Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 1037

Under the pressure of the Ming army, the banner people and the Northeast barbarians who used to serve as the mainstay were forced to migrate to Siberia. According to later statistics, in just one year, at least 20 people left the Northeast and entered Siberia, forming a migration wave.This wave finally attached itself to the Bannermen, and under the command of Pu Luo, they used long knives and spears to seize the pastures and land of the Siberian aboriginals, competed with the Cossacks for living space, and annexed weak tribes to strengthen themselves...their arrival Let the peaceful Siberia become turbulent, and the conflict and fighting never stopped.

And in the pass, a more astonishing large-scale migration also kicked off.When the situation in the Northeast stabilized slightly, the imperial court couldn't wait to issue a notice calling on landless farmers from Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi provinces to migrate to the Northeast and settle there, where there was a lot of fertile land waiting for them.The Chinese nation has always relocated, especially farmers, who value their one-third of an acre of land more than their lifeblood. It is not easy for them to leave their hometown and settle in a completely unfamiliar place. matter.But it doesn't matter, do you remember?When the Heluo New Army was preparing for the Northern Expedition, Emperor Longwu used the fertile soil in the Northeast as collateral and borrowed tens of millions of silver coins from businessmen. It was with this money that he bought massive military supplies that drowned the Qing Dynasty. The army, it was with this money that the situation was quickly stabilized after the war ended, so that the displaced people had food and clothes to wear.Businessmen value profits and hope to get returns after investing. Now that the Northeast has been conquered, it is time to recoup the investment!A large number of businessmen recruited unemployed farmers, bought farm tools, cattle, and seeds, and traveled northward to enclose land in the northeast.In the eyes of ordinary people, the Northeast is desolate, extremely cold, and almost a barren land. But to these profiteers, this is a gold mine that has not yet been developed. It depends on who can dig out the first pot of gold.In order to recruit enough labor force, these profiteers offered a salary of one silver coin per month, including food and clothing, three meals a day and meat every day. It is true that farmers value their three-quarter acres of land, but who doesn't? Hope you can live a better life?Soon, people signed up one after another to join the land reclamation army. You bear the burden, and I drive the cattle all the way north to fight for your future.And the gang of profiteers did not disappoint them, wages were paid in full and on time, clothes were distributed four times a year, two sets at a time, all new, and there was meat to eat every day... There were so many beasts in the northeastern wasteland that it was scary, This is what "beating roe deer with a ladle and scooping fish" is talking about. Is eating meat every day here a big deal?

———Ordinary farmers in ancient times seldom ate meat, that is, when they went to a wasteland for reclamation, they could live a good life with meat by hunting. Once the animals near the reclamation land were killed It's almost there, and it's hard to eat meat again.

It is also through the propaganda of these farm workers who went north that the farmers in the pass know that the land in the northeast is so fertile and there are so many wild game to eat... More and more people are moved and spontaneously organized to go north Land reclamation.

The land reclamation army also marched towards the Hetao Plain.The Hetao Plain is so fertile and easy to irrigate. It is a natural choice for the Han people who are good at farming. The wave of emigration to the Hetao has been brewing a few years ago, but it was interrupted by the war. , This wave broke out more and more violently.The war destroyed the already weak irrigation systems in many places. Many lands that were difficult to cultivate in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Gansu and other provinces were completely unable to cultivate this time. The farmers simply packed up their poor luggage and rushed to Hetao The region is looking for a way to live. As for the broken land that was either drought or flood that year, whoever wants it can take it, the uncle will not serve it!

Large tracts of land that had been overcultivated long ago have become wasteland, and large tracts of wasteland in the Hetao area have been reclaimed by a pair of industrious hands into ten thousand mu of fertile land.

Of course, these are not things that can be done overnight. This wave of migration will last at least 30 to [-] years, and then it will take decades of development before the Northeast and Hetao areas can become the new granary of the Ming Dynasty.Yang Menglong is an impatient guy, he doesn't have the patience to devote himself to this matter all year round!After the Ming army conquered Shenyang, he began to talk about going back to Nanyang, and the reasons are absolutely sufficient:

"My hard work this year has long been overdrawn!"

Headed by Zhu Yujian, all civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty were dumbfounded by this living treasure.Those in high positions, who are not trembling, do everything possible to consolidate their position, hold as much power as possible in their own hands, for fear of being taken away by others?This living treasure is good, he is the marshal of the navy, but he has little interest in such a great power. As for ruling the fate of the entire country... he has no interest at all. All his interests seem to be devoted to wars and adventures So, as soon as the battle was over, he clamored to go home to accompany his wife, alas!Emperor Longwu had to remind him: "Jiangnan has not been settled yet!"

Yang Menglong looked disdainful: "The gang of weak chickens in the south of the Yangtze River, the old man can level them with his hands tied. It's really impossible, there is still Wu Sheng, so I don't need to meddle in such trivial matters!"

Zhu Yujian hated iron for being weak: "Can you be more lazy!?"

Yang Menglong said: "I'm already very diligent! I haven't stopped since the beginning of this year!"

Zhu Yujian almost threw down the documents and photographed him on the head: "Your uncle, it's only been a few months since the beginning of this year!"

Manchao's civil and military talks can't make Yang Menglong change his mind. In the end, Zhu Yujian was so angry that he gave him a long unpaid leave and told him to leave.In fact, thinking about it carefully, they also knew that Yang Menglong insisted on going back to Nanyang because of his difficulties:
Lu Xiangsheng is going back to Beijing soon, and he doesn't want to meet Lu Xiangsheng.

In the Battle of Tangshan, the two thousand-day heroic army fought against the Qing army's iron cavalry rushing like a flood, looking forward to reinforcements. At that time, Beijing had not yet fallen, and the Heluo New Army was clearly capable of saving Tangshan. Due to political considerations, he chose to stand by and watch Tangshan fall and Zhou Yuji die in battle. This has become a thorn in Yang Menglong's heart.Although the later developments also proved that it was right to allow the Qing army to capture Gyeonggi, the Qing army was like a flood rushing into a silted river, stirring up all the silt and sediment, after annihilating the 10,000+ Qing army The Ming Dynasty, which was reborn from the ashes, easily wiped out the scum accumulated over two hundred years, completely reformed and suppressed the government, and the whole country took on a new look.All this shows that the sacrifice of the two thousand heavenly heroes was worthwhile, but Yang Menglong still couldn't overcome the hurdle in his heart, so when Lu Xiangsheng finished sweeping southern Liaoning and was about to return triumphantly, he chose to run back to Nanyang.For this matter, he apologized to Zhou Yuji's son Zhou Ruhu many times. Emperor Longwu also appreciated Zhou Ruhu very much and bestowed a high title on him. At the same time, he ordered Zhou Yuji and his subordinates to be buried generously. And Zhou Ruhu also told Yang Menglong that his father was benevolent and he died a worthy death without any complaints, but Yang Menglong still couldn't get over this hurdle in his heart.Zhu Yujian, Fang Yizhi and the others all understood his character, this guy couldn't be pulled out even if he got into a corner, so forget it, let him go back and have a good rest.

The leave was successful, and Yang Menglong happily set off on his way home... There were only more than 30 relatives around him, including the red lady.With such a small group of people, he galloped out of the Daming Gate, and he ran so comfortably.After leaving the capital, he galloped for a while before reining in his horse. Looking back, he saw the city wall of Beijing standing majestically on the plain, majestic and solemn, like a majestic pass.The wind and frost of the years have made the city wall a little mottled, like an old giant, standing there quietly, watching the clouds rolling over the land, the waves rising and falling, as if that thrilling battle never happened at all. Pass.He let out a sigh of relief, and said to the red lady: "Finally, I have escaped from that cage! Damn, I've been terribly suffocated for the past few months!"

The red lady couldn't laugh or cry: "You... I don't even know how your brain grows! How many people have tried their best to sit on this chair of yours, one person is below ten thousand people, you are good, let you sit Staying in the center for any longer is like going to jail!"

Yang Menglong said: "It's almost like being in prison. You don't know how to go to court every day and deal with the same things every day. It's so painful to see the same group of people!" Hey, he finally escaped and regained his freedom!"

The red lady was helpless: "Yes, yes, freedom is restored! May I ask Marshal Yang, Lord Yang, what are your plans after regaining freedom?"

Yang Menglong seemed to think about it seriously, and said: "Sleep at home for half a month, and then go out for a walk, and play all the places you want to go but don't have time to go!"

The red lady scolded with a smile: "Everything but eating and sleeping and playing all day long, I'm really useless!"

Yang Menglong was not convinced: "Who said that I only eat and sleep and play all day long? I obviously do a lot of serious things..."

"Yang! Yang!"

A crisp and sweet voice floated over, interrupting Yang Menglong's long speech.Yang Menglong turned his head to look, and saw a woman in a Greek-style white dress galloping forward on a Polish horse. The wind blew her black hair up, shining a charming luster in the sun. A stunning beauty.The red lady recognized it immediately: "It's Catherine, why did she come back from Liaodong?"

Yang Menglong covered his head and said: "Don't worry about how she came back from Liaodong, hurry up, don't let her get entangled! Once she gets entangled, she should ask me to buy cannons again, and she will annoy me to death!"

The red lady chuckled: "Do you think you can escape?"

I really couldn't escape, and within a few words, Catherine had already chased after her like a gust of wind, first nodded to the red lady, and then complained to Yang Menglong: "You can leave as soon as you say, without waiting for me? I'll come back When I arrived in Beijing and wanted to find you, I found out that you had already left, and you didn’t even say hello, you really don’t have a gentleman’s demeanor at all!”

Yang Menglong muttered: "I'm not a gentleman, I want a fart gentleman's demeanor!" But he didn't dare to say that, facing Catherine's always fighting eyes, he could only lament in his heart:
It's so difficult!
(End of this chapter)