OBS Chapter 717 Mineral Deposits Can Really Breed the Ming Army
Chapter 717 Mineral Deposits Can Really Breed the Ming Army
As it turns out, Yang Shaofeng was still too naive in some ways.
For example, the matter of preparing to complain to Empress Ma.
As a father-in-law who had been tricked countless times by his own good son-in-law, Emperor Zhu made almost every preparation to get back at him this time.
For example, Empress Ma could take her two daughters out shopping, with the excuse that they were leaving for Dengzhou Prefecture the next day and should take their daughters out for a good stroll today.
For example, there was a large pile of memorials and letters sent by Zhu Biao, Li Shanchang, and Liu Bowen.
For example, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and Li Wenzhong sent a large number of memorials and letters.
We dump all these messy things on you, but we don't give you the chance to go and complain on your own.
When our sister comes back, our two daughters will come back with her too.
You bastard, how dare you complain to our daughter like that?
Emperor Zhu glanced at Yang Shaofeng and, seeing that his good son-in-law was still in a daze, simply waved to Chen Zhong, signaling him to bring over the things he had prepared in advance.
"This memorial was indeed sent by Bo Ren."
"They say a huge coal mine has been discovered in Liaodong, and it's an open-pit mine, so it's very easy to mine."
"Moreover, Liaodong not only has coal mines, but also two open-pit iron mines with astonishing reserves."
"According to the memorial, it can be mined for a hundred years."
So, the claim that Chang Heitan wanted to burn down the grasslands was just something you made up, right?
Yang Shaofeng muttered to himself as Emperor Zhu picked up another memorial and said with a smile, "Besides the news sent back by Bo Ren, the Ministry of Works, oh, now called the Ministry of Industry, reported that the Mineral Exploration Division of the Ministry of Industry has discovered an open-pit iron mine at the Luoluos Pacification Commissioner's Office."
"And Tiande also sent word that there seem to be several open-pit coal mines in the north of Shanggu County."
"It just so happens that the Ministry of Industry has submitted a memorial stating that this time, the water press should be developed in the same way as the harvester project last time. Workshops in various regions should manufacture the parts separately and then send them to different prefectures and counties for installation by the people. However, the water press is made entirely of iron parts from start to finish, so we will need to open a few more coal mines and iron mines."
"We were originally thinking about whether to mine that open-pit coal mine in Shuozhou."
"It seems that these few coal and iron mines should be enough."
"Can you help us figure out how to manage so many open-pit mines?"
Emperor Zhu proudly showed off several open-pit iron and coal mines, while Yang Shaofeng was somewhat bewildered.
What the hell is going on here?
Chang Heitan went to Liaodong to look for minerals, while Xu Da, while entangled with Wang Baobao in Zunhua, also sent people to look for minerals. The Ministry of Industry was even more impressive, actually extending its reach to the Luoluos Pacification Commission.
The Luoluo Pacification Commission was located in Sichuan Province, and was later renamed Panzhihua.
It's normal to have open-pit mines here; it would be strange if there weren't any.
The problem is, is Old Deng planning to get rid of the Ross Pacification Commissioner now?
It seems like it's not impossible.
After all, as a certain black sesame dumpling said, it's okay to install water pumps for those envoys and pacification commissioners, but it can't be done for nothing.
While pondering this haphazardly, Yang Shaofeng looked at Emperor Zhu and asked, "What does Father-in-law think?"
Emperor Zhu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
We weren't wrong, were we? As long as there's something important to do, this bastard forgets about complaining.
This time it’s stable!
Emperor Zhu said with a smile, "Biao'er, Li Shanchang, Liu Bowen and the others intend to find any pretext to force the Luoluos Pacification Commission to rebel, and then directly send troops to suppress them and abolish the native chieftain system."
Yang Shaofeng nodded.
It's because we have a legitimate reason for our actions.
As long as the Luoluo Pacification Commissioner raises the banner of rebellion, the Ming Dynasty can directly send troops to suppress it.
This operation is quite normal, after all, there are mines in the Luoluo Pacification Commission, and mineral deposits are prone to attracting Ming troops.
This is also consistent with the consistent style of a certain black sesame dumpling and Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen.
The only slightly odd thing is that it's impossible for Black Sesame, Li Shanchang, and Liu Bowen to go to such lengths over a mere Luoluos Pacification Commissioner.
Judging from their intentions, they might want the Luoluo Pacification Commission to find more allies, make a big fuss, and then abolish several Pacification Commissions and similar agencies all at once.
Just as Yang Shaofeng was pondering this, Emperor Zhu suddenly sighed and said, "However, the matter over in Luoluo is relatively easy to handle, since it's in Sichuan. The more troublesome issue is over in Liaodong."
"It's definitely not feasible to move the people there, but where the hell are we going to conjure up so many people to move them?"
"We can't possibly send all the prisoners of our Great Ming Dynasty to Liaodong, can we? What would Liaodong become then?"
The more Emperor Zhu thought about it, the more troubled he became.
Who would understand? I'm an emperor, and I'm having a headache because my population is too small!
Seeing the Emperor Zhu's pained expression, Yang Shaofeng immediately felt a sense of schadenfreude.
I'm complaining that Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture don't have enough manpower, and you old Deng are always whining and complaining.
Now it's finally your turn, old Deng, to complain that you don't have enough manpower?
That’s right!
This is truly a matter of karma, and retribution is inevitable!
Feeling refreshed, Yang Shaofeng simply got up from his chair, rummaged through Lao Deng's room and found a small dragon ball tea cake, and started brewing tea.
"Father-in-law, don't worry, have a cup of tea first."
Yang Shaofeng pushed a cup of Xiaolongtuan (a type of rice dumpling) in front of Emperor Zhu and said with a smile, "I have just thought about it and found that the biggest problem with relocating people to Liaodong is that no one is willing to move there."
Emperor Zhu picked up the small dragon ball, took a sip, and ignored Yang Shaofeng with a dark face.
They even said that no one wanted to move there?
Isn't that obvious?
As the saying goes, a person is less valuable when they leave their hometown.
Who would want to leave their hometown and go to Liaodong if they could survive in their own hometown?
Not to mention the extreme cold in Liaodong, even if Liaodong were the Jiangnan region beyond the Great Wall, so what?
The journey from Jiangnan to Liaodong alone was fraught with countless life-threatening risks!
Yang Shaofeng chuckled as he refilled Emperor Zhu's hot water, then continued, "But it's not like there's absolutely no way to help."
"For example, increase the number of candidates admitted to the imperial examinations in Liaodong."
"For example, someone found a gold nugget in Liaodong."
"For example, the progressive land tax system in Liaodong starts from thirty mu."
"As long as the conditions are right, there will always be people willing to go to Liaodong to try their luck."
Emperor Zhu hummed in agreement, pondering Yang Shaofeng's suggestion as he said, "And what about the grasslands?"
“The mines in Liaodong are easy to transport by sea, but the grasslands are not so easy to transport.”
"Moreover, the cost of building roads on the grasslands is not low."
Do you have any ideas?
As Emperor Zhu finished speaking, Yang Shaofeng finally sensed something was amiss.