Colonial Era: From Remnants to European Dominator

"To educate them, they'll send us into the tribes—"

"This...this is exile, isn't it??"

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. This is not exile, but a meritorious service right in front of you. Look, anyone who has taught for three years will be appointed as an official without further assessment."

"Appointing officials? These official positions are limited. Where are we going to get so many positions? This is probably a scam!"

On the wall of the academy, a notice titled "Anhua Book" appeared this morning. It contained seven or eight hundred characters, but in essence, it boiled down to two points:

"For the future of Jinshan Prefecture, we will go and civilize the Turks."

"If you teach well, you will be richly rewarded; we will not treat you unfairly."

The writing is elegant, but the meaning is very crude. It is simply about high-ranking officials and generous salaries. Of course, there are also some deceptive words about bringing glory to one's ancestors and being remembered for eternity. But the essence is still the lure of benefits. After all, even though Jinshan Prefecture is still dominated by Han people, because they have been on the grassland for a long time and are surrounded by many Turks, they have inevitably picked up some bad habits in the eyes of some people.

The same applies to academies and villages. Locals with some education are visited and instructed. Some are even given a death order to educate them for at least three to five months. If they do not comply, they will not only lose their status in the village, but will also be targeted in the future.

The most unfortunate were the local farmers who were good at farming. They were treated like county magistrates demanding rent. If it weren't for the money that was paid in advance, they would probably have been forced to take over the labor force.

These sounds almost no different from bandits and thieves, but only this method works. Other methods of persuasion and promoting righteousness are not as effective as coercion and enticement.

This has been true in ancient times, and it remains true today. For thousands of years, it has all boiled down to nothing more than the four words: plunder and robbery.

Upon hearing the news, Wang Haizhou was initially stunned, then flew into a rage and began to curse:

"You thief, your actions are so barbaric! Where is even a trace of the gentleness you had at the academy a few years ago? You're like a ruthless bandit, utterly repulsive and hateful!!"

The curses echoed in the courtyard, while Li Yuanheng, the instigator, was currently worrying about something else.

"Sending them in batches would be a waste of manpower. Concentrating our forces might frighten the tribes and cause trouble. Ultimately, we are here to educate them, not to draw blood."

"Brother, in my opinion, it would be better to mobilize an army, not too large but not too small either, with strong armor and soldiers, like patrolling hunting dogs, to sweep around the Turkic tribes. This way, we can achieve the purpose of deterrence and reduce the cost of setting up an army for protection."

The one who offered the advice at this moment was none other than Li Yuanheng's second uncle, Li Yanlong. Although he usually only managed the finances of the mansion, he was actually very knowledgeable about military affairs and had many similarities with Li Yuanheng at the same age.

"I understand what you mean, Uncle, but it's no longer realistic to expand the army. The regular troops that are regularly trained in the manor now number over 1,500. If it weren't for the fact that we've taken in a lot of people these days, the ratio of soldiers to civilians would have been unbalanced long ago."

"Fortunately, Jinshan Prefecture has mines to mine, otherwise, relying solely on agricultural taxes and other commercial taxes would be far from enough to support so many people."

"It seems that only by sending the registered soldiers out can the cost of maintaining the army be reduced, and the accounts of the treasury will not look so bad."

The downside of having a small population is this: although the grasslands are a place where soldiers and civilians are united, this is only when they are fighting with all their might, seizing pastures, or raiding for grain in the south. If they were to use this method in peacetime, they would probably suffer heavy losses or even face extinction within a few months due to the lack of labor in production.

The establishment of a standing army in Jinshan Prefecture, especially its current scale of more than ten to one, seems reasonable. However, in reality, it is unreasonable according to the productivity of the grasslands. If it weren't for the fact that Jinshan is one of the few agricultural areas with stable food income, and that the gold, silver and coal mines in Jinshan provide monetary support for the entire market and energy support in winter, the loss of so many able-bodied men would have been unbearable for a typical grassland society. It is only because of the unique social environment and special geographical conditions of Jinshan Prefecture that this was possible.

"Population, population, the reason for everything is actually population. On this grassland, in other tribes, a large population may be a burden, but in my Jinshan, a small population is a disaster."

If Li Yuanheng's self-deprecating remarks were heard by those officials, they might not understand them at first, and might even ridicule him. But to his second uncle, Li Yanlong, they sounded so familiar. His elder brother and even his great-grandfather had said similar things before.

After all, compared to the nomadic system with unstable productivity, the agricultural system is always empty as long as the population has not exceeded the carrying capacity of the local land. Since its establishment, Jinshan Prefecture has grown from several hundred people to nearly 20,000 people today, but it is still not enough.

Li Yuanheng had privately calculated that if all the land near Jinshan were cultivated, plus the land of several other territories around it, it could probably accommodate 500,000 to 600,000 people.

Based on current productivity levels, if productivity increases, a million would be considered a basic unit.

"No matter what, these tens of thousands of Turks must be swallowed up, whether it's done slowly or brutally, there must be a result."

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate; it's best not to overthink it."

Li Yanlong's words of comfort only provided a slight reason to alleviate Li Yuanheng's sense of urgency, since the real crisis now was not from the so-called insufficient population, but from the overall situation.

At present, the situation between the Qing court and the Dzungar Khanate cannot be described as an imminent war, but it is certainly like a storm brewing, with the bloody atmosphere ready to erupt at any moment. Even across the desert and forest, Li Yuanheng could still smell it.

"Eldest brother, you and your father are the most worried people in Jinshan right now, but you must remember that you still have three younger brothers, relatives, and nearly 20,000 people in Jinshan. Don't worry about everything."

"I, your second uncle, also experienced the Dzungar issue when I was young. It's not a big deal. There were deaths, but not many. Look at those tribes close to the Dzungars, they still preserve their strength. We are far away on the frontier, so how many troops we send is up to us."

"The largest number of people we've ever had is only a thousand or so, and we've recruited quite a few tribes. That's how it's always been on the grasslands. Everyone is self-centered. Your second uncle has never seen such a foolish tribe in all his years."

Li Yanlong stepped forward and patted Li Yuanheng on the shoulder, his eyes filled with admiration:

"You're more conscientious and ambitious than I am, but remember, don't take risks and end up doing all the work for someone else."

Li Yuanheng hummed in agreement and then went to deal with the matter of education. However, he kept thinking about one thing on the way: would the current Dzungar Khanate perish prematurely because of his appearance?

If they die, what should be done? If they don't die, how can they bring benefits to Jinshan Prefecture?

So-called "conscience" is mostly just mental exertion.