The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 671 The Great Migration of Border Towns

Time flies, and May is here in the blink of an eye.

By this time, all the men, women, children, cattle, sheep, and horses from Guyuan Town had been brought over.

The border troops have even begun cultivating the land along both banks of the Jinsha River.

The building materials prepared by Beizhili and Nanzhili were also brought over one after another, and Guyuan City was taking shape at a visible speed. The port and dock outside the city were also spreading out to both sides in rows.

With Emperor Wanli overseeing the area, the pace of development and construction here was remarkably fast.

However, he couldn't sit still any longer.

Because it's getting hotter and hotter here, the ice is being consumed at an alarming rate. Even with fifty Weiyuan warships constantly going back and forth, they can barely keep up with the consumption of just one Weiyuan warship.

He wasn't afraid of being too hot himself; the key was that he didn't want Zhu Changxun and Zhu Changzhi, the Prince of Nan, to get sick from the heat.

These days, things aren't like in later years. You can catch a cold or fever and it's usually nothing serious. But these days, if you get a fever, it could be fatal.

Therefore, he decided to leave as soon as possible, even if he didn't return to the capital, he wanted to get to Luzon, which was closer to the Ming Dynasty.

On the second day of the fifth month, around 5 a.m., when it was just getting light, the Southeast Commandery seemed to be still asleep in a hazy slumber, but the flagship at the Guyuan City dock was already brightly lit.

All the civil and military officials were already seated on the second floor of the flagship, waiting for Wanli to speak.

Wanli carefully examined the map on the table, and then solemnly said, "The city walls of Guyuan are complete, and the cannons on the forts are in place. This gateway to the West should be impregnable."

"There's no need for the Shenwu Battalion soldiers to stay here. Yiming, you will lead them to board the ship and return to the capital shortly."

Ah, at least I can go back now.

It's so hot here. Not only him and the soldiers of the Divine Martial Camp, but even the warhorses are finding it hard to stand.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yiming nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Wanli then pointed to the map and carefully instructed, "Liangyu, the Sichuan soldiers you brought can also go back now."

Perfect timing! The northern deserts and the Nurgan Commandery have been unsealed. Once you return, lead your troops to clear the forests there.

There shouldn't be many nomadic tribes in those mountains and forests. You can divide your 300,000 soldiers into 30 groups and clear them out simultaneously, aiming to completely clear those mountains and forests this year.

It's really hot here. Even the Sichuan soldiers, who were used to the heat in the mountains and rivers of Sichuan, can hardly stand it.

Upon hearing this, Qin Liangyu nodded repeatedly and said, "This subordinate understands."

Wanli then pointed to the map and explained in detail: "Shengwu, after Guyuan City is completed, you will take 50,000 Sichuan soldiers and more than 300,000 garrison soldiers by boat to expand Awa City."

That area would later serve as the residence of the Southeast Regional Military Commission, intimidating the chieftains of the Three Xuan and Six Wei regions.

Expand Ava City to a radius of twenty li and build more docks. This will make it easier for the army to station there, and once the area is developed, it will also be convenient for everyone to do business.

After the expansion of Ava City is completed, you will take 50,000 Sichuan soldiers and more than 300,000 garrison soldiers by boat to expand Jiangtou City.

Expand Jiangtou City to a radius of ten miles and build more docks. In the future, there will be a train line there, and both land and water freight will definitely be very busy.

Next, you should discuss with Rulan that it is best to build ports and wharves in all navigable areas along the main stream and tributaries of the Jinsha River to facilitate water transport.

Also, you should discuss land transportation and see where bridges and roads need to be built. You should also build them, and it would be best to extend the main road to every household.

In short, the newly recruited garrison soldiers cannot be sent back for the time being. You must lead them for at least three years, and I will order the Imperial Treasury to allocate their rations and pay on time.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ting nodded repeatedly and said, "This subordinate understands."

Emperor Wanli nodded slightly, then solemnly said, "Rulan, I entrust this gateway to the West to you."

You need to arrange for 10,000 troops to take turns garrisoning Guyuan City, and also send a team of Weiyuan warships and flying shuttles to patrol the waterway every day.

If it's a merchant ship or a fishing boat, you can ignore it; the New City Guard will handle it. But if it's a fleet of colonial bandits, you'll have to see how things go.

If the colonial bandits only have a few dozen warships, you can simply order the Weiyuan warships to attack and repel them; there's no need to pursue them relentlessly.

If the colonial pirates have more than a hundred warships, and you feel you can't defeat them outnumber them, or that fighting at sea would result in heavy casualties for your soldiers, then use the fortifications of Guyuan City in conjunction with the Weiyuan warships to harass them. If they insist on breaking through, that's fine too; just block their way, disrupt their shipping lanes, prevent them from receiving supplies, and coordinate with the New City Guards to intercept them.

I reckon the colonial bandits are unlikely to send a fleet of more than a hundred warships, so you are unlikely to be subjected to a large-scale attack.

Your main task is still development. If our fleet is to sail to the Western Ocean or even to Europe on a large scale, you need to provide sufficient food, fresh water, meat, fruits, and vegetables.

This task is a bit complicated.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Rulan nodded solemnly and said, "This subordinate understands."

The personnel arrangements are almost complete.

It was starting to get light outside.

Wanli glanced at the sky and then carefully instructed, "Kemai, this time the fleet will be divided into three parts."

First, dispatch one thousand Weiyuan warships to carry the Shenwu Battalion soldiers and warhorses back to the capital region. Then, dispatch two hundred Weiyuan warships to carry two hundred thousand Sichuan soldiers back to Liaodong.

There are also 5,000 flying shuttle boats. You will be transferred to the Yongding River wharf west of the capital to pick up the soldiers, men, women and children of Datong Town.

The relocation of Datong Town is quite troublesome. There is no waterway to their area, and the land route is seven or eight hundred miles away from the capital. I have already ordered nearby border towns to dispatch carriages to help them with the relocation.

"It depends on the situation. In short, on the first trip, you need to bring all the men, women, and children. Bring along any cattle, sheep, and horses that can be brought. Those that weren't brought, you must bring them all on the second trip."

Uh, should I take all these ships with me?

If you leave one hundred Weiyuan warships and five hundred flying shuttles here, what ships will be left to accompany you to Luzon?
Upon hearing this, Yu Zigao thought for a moment and then cautiously said, "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, isn't it too few for Your Majesty to only bring one Weiyuan warship and one hundred flying shuttles to protect you?"

I have my own plans for this.

Emperor Wanli smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, the two hundred Weiyuan warships and six hundred flying shuttles newly built this year by Longjiang Shipyard and Xinzhou Shipyard have been completed. I just sent them to collect and transport ice."

They should be heading towards Luzon by now. I will accompany your fleet with the Second Battalion of the Divine Machine Battalion, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Imperial Guard to Luzon to wait for them.

Oh, so the newly built Weiyuan warships and shuttle ships this year are heading to Luzon.

Then there's no problem.

Upon hearing this, Yu Zigao nodded repeatedly and said, "This subordinate understands."

That should be pretty much all arranged.

Wanli thought about it carefully for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "You all hurry up and get ready. Once you're ready, we'll set off. Zixian, Zijin, and Zhenzhi, you'll come with me."

Upon hearing this, the generals quickly rose and took their leave.

Soon, soldiers from the Shenwu Battalion, Shenji Battalion, Jinyiwei, Imperial Guards, and Sichuan Army lined up in long queues to board the ships.

Before long, the massive fleet set sail.

This migration to Datong Town was quite troublesome because Datong Town had no waterways and the railway had not yet been built there. All the men, women, children, cattle, sheep, and horses there could only be driven by road to the docks near the capital.

Datong Town has a population of over one million, and its cattle, sheep, and horses number as many as three to four million.

The long migrating procession stretched for hundreds of miles, almost filling up the main road from the capital to Datong Town.

This migration was the most sensational.

Because the relocation of Yansui Town, Liaodong Town, and Guyuan Town was carried out directly by naval ships, and apart from other border towns taking over the defense zone, ordinary people could not see it at all.

This migration from Datong Town was different. More than a million people traveled for more than ten days in tens of thousands of horse-drawn carts, leading millions of cattle, sheep and horses.

Countless people in Datong Town, Xuanfu Town, and the surrounding area witnessed it.

The scene was absolutely spectacular.

The large-scale migration of people from the border towns quickly became a hot topic of discussion in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)