Faced with these problems, the corrupt official had no choice but to adjust his policies. He convened a meeting of officials from various regions, emphasizing the need for strict verification to prevent false reporting; at the same time, he established a special oversight agency to ensure that the rewards were truly distributed to the people; and for families who had too many children and were unable to support them, he established a simple relief system.
"We cannot simply pursue population quantity while neglecting population quality." The third point is emphasized: "What we need is a healthy, educated population, not a population left to fend for itself."
After resolving the issues of marriage and childbirth, the wicked husband turned his attention to immigration policy. After unifying the six states, the Qin state had a vast territory, but the population distribution was extremely uneven. Many regions were fertile but sparsely populated, while others were overcrowded.
The wicked man suggested to Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, I believe we should implement a large-scale immigration policy, relocating people from densely populated areas to sparsely populated regions, so that land resources can be better utilized."
Ying Zheng asked, "How can we get the people to be willing to migrate?"
The wicked man replied, "Incentive measures can be taken, such as granting migrating families sufficient land, providing a certain amount of resettlement allowance, and reducing taxes for several years. If the conditions are favorable, people will naturally be willing to go."
Ying Zheng pondered for a moment, then said, "What you say is quite right, my dear minister. However, immigration involves many aspects and requires careful planning. Please draft a detailed immigration plan, and I will make a decision later."
The wicked man accepted the order and quickly drafted a detailed immigration plan. The plan divided population migration into three categories: large-scale migration organized by the government, encouraging spontaneous migration by individuals, and migration to border military settlements.
Large-scale official migrations primarily targeted disaster-stricken or extremely impoverished areas. These migrations were organized by the government and relocated to fertile but sparsely populated regions. The government provided comprehensive support for these migrations, including transportation, resettlement expenses, agricultural tools, and seeds.
For individuals who migrate spontaneously, incentive policies are adopted, such as granting more land and reducing taxes for many years, to attract enterprising farmers to actively go to new areas to cultivate land.
As for the border military settlement immigrants, some of the families of the soldiers stationed on the border were moved to the border, where they guarded the border and cultivated the land at the same time, which increased the population of the border areas and strengthened the border defense.
This plan received high approval from Ying Zheng and was quickly put into practice. Local officials were ordered to select suitable families for migration, prepare livestock and vehicles, and prepare farmland and accommodations in advance at the destination.
After the autumn harvest, the first phase of the migration program officially began. Five thousand families from the Guanzhong Plain were selected to relocate to the Sichuan Basin. Most of these families came from densely populated, barren mountainous areas where living conditions were quite difficult.
The wicked man personally went to see them off and encouraged the immigrants who were about to embark on their journey.
"Gentlemen," the wicked man proclaimed, "though the journey to Sichuan is long, the land there is fertile, the climate pleasant, and two harvests a year are possible. The imperial court has prepared land and dwellings for you, along with ample seeds and farming tools. With diligent work, you are sure to live a good life!"
An old farmer asked, "Grand Commandant, I've heard that the area is mountainous and difficult to cultivate. Is that true?"
The wicked man answered frankly, "That's true. But the hillsides there can be terraced for rice cultivation. Our 'Qin Zhan No. 4' rice grows exceptionally well there, yielding two harvests a year, more than double the yield here."
Another farmer asked worriedly, "We've gone to a new place, where we don't know anyone. What if we encounter difficulties?"
The wicked man comforted them, saying, "The imperial court has already dispatched officials and technicians to arrive ahead of time and has prepared everything for you. Once you arrive, there will be specialists to guide you in farming. For the first three years, all taxes will be waived, allowing you to settle down in peace."
Encouraged by the wicked husband, the immigrants' concerns lessened considerably, and their confidence grew. Soon, a large and imposing immigrant caravan set off towards Sichuan and Chongqing.
The immigration program proceeded very smoothly. Upon arriving in Sichuan, the immigrants found the local environment to be far better than they had imagined. The government had prepared simple accommodations, cultivated land, and sufficient seeds and farming tools for them. Under the guidance of local officials and technicians, they quickly adapted to their new environment and began their new lives.
The success of the first wave of immigrants gave the wicked man immense confidence. He then organized a larger-scale immigration program, relocating people from densely populated areas to sparsely populated ones. In the first year alone, nearly 100,000 families participated in the program, increasing the population of the newly reclaimed areas.
The successful implementation of immigration policies not only balanced population distribution across regions but also promoted the reclamation and utilization of wasteland, further increasing agricultural output. More importantly, these immigrant families often had a stronger desire to have children and higher birth rates in their new environments, making a significant contribution to population growth.
In addition to the measures mentioned above, the wicked husband also paid special attention to the status of women. He knew that the traditional preference for sons over daughters was a major factor hindering population growth.
Therefore, the wicked husband suggested to Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, I believe we should value women's education and status, and change the outdated custom of favoring sons over daughters. If women are educated, they can not only better care for their families and children, but also participate in production, increasing family income."
Ying Zheng agreed with this, but also had concerns: "This suggestion is good, but I fear it will be difficult to change the bad habits of the people in the short term."
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