jdhmnovel Chapter 826 Yang the Madman is eyeing the surnames of those from the mountains and Shaanxi again!
Chapter 826 Yang the Madman is eyeing the surnames of those from the mountains and Shaanxi again!
Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen both frowned.
The deadline given by Emperor Zhu was twenty years.
It seems like there's a lot of room for manpower, and because the capital city of Beiping is relatively well-preserved, it's easier to renovate, so the actual cost and manpower consumption might be less.
However, the construction of Yingtianfu itself already required a large number of craftsmen, laborers, and able-bodied men. If Beiping were added, the required manpower and resources would at least double.
Then the problem is coming.
A certain prince consort, who wishes to remain anonymous, is constantly complaining about a shortage of teachers, and his outstanding students are also constantly complaining about a shortage of teachers.
There was a shortage of craftsmen, young and strong men, laborers, and even women.
In the present Ming Dynasty, there is one prefecture plus more than forty counties that are completely different from those of their predecessors before the rebellion.
Because all his colleagues were arrested, those who could work were all thrown to construction sites to do hard labor, and those who couldn't work were thrown into nursing homes.
So, even if you, Emperor Zhu, gave a twenty-year deadline, or even a thirty-year deadline, someone still needs to do the work, right?
Of course, a twenty-year timeframe is also good news.
At least for the next twenty years, Emperor Zhu would not consider moving the capital to Beiping.
Just as Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen were secretly relieved, Emperor Zhu continued, "Actually, it doesn't necessarily have to be Beiping, nor does it necessarily have to be twenty years. We're just saying this for now, and you two can just take it as a joke."
At this point, Emperor Zhu rummaged through the table again and found a letter, which he then had handed to Li Shanchang.
"This is a letter from our Biao'er. He said that we should relocate some people from Guanzhong and then adopt the method of crop rotation in Guanzhong. At the same time, we should plant more trees and burn wasteland every year to fertilize the land, in order to restore the soil fertility of Guanzhong."
Emperor Zhu said with a smile, "I think this is a good solution. After all, Shandong and Liaodong need a large number of people, and the soil in Shanxi and Shaanxi does need to be restored. It can be said that it benefits both sides."
As Emperor Zhu finished speaking, Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, immediately felt their hearts leap into their throats again.
Here it comes again, damn it!
A certain unspeakable prince consort is once again deceiving His Highness the Crown Prince, and the innocent and kind-hearted prince has fallen for it again!
What's wrong with Shandong and Liaodong having a labor shortage?
What mountains and Shaanxi need to restore soil fertility?
These are all just excuses on the surface!
No matter what you say, it all boils down to that unspeakable Yang the Madman who's been eyeing the people of Shangshan and Shaanxi again!
Damn it, does that mean Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture are really bottomless pits, no matter how many people you put in, they still won't be full?
Li Shanchang became increasingly confused as he thought about it, and finally couldn't help but cup his hands in a gesture of respect to Emperor Zhu, saying, "Your Majesty, I have a request that may be made."
Before Emperor Zhu could speak, Li Shanchang interjected, "I wish to personally visit Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture to see for myself the workshops in Ningyang County, the border markets and Dengzhou University in Dengzhou Prefecture, and the workshops in Dengzhou."
"If Your Majesty grants your request, I would like to bring along a few more vice ministers, directors, or assistant ministers from the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Rites, and Ministry of War."
"I still can't understand it. If it were just those workshops, Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture should not be short of people."
Because a little calculation will tell you.
There are only a dozen or so workshops in Ningyang County.
Even if a workshop requires 500 people, the number of workers needed in Ningyang County would only be a little over 5,000, and at most no more than 10,000.
The situation in Dengzhou Prefecture was slightly more complicated than in Ningyang County, but the number of workshops in Dengzhou Prefecture was not much more than that in Ningyang County. Even if the number of workers needed was more than that in Ningyang County, it was only by a limited margin.
Then the problem is coming.
The total population of Ningyang County is approaching 50,000, while Dengzhou Prefecture has more than 140,000, mostly young and strong. Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture should not lack talent.
Unfortunately, Yang the Madman kept complaining about the lack of manpower, and even that scoundrel Zhou Jingxin wrote a memorial saying that Ningyang County was short of female workers.
This is quite perplexing.
Emperor Zhu smiled and nodded, replying, "Very well, since Mr. Shanchang wants to go and see, then let him go. Mr. Qingtian can stay in the capital for now, and then go after Mr. Shanchang returns, how about that?"
……
To ensure that what he saw was not something some unspeakable prince consort deliberately showed to others, Li Shanchang specifically chose to travel by sea, heading north from the capital to Jimo, then by land to Laiyang, and then through Qixia, continuing north to Penglai.
Before Li Shanchang even arrived in Laiyang, he could already clearly feel the difference between Dengzhou Prefecture and Laizhou Prefecture as soon as he stepped into the territory of Dengzhou Prefecture.
The road being built in Jimo County of Laizhou Prefecture is the official road from Jimo to Pingdu Prefecture.
In Laiyang County of Dengzhou Prefecture, roads are also being built, but these are roads leading from various villages to the county seat of Laiyang.
The most obvious difference is the road connecting Laiyang County and Jimo County.
A cement road, about ten feet wide, abruptly ends at the border between the two counties.
The road towards Laiyang has been completed, but construction on the road towards Jimo has not yet begun.
When Li Shanchang stepped onto the cement road in Laiyang County, the unique hardness, solidity, and stability of the cement road came from under his feet, which immediately made Li Shanchang's eyes widen.
The officials from various ministries, academies, supervisory commissions, and temples, who were brought along by Li Shanchang, also looked at the cement road beneath their feet with bewildered expressions.
What kind of operation is it to build a road more than ten feet wide between counties?
This is just plain crazy!
Building a cement road more than ten feet wide between counties requires a lot of cement, gravel, and lime, not to mention how much manpower it takes. Just look at those two empty plots of land that you, Yang the Madman, reserved on both sides of the road – they're heartbreaking to look at!
Li Shanchang turned his head to look at the many officials, then looked down at the cement road under his feet. He felt a strange mix of wanting to complain but not knowing where to begin.
Damn it, just by looking at the expressions on these officials' faces, you can tell they're all a little unhappy.
The question is, why are you unhappy?
Because Yang, the madman, repaired the road?
Or is it because you didn't build such a good road?
And that madman Yang, he really is a scoundrel. He'd rather have people repair the small roads from the villages to the county seat than give up his manpower to other prefectures. He has absolutely no sense of camaraderie.
While mentally ranting, Li Shanchang glanced at the trees on both sides of the road.
The road was ten feet wide, with a distance of more than ten feet on each side, and then there were trees along the way. You couldn't see anything behind the trees, but it must have been farmland.
So, what are the benefits of doing it this way?
What is Yang Dianfeng's deeper intention?