Mao Wenlong's request to fight will definitely not be approved. The battle plan for next year has been determined, Luzon and Qiantao.
The expansion strategy is unwavering, but proceeding in an orderly manner and within one's capabilities is also the court's unchanging purpose.
Although the development of Jilin Prefecture was based on the joint efforts of the military and civilians and with great enthusiasm, it was somewhat beyond the expectations of the emperor and the court.
Crossing the Songhua River and entering the Songnen Plain for development and construction is also quite tempting.
However, human resources are still the main factor restricting the rapid progress of the north. The number of immigrants, investment, and subsidies must be planned in a comprehensive manner and cannot be left unattended.
Judging from the situation in Liaodong as a whole, although there were local disasters, they were mainly caused by the drop in temperature, which had little impact on potatoes and rye.
At this point, the advantage of potatoes' high yields becomes apparent. Planting one acre of potatoes is equivalent to planting two or three acres of traditional crops. In other words, a good harvest in one year is equivalent to two or three years.
Changes in crop varieties are also changing people's living habits. Potatoes and rye are gradually becoming the staple food of the people in Liaodong.
As for traditional crops like rice and wheat, they are also available on the market as a food supplement. They are all imported from the south and from overseas.
Fish, as nature's richest source of protein, also flourished with the court's advocacy and support.
There was already marine fishing, and now freshwater aquaculture has been added. All potholes and large pits left over from digging for brick making will be transformed into reservoirs or fish ponds, becoming the collective property of the villages and towns to which they belong.
Erya's father was carrying two fish and walking happily on the way home.
The fishpond outside the village was ice-crushed for fishing, and as a New Year's gift, every family received a share of fish. Old Zhang, who was in charge of the fish farming, received even more, and was planning to sell them at the New Year's market.
The snow crunched under my feet, and my ears could hear a cheerful rhythm.
Erya's father walked to the gate of the yard and saw his wife and daughter hanging lanterns in the yard. A smile appeared on his face.
"Dad, you're back." Erya looked at her father who pushed the door into the yard and waved with a smile. "Look at the lanterns that Mom and I made. They use oil lamps instead of candles."
"Good, it looks good." Erya's father nodded vigorously, showing the fish in his hand to the mother and daughter, and said with a smile: "Look, eating it during the New Year means there will be surplus every year (fish), which is a good omen."
Erya's mother urged, "Hurry up and hang up the fish. You're all wet and it's frozen into ice."
Erya's father hurriedly hung the frozen fish on the wall and helped the mother and daughter hang up the lantern before they went into the house together.
The fire under the stove was still burning, and the smell of smoke mixed with the fragrance of noodles wafted towards her face. Erya's mother heard the noise in the inner room and hurried in to coax the child.
"I steamed another pot of steamed buns." Erya sat in front of the stove, adding fuel to the fire, and showed off to her father: "I made rabbits, puppies, horses, and cows. There are black flour ones, mixed flours, and some wheat flour ones, all with dates on them."
Steaming buns before the New Year is an old custom, especially in Northeast China. After steaming, they are frozen and can be heated in a pot when you want to eat them. It is very convenient.
Erya's father touched his daughter's head. This was a sensible and capable girl, who had suffered a lot when she was wandering outside.
Erya has contributed a lot to making this family what it is today.
Erya laughed and dug out two potatoes from the ashes under the stove and gave one to her father. She held it in her hand, blew and brushed it, and when she broke it open, the burnt yellow soil gave off a fragrant and hot aroma, making her mouth water.
"Tomorrow we'll go to the market, and Dad will buy you two pounds of sweet potatoes." Erya's father knew that roasted potatoes were delicious, but roasted sweet potatoes were sweeter and more fragrant.
Erya shook her head and refused, saying, "There are so many potatoes in the cellar. They are delicious whether boiled, roasted, or stir-fried. There is no need to waste money."
After a pause, Erya said hesitantly, "If your family has some spare money, could you buy me a book?"
"Buy it, buy it tomorrow." Erya's father felt a little distressed. Anyone can go to Murakami's school to study, but there are very few who don't have books. The girl is sensible, but the eyes of others -
Erya grinned and said, "Master said that we should go get some couplets tomorrow. Every family has one. Buy the book so you can read it at home during the New Year. If you don't understand something, you can ask Master."
"The master is a good man." Erya's father said: "When I just came back, I saw that the government gave the master New Year gifts, including meat, wine, and a plaque!"
Every village has a teacher. The teacher is not required to have a high level of knowledge, but can teach children literacy and arithmetic. The government will give the basics to the children, and the lowest level is a scholar.
Gifts were given during the New Year holidays, subsidies were provided in summer and winter, and most importantly, tax exemptions were provided. After three years, one could also take the imperial examination, which was a direct provincial examination.
Of course, teachers were also subject to numerous assessments, and those who were careless and perfunctory would be punished.
Although the emperor was willing to promote new ideas, ideological change was the most difficult. For scholars, being cut off from the imperial examinations was more painful than being killed.
"Girls studying—" Erya's mother came out from the inner room, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Seeing her daughter lower her head, her heart softened and she said with a smile: "It's a great thing for our family to have a female scholar!"
Erya's father smiled and agreed, "Study hard, and you will be the one writing the Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters for the New Year in the future."
Erya finally became happy. She took a piece of wood and wrote the word "Fu" on the ground. She looked at it from left to right and smiled a little embarrassedly.
………………
After reviewing each document, he put it aside. The pile got higher and higher, almost blocking the view of Wu Yongxian, the governor of Liaodong, before he stopped.
After taking off his glasses and rubbing his swollen and painful eyes, Wu Yongxian felt relieved.
Many of the policies in Liaodong's reconstruction, resettlement of immigrants, and development and construction are different from the original ones or from those in the mainland.
After several years of implementation, the Liaodong government had become prosperous, and officials had accepted and mastered the new methods of governance and management.
What made Wu Yongxian even more gratified was that the people of Liaodong had basically freed themselves from the supply of the imperial court and achieved self-sufficiency.
This is due to the significant increase in land base and the cold-resistant and high-yielding nature of new crops.
Although rice, wheat, sweet potatoes, etc. were still being transported into Liaodong, it had become a commercial activity, not a relief subsidy, but a way to make money.
Of course, the people of Liaodong are now at the stage of having enough to eat. Potatoes, rye, and corn are not considered fine grains, and fish and meat are the cheapest available side dishes.
But in ancient times, a prosperous era was one where the people had enough to eat. The "thin bran" era of prosperity was recorded in history precisely because of this.
Wu Yongxian knew that Wansui was determined to develop Liaodong and expand the territory to the north. Liaodong's self-sufficiency would be a great achievement, which could accelerate the realization of Wansui's grand ambitions.
After a short rest, Wu Yong first made sure that the goal of self-sufficiency had been achieved before he spread out paper and picked up a pen to write a secret report to the emperor to report the good news.
He was a cautious man, and he knew that the emperor would not tolerate any injustice and hated deception from his subjects. Therefore, he had to carefully check the data reported to ensure that there was no mistake.
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