Chang Mao said, "Marquis Shenyang mentioned to me before that some Mongol tribes in Liaodong could also be settled there. However, they lack farming tools and do not know how to cultivate the land. Although it is harsh and cold there, they would prefer to use it for raising horses and sheep."

Grazing livestock in the "Great Northern Granary" is a complete waste of resources; the black soil should be used to grow grain.

Most importantly, Zhu Yunying would not "raise a tiger to cause future trouble." The Mongol Yuan dynasty had been driven out and could no longer operate on the so-called Mongolian Plateau; they had been driven further north. However, developing Liaodong into a vast grassland and allowing nomadic peoples to become active there again would not be a good thing.

It's not that Zhu Yunying was cautious; the main reason was that Liaodong, though called the land of white mountains and black waters, was actually difficult to defend. Even though the Ming Dynasty's firearms development was progressing rapidly, it couldn't immediately reduce the nomadic peoples to only being skilled in singing and dancing.

Moreover, Zhu Yunying had actually considered taking over some of Naghachu's forces. Although he inherited Naghachu's title, it also meant that this was a force mainly composed of Mongols.

Even though the imperial court has never forgotten to divide and weaken them over the years, the forces left behind by Nahachu have always been quite powerful. It is precisely because of the strength of the Ming Dynasty that these people obviously dare not harbor any treacherous thoughts.

It's good that some forces continue to emerge. The people led by Chahan should be the guards of the Ming Dynasty, a border army of the Ming Dynasty, an elite cavalry force that will fight in the north and south, just like this time when they will follow the imperial army to fight against Goryeo.

Farming is a natural thing to do. As long as things are stable and you have your own business, you won't have any messy thoughts.

Chang Mao continued, "Your Majesty, Marquis Shenyang has previously encouraged the Wild Jurchens and Haixi Jurchens to leave the mountains and submit to the Ming Dynasty."

The Haixi Jurchens were actually located near the Songhua River. It was only after Nahachu submitted to the Ming Dynasty in the 20th year of the Hongwu reign (1380) and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Haixi that the Ming Dynasty began to conquer the Haixi region. The Ming Dynasty also issued an edict to send troops from Liaodong to Haixi and the Yeren region, bestowing upon them fine clothes and paper money.

The Wild Jurchens were the Jurchens living in the area north of the Heilongjiang River and east of the Ussuri River. Although they appeared to be paying tribute to the Ming Dynasty, they were quite far away, so their tribute was not frequent.

However, the Jurchen tribes of today are indeed highly fragmented, and their economy and culture are very backward. They live in thatched huts, fish for food, do not wash or comb their hair, wear straight-cut clothing, use fish skin in the summer and dog skin in the winter, and do not eat grains...

Zhu Yunying smiled and nodded, saying, "This matter can continue. It would be good if those savages submitted, but they should mainly farm. The court can provide them with crops and farming tools."

While we can't say we'll solve the problem once and for all, it's a good idea to stabilize the Jurchen people while they're still quite primitive. Ultimately, if their lives are even slightly more comfortable and stable, they won't want to struggle in that harsh, cold land.

The emperor was absolutely determined to develop Liaodong, and Chang Mao naturally understood this perfectly.

In addition to the military garrisons established for agricultural settlements, some military families also invested resources to recruit laborers from Southeast Asia. Besides supplementing the workforce from within the Great Wall, it was also necessary to fully consider the opinions of the local people and give them more opportunities.

With the investment of resources from multiple parties and the addition of more manpower, it's impossible to turn Liaodong into a land of plenty overnight, but the pace of development needs to be accelerated.

Zhu Yunying attached great importance to this matter, even more so than to the situation in Guangdong and Guangxi, because Guangdong and Guangxi already had a certain foundation. Furthermore, Guangdong and Guangxi were unlikely to become a hidden danger that could overthrow the Ming Dynasty.

There's no need to worry too much about the Jingchu region. The infrastructure is almost complete. As long as we continue to exert our efforts, the prosperity of Hubei and Hunan will soon lead to a situation where the whole country is well-fed. We don't have to wait until the mid-Ming Dynasty for this to happen.

Liaodong is not only to be developed into a land of fish and rice and a granary in the north, but also to resolve some hidden dangers, such as those along the border!

Zhu Yunying was very busy, both mentally and physically. His wife was about to give birth, but he still had to attend to political affairs. His grandfather and son had both run away and were not coming home, so he didn't have much time to take care of them.

Ultimately, time is of the essence! There are just too many things to do, and everything is a tangled mess!

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