Zhu Youxiao said angrily: "Is it really good for you to say these things in front of me? What's wrong with the south, aren't they also Ming's? I don't believe it, Japan and Luzon have all been conquered, and the south of my own country can't be taken! You don't pretend to be guilty here, isn't it because you didn't agree last time that you said that you were going to attack the southern officialdom? What do you know? Do you think that I have the four seas and can do whatever I want? Isn't my hard work overseas just to reduce my dependence on the South? When we can get enough food supplies without relying on the south, then the time will come. There are three years of grain in the country, and the chaos in the south can be whatever it looks like. You simply don't understand the horrors of the hungry. ”

Wei Zhongxian continued to plead guilty, but he thought in his heart that the emperor said as if he knew what it was like to be hungry.

Zhu Youxiao sighed and said, "You get up." I know that you are also worried that the southern tail will not be lost, and that the Donglin people occupy a large number of southern official positions, and it will be troublesome for us to clean up the south. But it is precisely because of the trouble that it is necessary to plan and then take it. I have discussed with Fang Shoufu, Mr. Xu, Chuan Ting and others, and everyone feels that they can't make a big move to the south now, but can only slowly figure it out. ”

Wei Zhongxian said: "Saint, it is becoming more and more difficult to pay commercial taxes in the south, and various tax evasion methods have appeared, and our tax department has no way at all. Without the support of the officials, the three-year-old would not have believed it. The last time the slave maid said that she wanted to arrest a few people to deter them, she was afraid that they would become more and more closely connected, and in the future, if she wanted to change officials, investigate and deal with corruption, and collect taxes, I was afraid that it would become more and more difficult. ”

Zhu Youxiao said: "Okay, you let Dongchang be more careful, catch the people who have real handles, don't think about asking for more, catch one is one, the evidence must be conclusive, so that others have nothing to say, it is best to catch those who have a great influence and are not very good reputation, let's pick up the soft ones first." ”

Wei Zhongxian was overjoyed and said: "The slave and maid must arrest those who have solid evidence, as long as they pry open a small opening, they can catch more evidence and implicate more people." ”

Zhu Youxiao said: "Be careful, catch less." Don't think about making a big case, it's not urgent. ”

Wei Liangqing looked inexplicably at what the emperor and uncle had said about the south from himself. At this time, Zhu Youxiao looked at him and said, "Liangqing, I want you to be an official, are you willing?" ”

Wei Liangqing knelt on the ground and said, "The students obey Your Majesty's orders. ”

Zhu Youxiao said: "You want to make some fame in farming, I understand this very well. If you improve a variety and increase its yield by 100 catties, this is of course a great achievement. But Liangqing, I know very well that improving varieties is not so easy, and it requires a lot of time and a lot of experiments. If you change people's farming methods and fertilization methods, you can also increase the yield by 100 catties or more, but this is much easier than improving varieties. ”

"So what does this have to do with asking you to be an official? Because I want you to be in charge of farming on Ezo Island. I am going to set up two civil affairs officials on Ezo Island, one is in charge of fishing and the other is in charge of agricultural reclamation, are you willing to be this agricultural officer? ”

Wei Liangqing said: "Since Your Majesty thinks that the student is qualified for this position, the student should do his best to build Ezo Island into a big agricultural island of my Ming Dynasty." ”

Wei Zhongxian knelt down again and said, "The slave and maid have thanked the Holy Lord for his grace. ”

Zhu Youxiao scolded with a smile: "Don't kneel at every turn, that's okay, let's go to the cabinet, discuss with the ministers, and then give an order." ”

Wei Zhongxian smiled, a big stone in his heart fell to the ground, and he felt that his body was a little lighter.

The next day, under the holy decree, Ezo Island was changed to Danong Island, and Danong Prefecture directly under the Ming Dynasty was established, and Wei Liangqing was appointed as the Zhizhou, and Zhang Chenghua was the same Zhi.

Originally, Zhu Youxiao wanted to set it up as a big peasant mansion, but the cabinet felt that Wei Liangqing had no administrative experience, and being promoted to a prefect would be criticized, so it was called a state, and in the Ming Dynasty, Zhili Prefecture was actually at the same level as the government.

Zhu Youxiao clearly told the two that Zhizhou specializes in managing agriculture and Tongzhi specializes in managing industry, and if there is a dispute between the two of them involving two things, Zhizhou's idea shall prevail, but it must be reported to the imperial court.

And the Hakka son Hou Guoxing and Wei Liangqing have a very good relationship, so this time Jin Yiwei's thousand households in Danong Prefecture were served by Hou Guoxing. The Ke family also scolded Wei Zhongxian for this matter, but Hou Guoxing was willing, and she had no choice but to wipe her tears and bid farewell to her son.

Zhang Chenghua's so-called management of the industry does not actually manage specific factories, he is only responsible for ensuring the normal operation of fishing and manufacturing. The specific management is still done by Chen Shouyi and the people from the inner palace. Because the soap factory and the candle factory are not from the imperial court, they belong to the royal family.

Wei Liangqing himself is proficient in agricultural affairs, and he already knows all kinds of situations on Danong Island when he was inspected last time. After the decree was issued, he bought a large number of calves and ponies from North Korea and transported them to Danong Island, along with a lot of improved potatoes, to start his dream journey of agriculture on Danong Island.

At this time, Yan Siqi's East China Sea Fleet had completed the survey of the entire island on the north side of Danong Island and continued to advance towards Kuyi Island. The tribes of Feiyaka, Oroqen, and Hezhe on Kuyi Island all belong to the Jurchen tribe, and after seeing the flags on the warships of the Ming Dynasty, some shouted and shouted, some opened their bows and arrows, and some knelt down and kowtowed.

Yan Siqi ordered the soldiers who knew the Jurchen dialect and shouted: "The Jurchens have surrendered, if you fight against the heavenly soldiers, you will bring about your own destruction." ”

After shouting several times, the Jurchens who had shot in the air put down their bows and arrows, and the Jurchens who were shouting and screaming also quieted down, and fell on the ground and kowtowed. Yan Siqi had people go ashore to collect their weapons and gather their elders.

Yan Siqi said: "Although you are Jurchen, but you are not the same as the Jianzhou Jurchen, now that the Jianzhou Jurchen has surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, where do you go?" ”

The elder of Feiyaka said: "We were originally tributary to the Ming Dynasty, but Jianzhou threatened us to pay tribute to them, and called us fishskin Jurchens, and we have endured them for a long time. Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty exterminated them, and in the future, we will still be the Ming Dynasty's vassals, and we will pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty every year. ”

Elder Oroqen and Elder Hezhe also said: "We are willing to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty mink skins and other things, and we will always be the vassals of the Ming Dynasty." ”

After hearing that Ezo Island had become a Ming territory, the elders of the Ainu tribe immediately said that they would become Ming people forever like the people on Ezo Island, and they were willing to farm and fish for the Ming Dynasty.

Yan Siqi was very satisfied with their statement, and after he appeased the elders of the various clans who were bitter, he continued to travel north while asking people to return to Ezo Island to report the news.