Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 153 The Rebels Run Rampant and Cannot Be Eradicated (Part 4)

Wei Zhongxian was incredibly efficient at acquiring land.

The next morning around 9 a.m., he rushed to Yuxi Palace to report that the land west of Tongzhou City had been acquired.

Zhu Jue wanted to go and make the plans himself.

He immediately led Wei Zhongxian, Wang Chengen, Fang Zhenghua, and others on horseback straight to Tongzhou City.

After approaching the area within ten miles of Tongzhou City, the place became deserted. The crops in the fields had been completely harvested, and there wasn't a single person in the villages along the way; even the doors and windows were gone.

After they entered Tongzhou City, things were different again. There were tens of thousands of artisan households living there, and the families of the artisans alone numbered in the tens of thousands. The streets and alleys were filled with children playing and laughing.

There were also machine factories, musket factories, cannon factories, and glass factories. The densely packed courtyards and huge factory buildings filled Tongzhou City, and countless craftsmen were busy working inside.

Before Zhu Jue even went to any factory, he led his group directly up the eastern city wall of Tongzhou and immediately raised a large telescope to scan the area. The Tongzhou Grand Canal Wharf was located just outside the eastern city wall.

The densely packed docks and warehouses already occupy most of the area outside the city, making it seem unlikely that it would be possible to build docks and warehouses here.

Furthermore, this area is quite a distance from the factory area to the west. When things like iron ingots, coal, and clay are unloaded here and then transported over, who knows how many horse-drawn carts it will take.

He scanned the area carefully for a while, then led his group to the south side of the city wall for another scan.

There are still two city walls here. In addition to the original Tongzhou city wall, which is more than three zhang high, there is an outer city wall that is about one li high.

South of the outer city wall lies farmland.

At this time, the moat on the south side has not yet been dug. Apart from the section of the original outer city of the capital that had a moat more than ten zhang wide, there is no moat on the southeast and southwest sides.

Thankfully, I didn't dig it up.

He carefully examined the area and had already made up his mind.

At this moment, Yuan You had already arrived upon hearing the news, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then pointed to the south side of the outer city and said, "Father-in-law, if we were to build a canal wharf and warehouses on the south side of the outer wall, how much land do you think we would need?"

You also want to build a canal wharf and warehouses here!
Yuan You thought about it carefully, and then said cautiously, "Your Majesty, if we want to build a warehouse, we need to leave at least a mile wide of land outside the city wall. If we want to build a canal wharf, we need to dig a moat at least forty or fifty zhang wide. So, if we calculate it this way, we need to take at least two miles wide of land on the south side of the outer wall."

Then accept it.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue decisively said, "Zhongxian, don't rush to acquire the land in the west and north. The canal wharf and warehouse here need to be built first, and the moat needs to be dug as soon as possible, otherwise it won't be completed this year."

"You've taken all the land within two miles south of the southeastern outer wall of the city. I'll give you five days. Is that alright?"

Time isn't the problem; the key issue is money. How much land is there, and how much money will it cost?

Wei Zhongxian couldn't help but feel a pang of regret before nodding repeatedly and saying, "No problem."

At this moment, the Emperor's father-in-law, Tian Hongyu, also arrived upon hearing the news, cupping his hands and bowing, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Father-in-law Tian, ​​how is the grain harvest going for the garrison troops in the capital?"

This is not that fast.

Tian Hongyu estimated, "Your Majesty, the grain has only been harvested for a few days, and the capital garrison has conscripted nearly 200,000 able-bodied men. Each family's able-bodied men have to harvest the grain of two families. I estimate that it will take at least five or six days to finish harvesting, and perhaps ten or eight days for the slower ones."

This conscription of able-bodied men from the capital's garrison and military units has left the local grain harvesters without enough manpower.

It seems we'll have to find a way to arrange for the soldiers of the Beijing Garrison to take turns going home to work on farms during the spring planting and autumn harvest. Zhu Jue thought about it carefully and then decisively said, "Go and make arrangements. In five days, mobilize 100,000 able-bodied men from the Beijing Garrison to dig the moat here. The remaining men will go to the west side of the city to dig the canal and moat in the next half month. Is that alright?"

There's no problem with offsetting them like this.

Tian Hongyu nodded repeatedly and said, "No problem."

Zhu Jue then explained in detail: "This year, the moat here must be connected to the Yongding River. The moat here must be 50 zhang wide and more than 2 zhang deep. The canal from the Yongding River to the southwest corner of the outer city must be at least 20 zhang wide and more than 2 zhang deep."

Furthermore, the moat in the southwest city must be dredged, and the moat in the south city must be cleared. How long do you think it will take to connect this canal and the three moats? By connection, I mean that 800-ton grain transport boats must be able to sail directly from the Yongding River to this side.”

Ah!
Are we to dig a 50-zhang-wide trench here?

Tian Hongyu was taken aback for a moment before cautiously saying, "Your Majesty, if the southwest city of the capital is extended westward by about forty li, it will almost reach the Yongding River. The canal there will probably only need to be dug a few li long. In addition, with the moat in the southwest, more than 100,000 able-bodied men of the Beijing Garrison should be able to dig it through within a month."

"This side is probably not feasible. The width here is four or five times that of the other side. Even if the more than 100,000 able-bodied men of the Imperial Guards in the west finish digging the canal and moat there before coming to help, it will still take at least two months to complete the digging."

It's already September, and if we dig the riverbed for another two months, it will freeze over, which won't do.

Zhu Jue frowned, then asked, "Father-in-law Yuan, how long will it take for the artisans from Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan to get here?"

Yuan You estimated, "They have neither horses nor carriages. If they come with their families, it will probably take at least ten days to half a month for the closest ones to arrive, and most of them will take at least a month to arrive. The furthest ones will be lucky to arrive before the ice freezes this year."

Those artisans are no longer a viable option.

However, I cannot make them travel for two or three months.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then decisively said, "Don't send those who are far away directly to the capital. Have them go to the docks on both sides of the Yellow River and wait there. Once the 100,000 households of disaster victims in Shaanxi have been evacuated, I will send a grain transport ship to bring them over."

That's great, those artisans no longer need to travel thousands of miles.

Yuan You nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Your humble servant will immediately send someone to inform those artisans."

We can't rely on the craftsmen anymore; we need to dig the moat as soon as possible. If we can't, the newly built steel mill, glass factory, and porcelain factory won't have any coal to use.

Zhu Jue frowned and pondered for a while, then decisively said, "Grandfather Tian, ​​conscript all able-bodied farmers. Conscript all able-bodied farmers in the capital region who can come in five days. Tell them to dig as hard as they can, and I will give each of them two taels of silver for their work if they succeed."

With such high wages, all the able-bodied farmers would probably rush over and dig as hard as they could.

Tian Hongyu nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

As they were discussing, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from the direction of the inner city.

A moment later, Fang Zhenghua came quickly with a memorial in his hand, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Hong Chengchou has sent an urgent report from eight hundred li away."

What's wrong with this guy?
Zhu Jue took the memorial, glanced at it, and couldn't help but snort coldly.

Hong Chengchou actually wants to quit!
Your humble servant is incompetent, lacking both manpower and resources to rescue so many vassal kings. Therefore, I must resign. This means, you're making the horse run but not feeding it; I'm quitting!
This guy is probably daydreaming!
You are a great traitor! I will surely have your entire family executed.

You have to take the blame for the prince's misfortune whether you like it or not. Just wash your neck and wait.

You're saying there aren't any men?

Alright, I'll give you men, but I don't have 100,000, I only have 10,000!
Zhu Jue thought about it carefully, and then decisively said: "Ruoyu, approve the resignation, but do not grant it. Allow him to recruit another 10,000 troops."

(End of this chapter)