Between the mountains of Shaanxi, there was a roar of steam engines. A steam locomotive spewing a cloud of white smoke traveled along the railroad on the edge of the cliff.

Over the past ten years, the emergence of trains has changed the Ming Dynasty and shortened the distance in space. Especially for the remote areas in the northwest, the phenomenon of the railway has fundamentally changed everything here, in the past, because there is no convenience of water transportation, the development of Shaanxi is always subject to transportation, especially in the disaster year, even if the government raises the food for disaster relief, it is difficult to transport it into Shaanxi due to the restrictions of transportation.

But now the successive emergence of railways and trains has fundamentally changed all this, and the railways from Tongguan to the Western Regions are like a major artery, promoting the development of areas along the railway.

However, everyone knows that the construction of the Northwest Railway was caused by the military, and even the cost of building the railway was paid for from the war expenses. On this railway, at least for a long time, the army had absolute priority. In contrast, the civilian use of railways has always been relegated to a secondary position. Just like now, a temporary addition of a military special train directly led to the suspension of two civilian trains.

In this regard, Li Dingguo, who was sitting on the special train, had also heard of it.

"I guess, I don't know how many people will scold me!"

Smiling self-deprecatingly, Li Dingguo knew that it was the peak season for wool, grain and other commodities, and the suspension of the two fires would inevitably have an impact on the lives of the people in Shaanxi, and there was no doubt how many people would complain in private.

Looking out of the car window, now the mountains outside the car are full of leafy trees, Li Dingguo, who is originally from Shaanxi, saw the lush mountains, but his face flashed with a little remorse.

Why are the mountains in Shaanxi so lush now?

In that year, there was a great drought in Shaanxi, and millions of westerners fled to the west. After decades of war, all parts of Shaanxi are empty, there are no woodcutters to collect wood, people to chop wood, this mountain is naturally more and more lush day by day.

People are dead!

Decades of war, not to mention Shaanxi is ten rooms and nine empty, this is the case everywhere in the world, although the vast majority of them are the sins of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, but the Westerners are also deeply guilty.

He Li Dingguo is also full of sins.

Thinking of this, Li Dingguo's eyes drooped slightly, and his expression became a little painful, even if it had been decades, he could not forget the sins on his body.

And even sometimes, as you get older. I always think of some of the past. There is always too much remorse. Too many regrets.

"After this battle, Li can barely atone for his sins......"

Li Dingguo, who was silent, when he withdrew his gaze, unlike others who regarded this western expedition as an opportunity to obtain meritorious service, he was more willing to regard all this as an opportunity for his personal atonement.

Everyone should have the opportunity to make amends for the mistakes of the past. Now he is making up for the mistakes he has made in the past.

Thoughtful, he had just come back to his senses. Then I heard my son who was sitting across from me say.

"Father, it's just a little foolish nonsense, the Northwest Railway itself was built with military funds, so it naturally gives priority to the military, as for the civilian use, it's just that the military has mercy on the people and allocated some wagons for them to use, and now they want to take over the guests, how can there be such a reason in this world?"

Hearing his father's self-deprecation, Li Sixing said seriously.

"If they dare to complain about anything, when the time comes, they will directly order the withdrawal of the wagons, and the railway will be completely converted to military use, and see which of them dares to make irresponsible remarks."

Compared to the father. He has fewer worries and is more decisive in doing things. It can even be described as simple and crude. After all, many times he doesn't have as many concerns as his father.

"Si Xing, don't forget, you are also from Shaanxi!"

Looking at his indignant son, Li Dingguo reminded him. reminded him that he is also from Shaanxi, and he is afraid that he has hardly been here.

But in any case, he is from Shaanxi, and he must take into account the feelings of his fellow villagers. It was his son who didn't have so many concerns, for him, Shaanxi was just a geographical term.

"As soon as this order comes out, how do you let your father face the elders of Shaanxi Township?"

Li Dingguo, who is originally from Shaanxi, will naturally do everything possible to safeguard the interests of the Shaanxi people, but it is only limited to the scope of limited ability, such as during the great migration of Shaanxi, some representatives of Shaanxi villagers found Li Dingguo, found this former thief from the west, and was also the highest-ranking nobleman in the Shaanxi people, and tried to ask him to petition the imperial court to stop immigration.

But Li Dingguo could only choose to refuse, because he knew that the purpose of immigration was not to retaliate, but for the future of Shaanxi, and it was also about the future of Shaanxi's villagers for generations to come. Of course, the more important reason is that he knows that the emperor's will is not swayed by anyone.

So because of this, the people of Shaanxi are very interested in him. It's always been quite complaining. How many people will think of the care he did in every possible way for his fellow villagers.

"Father, you read the nostalgia of Shaanxi, but how many people in Shaanxi miss you?"

After all, all along, because of his father's silence during his father's birth in Xiying and immigration, the people of Shaanxi have always complained about him, and some people even said that "thieves live on the throne and have no people".

His son's complaint made Li Dingguo just smile slightly, he didn't say anything, just sat there silently, thinking that in the past so many years, in the face of many misunderstandings, he has never explained the same, many times, many things do not need to be explained, the reason why this is so is because others may not listen to the explanation, and they may not believe it. It was a long time before he spoke.

"In the future, one day, they will understand."

Time may only be able to explain all this, and only time can explain all things for him. Maybe by that time, they'll understand, and they'll understand why he's doing it.

"In another twenty years, they will understand my painstaking efforts!"

Standing on the Loess Plateau, looking at the special landscape that had been strongly eroded by flowing water for a long time, gradually forming thousands of ravines and fragmented terrain, and re-emerging after ten years of banning, Zhu Mingzhong, who had never imagined that the loess high slope could one day turn into a green field, couldn't help but exclaim.

"King Jin, you see, not only the trees and shrubs that are overgrown on the top of the slope, but also all kinds of shrubs and weeds are also overgrown in the ditch slope, and when the grass and trees fill the gaps in the slope, the floating soil on the slope will be fixed, and then the weeds and shrubs will continue to spread from the roots to the surroundings, and in another ten or twenty years, it is estimated that this loess plateau will almost be able to restore the old appearance, and the appearance of the dense forests of the pre-Qin will be presented to the world again."

Following His Majesty, Li Dingguo did not know what kind of natural restoration of the ecological environment, and he certainly did not know how Chernobyl, which was closed due to the nuclear disaster, in another time and space, became a primeval forest in a few decades, and still became a paradise for animals despite the threat of radiation. Countless animals thrive there. As it is now, there is no threat from humans, and many animals have naturally migrated here. Later in this era, no one will understand this ecological balance.

For many people in this era, they even feel that this ecological balance is a waste. But many of these perceptions are now changing.

However, since entering this area of northern Shaanxi with His Majesty, which is rarely inhabited, in addition to the lush forests, there are all kinds of animals running in the forests from time to time, and even the roar of tigers. This place, once home to millions of people, has become a deserted and inhospitable place.

No matter how sad it feels about his hometown becoming like this, Li Dingguo still looks at all this from a more scientific point of view.

"I heard that the sediment of the Yellow River has been much less, last year there were more than two months, the river water is clear, no sediment, and it is in response to the ancient sayings "the Yellow River water is clear and the sage comes out", this saint refers to His Majesty, if there is no His Majesty more than 20 years of painstaking management, how can there be my Ming today? ”

Soil erosion evidence is now an emerging science. Although I don't know much about all this, it doesn't prevent you from ordering to shoot the emperor's ass in this way.

Li Dingguo's compliment made Zhu Mingzhong laugh.

"King Jin, what" Yellow River water clear sage out", the Yellow River muddy, completely because of the middle and upper reaches of soil erosion, the Royal Geographical Society has arrived at the Yellow River five years ago, the water of the Yellow River came from the sky, when it came, but the clear water, to the middle reaches, began to turn yellow, the Yellow River water has gradually cleared in recent years, not because there are people, but because the people in the Loess Plateau and other places have been moved to the Northeast, Xinjiang and other places, the land that has been over-cultivated has been restored, the vegetation has been restored, and the soil erosion is naturally less, As soon as the sediment of the Yellow River water is less, the river water will be clear, and the so-called "Yellow River water is clear and the saints come out", but the ancients did not know why. ”

As an emperor, of course Zhu Mingzhong doesn't believe in any auspiciousness, even if the ministers often mention it, he will refute it from time to time, but on the other hand, he has to admit that it is indeed very comfortable to be complimented and. People always have to keep a little bit of sanity, otherwise, it is easy to get lost in it.

"Your Majesty, you can't say that."

Following His Majesty's side, Li Dingguo said with a smile.

If the monarch is not a Ming monarch, even if he understands these scientific principles, I am afraid he will not be able to do it, if it is not for the suffering of the people of Shaanxi back then, and move it from such a barren place to the northeast and other places, how can the places in northern Shaanxi be able to recuperate, and how can there be the current recovery. ”

Li Dingguo's compliment made Zhu Mingzhong smile.

"King Jin, if I remember correctly, I don't know how many people in Shaanxi hate me because of this, thinking that I am suppressing personal enmity!"

Now, with the recovery of Xinjiang, out of the need to resettle the real border, the outflow of residents from northern Shaanxi and other places has begun again, many county towns in Shaanxi have become empty cities, and villages have become uninhabited ruins.

"Your Majesty, the people have left their hometowns, it is inevitable that they will have misunderstandings about the imperial court, the land in the northeast and Xinjiang is far more fertile than in northern Shaanxi, and they are far more comfortable there than in their hometowns, although they can't understand it for a while, but over time they can also understand the painstaking efforts of the imperial court, and understand Your Majesty's love for the people of Shaanxi."

Li Dingguo said this more like saying to himself, unlike others, he is from Shaanxi, and he has a natural responsibility in the face of forced relocation, and because of this, he hopes that all Shaanxi people who have emigrated to other places in the future can be grateful to the emperor and the court because of the improvement of their lives, and of course they will no longer complain about him.

"Love can't be talked about, northern Shaanxi has been over-cultivated for thousands of years, it has long been unsuitable for human survival, the land is so barren place, there are so many people living in it, once there is a famine, it is difficult to think of chaos, these years, I have continued to increase the immigration efforts in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong and other places, especially in the mountainous areas, many places have even reached the point of no one for hundreds of miles, why? It is to solve these problems at the root. ”

Riding on a horse and continuing to walk along the official road overgrown with weeds, Zhu Mingzhong raised the whip in his hand and pointed ahead and said.

"The front of Yulin County, has now become an empty city, because the people have all moved out, but on the bank of the Erzien River, there is a Yulin County, compared to the arid and barren here, that Yulin County is near the big river, the water is fertile, the people per capita allocation of land is more than 100 acres, the people here to over there, it is easy to live a worry-free life, although it is remote, but it is better than living a hard life here, of course, in the imperial court, 2 million Shaanxi people moved to the Western Regions, With those 2 million people, plus the 2 million people who migrated from Shanxi, Beizhili, Henan, Shandong, Huguang and other places, when they get there, the sparsely populated Western Regions will become no different from the mainland, although the Western Regions are generally arid, but many places are also suitable for agriculture and animal husbandry......

Compared with Siberia, Central Asia, which seems to be arid and full of deserts, is more suitable for the development of agriculture and animal husbandry, and is more suitable for the life of immigrants, especially when the locals were massacred by the Manchus and there are no locals, a large number of immigrants can ensure long-term peace and stability there.

"My goal is to immigrate six million people within 20 years, these immigrants are basically from remote areas of the country that are not suitable for agricultural production, after they arrive in the Western Regions, they can not only change their lives, but also help the Ming Dynasty stabilize the frontier, with these 20 years, I think that when the time comes, the province can be implemented, at most 30 years, it will be no different from the Northeast, and it will become the province of the Ming Dynasty, King Jin, what do you think?"

His Majesty's rhetorical question made Li Dingguo silent for a moment, and then replied.

"Your Majesty, if you want to stabilize the Western Regions, you must first completely solve the Manchu Dynasty!"