"Grandfather, this time I plan to reorganize some garrisons, partly for those grain-producing areas we mentioned before," Zhu Yunying said slowly to his father. "This time, we are preparing to take advantage of the situation to start laying the foundation in Liaodong."

Old Zhu frowned slightly, then realized what was going on. "We understand this principle. We have quite a few military households engaged in land reclamation. So, let's do this: those military guards who are laid off will be relocated to Liaodong, right?"

Seeing Zhu Yunying nod, Old Zhu said worriedly, "But you must know that Liaodong is a harsh and cold place. If we were to relocate military households there to cultivate the land, I'm afraid many people wouldn't be happy about it. You should know these reasons."

"So what I'm thinking about is banks, and how to bind some individuals to the Ming Dynasty," Zhu Yunying said with a smile to his father. "Just like my grandfather, who was particularly attached to land. Owning one's own land is what the vast majority of people want."

This resonated with Lao Zhu, mainly because of his deep attachment to the land, and it wasn't just Lao Zhu who was so attached to it.

Owning one's own land is the ultimate dream for countless people. However, the vast majority of people will never actually own their own land, or even have enough land to support themselves and their families.

Old Zhu seemed to remember something and immediately said, "I remember now. You mentioned before that you wanted to reform the land system and nationalize the land. We've had people ask about it these days, and it seems to be somewhat similar to the well-field system."

That's exactly the point. Nationalizing land isn't entirely feasible these days. After all, the Ming Dynasty was 31 years old, and many things were already established. A large ship isn't easy to turn around; otherwise, there would likely be some unrest.

If the land were forcibly seized now, it would likely cause discontent among the powerful families and gentry throughout the land. The supreme authority of the Ming emperor is undeniable. However, Zhu Yunying wouldn't naively believe that imperial power is everything; suppressing the discontent of so many people is unrealistic.

Think of Qin Er Shi and Sui Yangdi; they serve as cautionary tales.

"While I would like to be more decisive and simply take all the land back to the court, I know that's not very realistic," Zhu Yunying said slowly to his father. "However, in governing the country, we should rely on these gentry and scholars to some extent. To be honest, it's not appropriate to just kill these people all at once."

Old Zhu nodded, then smiled and said, "That makes sense. We can't just kill all those people at once."

"Win some over, strike at some, and divide some—that's our strategy," Zhu Yunying said smugly to his father. "Make as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible. We also know that the foundation of the Ming Dynasty is the people, and that's something we must take care of."

Old Zhu clapped his hands and said happily, "That makes sense. We are the emperor, so we should ensure that our foundation is solid."

A solid foundation is the most important thing; there's no need to worry about anything else. Zhu Yunying knew it was unrealistic to play all his cards at once or to expect to directly apply future systems to the present Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunying picked up the fussy little Zhu and said slowly, "Grandson believes that the foundation of the Ming Dynasty lies in its people. We also promised our Empress Dowager that we would ensure that the people are well-fed and clothed. This time, our reforms will allow many people to have land to cultivate. However, Jiangzhe is an important region and not suitable for reform. We can focus our efforts on Jingchu. But we can start directly in Lingnan and Liaodong."

Old Zhu's eyes lit up, and he said with a mischievous grin, "You little rascal, giving them land will make those people obediently go to Liaodong."

That's the logic. Although the Ming Dynasty is still relocating people, it's often done by force.

The legendary term "jie shou" (解手) is sometimes interpreted as referring to immigrants being bound and forced to urinate or defecate during their long journeys. When they needed to relieve themselves, they would ask the escorting officials to untie their bound hands.

Especially regarding the Big Pagoda Tree in Hongdong, Shanxi, which seems to be a key site for the Hongwu Emperor's migration. It's not just about "relieving oneself," but also about how, after the officials and soldiers forced the people to register, they tied them up behind their backs to prevent them from escaping, then linked them together with a long rope and escorted the migrants on their journey.

Because the immigrants' arms were bound for a long time, their arms gradually became numb. Soon, they got used to it, and most of the immigrants liked to walk with their hands behind their backs. Their descendants also followed this habit.

Look, there are so many stories about Old Zhu, and even his lifestyle habits are related to him.

Old Zhu chuckled and said with considerable pride, "We knew our grandson was thinking three steps ahead. We were worried that his ideas were too ambitious and that his methods would be too radical. But now we see, our grandson has the mind of an emperor."

Zhu Yunying couldn't help but laugh, and said smugly, "That's right, what we're thinking about is the stability of the world. Some things should naturally be like this, and stability should be maintained when necessary. We've also thought that some policies are good, but we're also afraid that good policies will be distorted when they're implemented at the grassroots level."

Clearly, it wasn't just Xiao Zhu who had these thoughts; Lao Zhu was also worried about these things.

Emperor Zhu believed that the policies he formulated were for the long-term stability and prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, ensuring its lasting rule. However, while the emperor's intentions were good, the officials and gentry below him were uncooperative.

Zhu Yunying was naturally worried about these things, so these things had to be changed. Overly drastic measures were indeed not suitable for the current Ming Dynasty; reforms could only begin in certain areas, with pilot programs implemented.

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