Chapter 156: Can Ezo Island Become an Agricultural Base? (Page 1/1)

Yan Siqi said: "They are different from the red-haired ghosts, only their beards are red. In the past, the whole of Japan was heard to be theirs, but then the Japanese gradually drove them north, and now most of them are distributed on Ezo Island, and the Japanese call them Ezo people, and they call themselves Ainu, and now there are about 300,000 people estimated on Ezo Island. ”

Chen Shouyi said with a smile: "It doesn't matter who it is, as long as it can catch fish for us, the soap factory and the candle factory also need a large number of helpers, and we don't need to immigrate from the mainland at all, except for technicians." The overseer is about to trouble Lieutenant General Yan. ”

Yan Siqi knew that when he said this, he actually said that he would share part of the profits with the East China Sea Fleet, which was a limited form of cooperation between the military and the people allowed by the emperor, and the East China Sea Fleet originally had the task of guarding Ezo Island and developing the surrounding islands, and in addition to military expenses, he could also get military subsidies from soap factories and candle factories, so he naturally would not refuse.

Now that the Ming army could only control the southern part of Ezo Island, Yan Siqi left ten ships to monitor the strait, and then marched up the island shore in two ways. The two navies each brought 600 Japanese soldiers and were responsible for capturing the Ainu along the way, and then bringing them back to Fukuyama Castle in small boats.

Chen Shouyi soon commanded the Japanese and Ainu to build the new Fukuyama Castle. Fukuyama Castle is divided into three parts, with residential houses in the middle and soap factories and candle factories on either side.

At this time, machines for making soap and candles powered by steam engines were also transported here, along with students from the graduate school who were exploring mineral deposits. Although Ezo Island is rich in timber, it would be better if coal mines could be explored. First, coal provides more heat than wood, and second, Zhu Youxiao wants to protect the local ecological environment.

The Japanese soldiers, led by Matsumae Hirahisa's two sons, worked very hard to transport the captured Ainu back to Fukuyama Castle in small boats, and soon the sound of shipbuilding sounded at the pier near the sea of Fukuyama Castle. The Ainu were very good at shipbuilding, and with the guidance of the Ming people, they had already built a large number of fishing boats after three months, using the steel tools brought by the Ming people.

During this time, the students of the research institute also explored a coal mine, which has a huge coal reserve, which can supply the soap factory and the candle factory for at least a thousand years, which makes Chen Shouyi even more happy, and now everything is ready, just waiting for the whales to come to the net.

In May of the sixth year of the Apocalypse, whaling season finally arrived. Three cities have been built on Ezo Island: Fukuyama Castle in the south, Momiji Castle in the west, and Oshishi Castle in the east. The structure of these three cities is the same, a fishing dock, a shipyard, a slaughterhouse, a candle factory, and a soap factory. In addition to the Ming troops stationed in the three cities, the number of people who made a living in these places alone reached a staggering 25,000 people, especially Fukuyama City, whose population has exceeded 10,000.

And from these three cities to the hinterland of the island, there are large patches of farmland. The rice in the fields stretches out their green leaves, greedily absorbing the sun, and in more wasteland, the industrious Ainu are sweating and raining. The Ming treated them much better than the Japanese, providing them with seeds and farming tools, telling them how to farm, and promising them only half of their income, and the rest at their disposal. As a result, a large number of Ainu people have joined the ranks of reclamation, farming is much safer than fishing, and the income will not be less than fishing.

Chen Shouyi's report to Wei Zhongxian believed that Ezo Island could be built into a large island with only fishing and agriculture, and that if the entire island was reclaimed, it would at least supply the grain needed by the province of Beizhili, and that the fishing grounds and soap and candle factories established around the island could at least supply the needs of the entire northern Ming Dynasty.

After receiving the letter, Wei Zhongxian first discussed with Xu Guangqi and Sun Chuanting, and then transferred personnel from the research institute, especially students from the agricultural department, to form an inspection team, led by Wei Liangqing himself, to Ezo Island for investigation.

When the delegation arrived on Ezo Island, it was June, and the bloody slaughterhouse was an eye-opener, and the rice harvest and fertile soil were even more eye-catching. After comprehensively inspecting all aspects, the delegation agreed with Chen Shouyi's viewpoint, and proposed that Ezo Island is not only suitable for grain production, but also very suitable for raising large livestock such as cattle and horses.

When the delegation returned, a boatload of soap and candles was also transported to the port of Tianjin. Only then did Wei Zhongxian hand over Chen Shouyi's letter to Zhu Youxiao along with the conclusion of the inspection group and asked him to make a decision.

Zhu Youxiao didn't know much about Hokkaido in his previous life, but he knew that Hokkaido was an agricultural base. After inquiring about the delegation in detail, he said to Wei Liangqing: "Your uncle wants you to be an official and a half-job, I heard that you are against it, and you only want to engage in your agricultural research, but is there such a thing?" ”

Wei Liangqing said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the student was from a poor family when he was young, so he was extremely greedy. Later, after life improved, this habit could not be changed for a while. The students have a long-cherished wish, they only wish that there will be no hunger and cold in the world, so they only want to make a name for themselves in farming, and have no intention of becoming officials. ”

Zhu Youxiao also smiled: "You succeeded to your uncle's name, and the factory minister is your father, don't you consider his opinion?" ”

Wei Liangqing said: "Your Majesty, you said that honoring your elders does not mean that you have to obey everything, especially where the students themselves are willing, I believe my father can also understand." Then the reason why my father wanted the student to seek a half-official position was because he had seen that without the protection of power, personal income was easy to be taken away by others. But isn't Your Majesty now ready to enact a law to change the situation? As long as you abide by the law, no one else can take away your property, let alone your life. So students still don't want to be officials. ”

Zhu Youxiao was a sycophant of him, and said to Wei Zhongxian, who had a calm face next to him: "Look, I'll just say no, if he doesn't listen to your words, why should he listen to me." ”

Wei Zhongxian glared at Wei Liangqing hatefully and said, "The county order of the broken family, the Ling Yin of the destruction of the door, you don't know how powerful, now you are a saint, so it will be better." But I can tell you, if you go to the South now, within three years, you will end up in prison. I am a holy eagle dog, but I have offended many people, and after I die, I am afraid that the saint will not be able to protect you well. ”

After finishing speaking, he suddenly remembered something, and immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, and shouted: "Holy Lord, slave and maid do not choose words, please forgive your sins." “

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