Wanli quickly raised his hand and said, "Alright, Xun'er, don't worry about your second brother raising pigs. Let him figure out how many to raise to make money."

Oh, let's get down to business.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhu Changxun quickly nodded and shut his mouth.

Seeing this, Wanli continued to ask, "Kemai, did you take all 500,000 garrison soldiers with you, Yuanjing?"

Yu Zigao nodded repeatedly and said, "This humble general has taken them all. After each garrison town at the northern river mouth is completed, this humble general will take a batch to Commander Qi's side. This humble general will only return to the capital after taking the last batch."

It's almost October now, and the Nurgan Regional Military Commission will be frozen over in a little over a month. It's time to consider where the 500,000 garrison troops will be stationed for the winter.

That would definitely not work with the Nurgan Commandery.

The winters there are so cold they can freeze you to death; it would be a miracle if you didn't freeze to death if you camped in the wild.

Even the Liaodong Military Command was not suitable; it was too cold. If the garrison soldiers were stationed there, it would be inconvenient for them to eat, drink, and relieve themselves.

The problem is that only the Liaodong Regional Military Command and the Nurgan Regional Military Command have enough grain. With 500,000 soldiers stationed there, there is no need to transport grain.

If we were to station our troops elsewhere, we would have to consider the issue of transporting grain. For 500,000 troops to get through the winter, we would need to prepare at least 3 million shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain, which would be too troublesome to transport.

Where should we station such a large force?

Emperor Wanli stared at the map carefully and finally found a good place.

Laoha River Valley!

The winters there aren't too cold.

The soldiers of the Beijing garrison had camped there for the winter without any problems.

Moreover, it was relatively convenient for the navy's fast ships to transport grain across the Liao River and the Lamulun River.

The key point is that the Laoha River Valley is not far from Beijing.

He thought about it carefully, then asked, "Kemay, how many ships do you have left?"

Yu Zigao quickly explained in detail: "Your Majesty, I have already sent the eight thousand centipede ships back to the southeast to help transport Wanshengtang's goods."

There are still two thousand shuttle boats; I've sent them to help transport the remaining cattle, sheep, and horses to Yansui Town.

This humble general then led six hundred Weiyuan warships and over two thousand flying shuttles back to the capital.

Six hundred Weiyuan warships and more than two thousand flying shuttles could carry at least 1.5 million shi of grain in one trip, and three million shi of grain could be carried in two trips.

Wanli nodded slightly, then decisively said, "Kemai, quickly go to Liaodong Town to transport three million shi of grain to Laoha River Valley and hand it over to Yiyuan for safekeeping."

Then you go and convey my decree, ordering Yuan Jing to lead 500,000 garrison troops to camp in the Laoha River Valley for the winter, and Liang Yu to lead 200,000 Sichuan troops back to Zhendongbao for the winter.

Also, tell Yuan Jing to come to the Summer Palace once he has made arrangements for the winter accommodations of the 500,000 garrison troops.”

Yu Zigao repeatedly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This subordinate understands."

Wanli thought about it carefully again, then waved his hand and said, "Zhenzhi, go home and rest for a few days. When the next fleet to America departs, go with them and survey the map there."

Yu Zigao and Li Zhizao quickly bowed and took their leave.

After they left, Xiao Zhu Changxun continued to ask, "Father, what are we going to do with all that grain on Second Brother's side? There's no way the people can finish it, and the pigs can't finish it either."

This is a problem that needs to be seriously considered.

This year, the Liaodong Regional Military Commission and the Nurgan Regional Military Commission can produce more than 700 million shi of grain, while the people and pigs there can only consume more than 300 million shi at most. Are we going to let them hoard the remaining 400 million shi?

How many granaries would we need to build?

This is just this year's; next year's will be even more incredible.

Perhaps it's time to consider raising the soldiers' rations and pay.

(End of this chapter)