"Actually, Shu is not bad either, but it is a bit small. Fortunately, we don't need to mobilize a lot of troops there now. We just need enough. We can also transfer a small number to the northwest and southwest, so we won't have to worry about military operations in the future." Zhu Yunying continued, "If we develop these places in Lingnan well, the climate there is warm, and the grain production will not be low in the future."
Old Zhu nodded and said to Zhu Yunying, "Then Yin'er will have to step up. We can't let this go on after he ascends the throne."
“Yes, we are only helping him lay a good foundation now. He and future emperors will have to continue to work hard.” Zhu Yunying said with a smile, “Once these three places are ripe, the Ming Dynasty will probably not have a big shortage of grain.”
Old Zhu then added, "We can't forget about Guanzhong. We've also searched through ancient books, and it seems that Guanzhong's grain production is not as good as before. But at least there is some output, enough for our own needs, and we can also supply the court with some grain."
Guanzhong, let alone the Qin and Han dynasties, was the foundation of a dynasty even earlier. It was only during the Song dynasty that Guanzhong's status began to decline. However, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was a major grain-producing area, not much inferior to the Jiangnan region.
It can only be said that the Jiangnan and Jingchu regions have enormous potential, and they are constantly developing, putting on a great show of catching up from behind.
Zhu Yunying smiled and said to his grandfather, "Grandfather, with the three major grain-producing areas under our control, and with the assistance of other places, our Great Ming really doesn't need to worry about the grain problem. As long as we don't suffer from natural disasters and man-made calamities year after year, our Great Ming will surely be stable. Moreover, the places I want to develop are not just Lingnan."
Old Zhu understood Zhu Yunying's meaning, but he was a little worried. "You mean those places in Liaodong, right? They are bitterly cold and wild lands, and our people don't want to go there."
What Lao Zhu said makes perfect sense. The Northeast is now an absolutely harsh and cold place, a true hellish place. The people there are mostly impoverished barbarians like the Jurchens, and their living conditions are even more severe than those in malaria-ridden places like Annam.
"We had someone check over there, and it's all black soil!" Zhu Yunying's eyes lit up as he said to Old Zhu, "If we do a good job, the grain there might even be more than in Jiangnan and Jingchu! Grandfather, that's black soil! You've spent a lot of time farming, you should know this!"
Old Zhu paused for a moment, then asked, "Is it really black soil? How thick is it? Don't let the people below fool you; it might just be a layer of black soil on the surface."
"No, it's not just the surface that's covered in black soil, it's all black soil underneath," Zhu Yunying said, enticingly adding, "Grandfather, do you think if that area is developed, won't our Ming Dynasty have enough grain? Even if we move the capital to Beiping, we don't necessarily have to rely on transporting grain from Jiangnan. Maybe in the future, Liaodong will be the source of the grain?"
Old Zhu paused for a moment, then said, "They grow rice over there, not wheat?"
It's no wonder Old Zhu thought that way; Liaodong was considered a harsh and cold place by people of that era. Furthermore, in that time, wheat was the main crop grown north of the Huai River, while rice was the main crop south of the Huai River. This was a common mindset among most people.
Zhu Yunying immediately became smug and said with a smile, "It's probably possible to grow rice over there, but the foundation is too weak right now. All we can do now is lay the groundwork there and then hope that our Yin'er can maintain it and continue to improve the situation there."
The three northeastern provinces are a famous major grain-producing area. We learned about hunting roe deer with sticks and scooping fish with ladles when we were in school.
However, that area is indeed quite poor now and doesn't qualify as a major grain-producing region at all. What Zhu Yunying needs to do now is to develop it, not only to develop it into a grain-producing area, but also to completely suppress the ancestors of the wild boars and even drive them to even more harsh and cold places.
Zhu Yunying felt he had to do these things well because he had this kind of 'vision'.
Zhu Yunying was ambitious, but he knew that things wouldn't be accomplished overnight. That's just how reality is; it takes time to see results.
What Zhu Yunying could do was probably to lay a solid foundation for himself. If he didn't do certain things or take the lead, his descendants might not have thought of them or persisted in them.
As an emperor, Zhu Yunying also felt that these were indeed his responsibilities!
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