The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 665 Morale is High
By late November, temperatures in Southeast Asia had already begun to drop significantly.

Especially Linjiawan on the west side of Luzon, whose entrance faces directly north.

The cool north wind made the entire harbor feel incredibly refreshing.

As the sun sets, on the flagship of the navy at the Yansui City dock.

Du Tong, Li Yuansheng, Xu Guangqi, and Wang Xiangjin, among others, all came.

Emperor Wanli even ordered the imperial chefs to prepare a large banquet to warmly welcome the guests, as a belated celebration of their wedding.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, he solemnly said, "General Du, I heard from Yuan Sheng that your soldiers are cultivating the land in rotation for three seasons, and the grain yield has exceeded 100 million shi (a unit of dry measure)."

That happened last year.

Du Tong nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, the weather here is hot and there is plenty of rain. Lord Xu has also found some good seeds that are very easy to grow. The soldiers can grow them for three seasons."

In the past two years, the soldiers have become wealthy, their families have grown larger, and they have been allocated more land. In addition, the number of oxen trained by the herding soldiers has increased, so the amount of land they cultivate is also increasing.

The grain output for the first two seasons of this year has already exceeded 100 million shi (a unit of dry measure), and I estimate that in a few more years it will likely exceed 200 million shi.

Are all the soldiers in Yansui Town so reckless?
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wanli said with concern, "General Du, it's so hot here, and the soldiers are working so hard. Don't let them get sick from overwork."

What's a little heat?
Du Tong explained carefully, "Your Majesty, it's hot here, but you'll get used to it."

The soldiers didn't work under the scorching sun. They usually got up to work as soon as it was light, and when the sun got too hot, they would go home to eat and rest. Then they would work for a while longer in the sunset.

Anyway, there's not much of a rush for farming here, so it's fine to work slowly. As long as we keep working every day, we'll eventually finish planting the land.

Moreover, they came up with many ways to beat the heat.

For example, you can buy various cooling herbs to make herbal tea.

For example, a large open shed is built, and steam fans are installed to blow continuously.

For example, they installed waterwheels, built water houses, and even provided cooling shelters for irrigated fields.

It would be good if the soldiers could find their own ways to cool off.

Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "General Du, how do they store so much grain? They need way too many granaries!"

There's no way to store so much grain.

Du Tong glanced at Xu Guangqi and Wang Xiangjin, then explained in detail, "Your Majesty, now that we have more grain, we'll start feeding our poultry and livestock."

Lord Xu and Lord Wang also helped us develop chicken feed, duck feed, and pig feed. Now, every household in Yansui Town raises a lot of chickens and ducks, and the number of pigs is also increasing.

Furthermore, with the increase in our grain, poultry, and livestock production, many vendors here have started to specialize in the grain, poultry, and livestock business.

More and more merchants are coming here to do business, and our business of grain, poultry, livestock, and even cattle, sheep, and horses is getting better and better.

Your Majesty, the reason why I was able to prepare enough food and fodder for over a million soldiers so quickly is because our business in grain, poultry, livestock, cattle, sheep, and horses is getting better and better.

Now, the soldiers' homes are fully equipped with chicken coops, duck coops, and pig coops, making transportation very convenient.

There are even quite a few vendors selling sacks here. The soldiers' families have already packed their grain into sacks, just waiting to sell them. All I need to do is order someone to haul them away.”

Yes, Not Bad.

Wanli nodded slightly, thought about it carefully, and then asked, "General Du, you only mentioned grains and meat, but not fruits and vegetables."

What's going on? Didn't the soldiers plant any fruits and vegetables?

How do you say this?

Du Tong glanced at Wang Xiangjin, thought for a moment, and then carefully said, "Your Majesty, it's hot here. Fruits and vegetables can't be kept for more than a few days after they're picked, so business isn't easy."

Therefore, the soldiers didn't grow many fruits and vegetables, with more vegetables than meat, because the chickens, ducks, and pigs ate them all, and the soldiers basically didn't have time to grow fruits and vegetables.

This humble general has only prepared enough vegetables for a few days for the millions of soldiers, because they will spoil and go to waste if not eaten within a few days.

Oh, the climate here makes it impossible to store fruits and vegetables after they've been harvested.

Emperor Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "Zijin, is there no other way to solve this?"

Of course there is a way.

However, I cannot solve this problem.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiangjin cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, I have discussed this with the merchants here many times."

They said that to make this fruit and vegetable business work, they needed fast ships, such as shuttle ships or even warships like the Weiyuan. If they had fast ships, they could directly transport the fruits and vegetables from Dongfan to Zhejiang, Fujian, and even Southern Zhili within two or three days, and then the business would be viable.

Especially in winter, they would transport melons and fruits to Southern Zhili and bring back some ice produced in the north. They would use the ice to lower the temperature in the ship's hold, so that the fruits could be stored for ten days or half a month without any problem.

Furthermore, I have also considered drying fruits and melons that can be dried, so that they can be stored for a long time.

However, there are very few rainless days here, making it difficult to dry fruits and vegetables.

"I did try it in the fertilizer workshop here. They made some racks and placed them on steam pipes; the fertilizer dried in a few days."

Do you really need a flying shuttle or even a warship like the Weiyuan to run a fresh fruit business?
The navy currently doesn't have enough flying shuttles and Weiyuan warships.

Moreover, there was another crucial issue: the steam engine was a core secret of the Ming Dynasty and could not be leaked.

He had Du Songpai's soldiers take turns guarding the fertilizer workshop here, just to prevent the steam engine from being stolen.

It looks like the fresh fruit business is out of the question for now.

However, dried fruit is worth considering, while boilers and heating pipes don't require much technology.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wanli slowly nodded and said, "Well then, let's plant fruits and melons that can be made into dried goods here first. I'll have the Imperial Household Department build more boilers and steam pipes and send them over."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiangjin nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "Zixian, have you studied the crops here enough? Have you considered moving to another place?"

This area is suitable for growing rice, so there's really nothing more to explore.

Upon hearing this, Xu Guangqi nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, if other places need development, I can go there immediately."

Wanli nodded slightly and then asked, "Zijin, are you capable? Would you like to go with Zixian?"

There are plenty of fruits and vegetables suitable for growing here, but unfortunately, we can't seem to get them to grow.

Wang Xiangjin thought for a moment, then slowly nodded and said, "Your Majesty, if other places need development, I can go there with you immediately."

Then I'll take you all with me.

Emperor Wanli nodded slightly and said, "Alright, then you may come with me to the Burma Pacification Commission."

"We'll first pacify the Three Xuan and Six Wei, then assess the situation and decide which border town to relocate first."

Upon hearing this, Xu Guangqi and Wang Xiangjin nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, we understand."

Upon hearing this, Du Tong couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, do you still need troops? This humble general can spare at least 100,000 troops to accompany you on the expedition."

Do you want to lead an army to achieve great things?

After thinking it over carefully, Wanli slowly shook his head and said, "General Du, the development here is very important. For now, you should lead your troops to focus on the development. I will not be taking the troops from Yansui Town with me this time."

However, you cannot slack off in training your soldiers; you must gather your troops for at least a month of training every year.

For example, you can gather your people for a training session around the time of the Lunar New Year when it's coolest.

Uh, you're not taking me with you?
Although Du Tong was a little disappointed, he nodded repeatedly and said, "This subordinate understands."

Seeing this, Li Yuansheng couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, would you like me to lead my troops to assist you?"

The military merit reward is indeed very tempting.

As soon as people heard that there was a war going on somewhere, they all wanted to go.

The soldiers of the Beijing garrison were incredibly excited when they heard that they were going to conquer the Burmese Pacification Commission.

This is a good thing. Only in this way can we ensure high morale. If the soldiers are tired of fighting, then the battle cannot be fought.

However, this time he had brought enough men and enough naval vessels.

Wanli slowly shook his head and said, "Yuansheng, you should still guard the Malacca and Java areas."

"Our expedition across the sea to the Burma Pacification Commission relies heavily on the South China Sea as our rear base; we absolutely cannot allow chaos to occur here."

Uh, you're not taking me with you?

Li Yuansheng nodded repeatedly and said, "I understand."

(End of this chapter)