I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 354 Marx and Engels
Tang Zhao was so startled that his hand trembled. He glanced at Gu Ci, wondering what was going on.
Gu Ci bent down to help Ma En up and pressed him into a chair. "Prefect Ma, please speak slowly."

Ma En wiped away the tears on his face with his sleeve. "Your humble servant has lost his composure. I beg the princess and the prince to punish me."

Tang Zhao waved his hand, "Lord Ma, you flatter me. You are devoted to the people of Minzhou, which makes you a hundred times better than those officials who hold positions without doing their jobs."

"Tell me what difficulties you are facing, and I will do my best to help you."

"Thank you, Princess!" Ma Enping calmed down and explained in detail, "Minzhou is mostly mountains, water, and farmland. The plains area is already small, and half of it is coastal mudflats that are not suitable for cultivation. The remaining half of the arable land is scattered in various places and is almost entirely in the hands of the powerful families of Jiangnan."

"Without farmland, the people have no food. Those who live near the mountains go into the mountains to hunt, and those who live near the rivers and seas fish along the water. They work from sunrise to midnight every day, and they can barely avoid starvation."

At this point, Ma En's voice choked with emotion, "Since I was sent to Minzhou to take up my post, I have tried every means to change the situation in Minzhou. I once tried to lead the people to transform the mountains and forests into farmland, but to my surprise, the results were minimal."

Gu Ci asked, puzzled, "Why?"

"Your Highness may not know this, but the soil in Minzhou is fertile and heavy, which is very unfavorable for cultivation. Even if crops are planted, the yield is not much."

"Moreover, Minzhou is rainy, and the farmland that the people have worked so hard to cultivate is washed away completely within a year or two."

The result was that the land was gone, the mountains were barren, and the fish were scarce. Not only did it fail to increase grain production, but it also deprived the people living near the mountains and rivers of their livelihood.

"Having learned a few lessons, I dared not cultivate the soil on the hillside again. So I contacted the local government offices and powerful families to find work for the people under my jurisdiction."

Ma En's face turned red as he said this, "Who would have thought that those officials and their families were all bloodsuckers who would exploit the people of Minzhou, not only squeezing their wages but also cutting back on their food!"

The prosperity of each prefecture varies, and so do the wages for workers. However, the minimum daily wage is at least fifty coins. Workshops and farms that are hiring will offer up to thirty coins if they hear that the applicant is from Fujian.
Not only were they provided with only one half-cooked lunch a day, but they also had to live in a large dormitory with dozens of people. They weren't even given a linen quilt, so in winter the people had to weave their own straw mats to keep warm!

Tang Zhao looked reluctant.

Marx and Engels took a deep breath, suppressing the sorrow and helplessness in their hearts. "Your humble servant is incompetent and cannot ensure that the people under your rule are well-fed and clothed."

He looked at Tang Zhao with anticipation, saying, "When the princess was still in the northwest, I heard of her great reputation. The soybean oil she developed made oil affordable for the people of Dayu, and the lake salt she dried made salt affordable for the people of the north."

"This year, the princess went south to reform the salt administration. She built salt fields in Jiangsu and Zhejiang to produce sea salt and cracked down on the rampant smuggling of private salt and the high prices of official salt! The people of Jiangnan all praised the princess, and every family set up a longevity tablet for her."

"The people of Minzhou admire the princess and eagerly await her arrival in Minzhou to find a way to survive for them!"

Tang Zhao stared at Ma En's honest and unassuming face, feeling helpless. Sure enough, someone who could become the prefect of a prefecture couldn't be some naive and innocent girl. Look at her, she was flattered with just a few words, as if afraid that Ma En would slip away and quit.

Fortunately, she was prepared.

"My purpose in coming to Minzhou is to improve the livelihood of the people here. I already have a plan in mind. I ask Lord Ma and all the officials to cooperate with me."

Ma En stood up excitedly and bowed deeply to Tang Zhao, saying, "Your humble servant will obey the princess's orders and will do my utmost!"

The other Minzhou officials all rose and bowed, saying, "We will obey the princess's orders and do our utmost!"

Tang Zhao nodded in satisfaction. "The New Year is less than a month away; we need to let the people earn some money." Tang Zhao gently stirred her teacup. "Lord Ma, immediately have someone write a notice saying that my tea garden needs workers, with a daily wage of one hundred coins, including three meals a day." Ma En felt he needed to ask for clarification. "May I ask, Princess, where is the tea garden?"

Don't make the people of Nanning Prefecture travel thousands of miles to Zhangzhou Prefecture to work.

Tang Zhao slightly raised his chin, "They are available in all prefectures of Minzhou."

Mar and Eng's eyes widened. What?

Tang Zhao raised an eyebrow slightly, and Chunfeng stepped forward to present the brocade box.

Marne opened the brocade box, picked up the top sheet of paper, and unfolded it; it was a land deed.

Ma En carefully examined the words on the land deeds: 20,000 mu of mountain forest in Minhou County, Fuzhou Prefecture. He then took another one and opened it: 30,000 mu of mountain forest in Zhouning County.

The Minzhou Prefectural Magistrate, who was helping to carry the brocade box, secretly glanced at it and his entire arm trembled uncontrollably. The two land deeds were for 50,000 mu of mountain forest, so how many mu would this thick stack cover?

Good heavens! Is he dreaming?
With a trembling voice, Ma En asked, "May I ask, Princess, this land deed," you didn't forcibly seize it, did you?"
He might not remember other places very well, but he remembered this little bit of land in Fuzhou Prefecture very clearly. Wuqixian Mountain in Minhou County was the property of the Yang family of Suzhou Prefecture. How did it end up in the hands of Princess Zhaoshan?

What if they hire workers and build a factory, only for the Yang family to jump out and reap the benefits? Should they give them the benefits or not?
He wouldn't be happy to give it to them, but he couldn't afford to offend the Yang family if he didn't.

Princess Zhaoshan cannot stay in Minzhou forever. Based on his understanding of the Yang family, the moment Princess Zhaoshan leaves Minzhou, the Yang family will come knocking on their door!
Ma En was already picturing himself being beaten black and blue by the Yang family, running away with his head in his hands.

He looked at Tang Zhao with pleading eyes, "Your Highness, please don't harm me! I still want to serve Your Majesty and the people for a few more years!"

Tang Zhao couldn't understand why Ma En, an old man over fifty with an honest appearance, had such a rich inner world.

Can't you just be a decent old man, true to your word?

"The Yang family has offended me. These land deeds are their apology to me. Lord Ma, just do as I instruct," Tang Zhao reassured the officials present. "Don't worry, if the Yang family dares to go back on their word, I will have the Prince lead troops to confiscate their property!"

The Minzhou official glanced at Gu Ci.

Under the intense gaze of everyone, Gu Ci slowly nodded.

Ma En immediately straightened up and said in a strong voice, "Princess, Your Highness, rest assured, I will arrange the recruitment matters properly."

As Ma En spoke, he turned and strode away, with the Minzhou officials following closely behind. Once they were outside the prefectural government office, the vice magistrate asked, "Sir, didn't we issue a recruitment order? Why are you leaving the office?"

Ma En slapped his forehead; he had mistaken the prefectural government office for Princess Zhaoshan's residence!

With a flushed face, Ma En led his men back to the yamen. Tang Zhao greeted Ma En casually, then left the yamen with an air of nonchalance.

"Girl, where are we going?"

"Wuqixianshan Farm in Minhou County".