Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 707 Strategic Direction Adjustment

After inspecting the harvested rice paddies, Liu Ye and his group continued their journey. After walking for about ten miles, the forest began to thicken.

Zhu Dadian explained, "My lord, if we go any further, we'll reach an area frequented by natives. The trees here haven't been completely cut down yet, and immigration and land reclamation are underway. For safety's sake, just take a look here and don't get off the carriage."

Liu Ye lifted the curtains and looked outside. The scene before him resembled a construction site: near the woods, people were wielding axes, diligently felling trees, with trees crashing down every now and then, and the felled trees piled up into small hills; in the cleared land, people were using hoes to cultivate the wasteland, the turned soil connecting to form a neat expanse, like an enlarged Go board; on the west side of the wasteland, closer to the sea, houses were under construction, with craftsmen using trowels to smooth and fill the mortar before laying bricks; in front of the houses was a road being leveled, with people using tools to flatten the surface under the foreman's direction, this road connecting the houses and fields, extending deep into the woods.

Liu Ye couldn't help but ask Liang Xiaoming, "Didn't you send technicians to Taiwan to build cement roads? Why are they still using rammed earth roads here?"

Liang Xiaoming glared at him and replied, "You don't know the cost of living until you're in charge. This place is clearly just an immigrant settlement; it hasn't even formed a village yet. Do you know how many tons of cement it would cost to build a cement road all the way from Tainan City to here? Even if you're a tycoon who's not afraid of going bankrupt, spending so much manpower and resources on cement roads is extremely unwise. Right now, we can only guarantee that the main roads from the dock to the castle, and around the castle, will be paved with cement. We can't guarantee the rest for the time being."

Zhu Dadian interjected, "This cement is really a good thing. Tainan City uses this stuff, and the road surface is smoother than the original stone slab road of the Red Hair. The main road leading to the dock is no longer covered in dust on sunny days and mud on rainy days. Although the road from Tainan City to here is not a cement road, the rammed earth road is sufficient."

Liang Xiaoming continued, "As time goes by, the cement road will gradually extend here. There's no need to rush; you can't swallow a fat man in one bite."

Liu Ye blinked a few times: "Okay, let's just make do with this dirt road for now."

After inspecting the rice paddies and the immigrant settlement under construction, the group returned to Tainan City via the same route, by which time the sun had already set.

Upon arriving at the Governor's Mansion, Zheng Hongkui, Xu Yifan, Lin Chuanzong, and others were already waiting. They had all rushed over upon hearing the news of Liu Ye's arrival in Taiwan. Lin Chuanzong had been patrolling the Taiwan Strait and had just returned to port for resupply and rest when he heard that the big boss had arrived, so he put aside his fleet business and came.

Liu Ye was happy to see everyone. Except for Xu Yifan, whom he hadn't seen for several months, he hadn't seen the others for a long time. He greeted them one by one: "Fourth Master Zheng, long time no see. Are you having a good time working at the Tainan Customs?"

The gap in status between Zheng Hongkui and Liu Ye has widened step by step, from an initial equal partnership to one where Zheng can only look up to Liu Ye—a world of difference. Hearing Liu Ye's teasing, he quickly bowed and said, "Your Excellency is too kind. If you don't mind, you can just call me Zheng Laosi. I'm very happy working at the customs office. The climate here in Tainan isn't much different from Fujian, and the food and lodging are good. As long as Your Excellency doesn't replace me, I'm willing to stay here and work here indefinitely."

Liu Ye then asked Lin Chuanzong, "Hey, you're from Guangdong, are you getting used to life in Taiwan?"

Lin Chuanzong felt a warmth in his heart at the general's call of "Sea Monkey." He was surprised that the general still remembered his nickname. He replied respectfully, "As long as I can serve the general, I'm willing to go anywhere, even the north, let alone Taiwan or Fujian. There's no such thing as being unaccustomed to it."

"Hehe, it's cold up north, you probably can't stand it as a Cantonese. Besides, there's no sea north of Shanhaiguan, so you can't get ashore with a boat!"

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone reported to Liu Ye on their respective tasks.

Zhu Dadian spoke first: "The Marquis has already inspected the rice paddies outside the city. The remaining immigrant settlements are under construction. Currently, the total number of immigrants is about 100,000, mainly concentrated in the Tainan area. Once the natives are cleared out, we can move inland. After the next few waves of refugees arrive, we can move south to Takow to develop. Based on the amount of farmland that can be harvested now, we can barely sustain the current immigrants' food supply, and we no longer need to purchase grain from Fujian."

Seeing that Liu Ye was unfamiliar with the term "Da Gou," Liang Xiaoming once again demonstrated his extensive knowledge, whispering in his ear, "Da Gou is the same as Kaohsiung later on..." Only then did Liu Ye realize.

Lin Chuanzong then reported on his work: "General, since I was appointed to lead the fleet to patrol the Fujian coast more than a year ago, we have seized more than 260 merchant ships that have not paid taxes, and confiscated cargo worth more than 6 million. The results are obvious. Now, merchant ships that do not pay taxes have basically disappeared. It is rare to encounter one in a month."

"Yes, well done, you've worked hard."

Xu Yifan then reported: "After I led the Second Regiment to Tainan, I selected local soldiers to train a new army. In just over five months, the number of new soldiers has reached more than 8,000, which exceeds the full strength of the Second Regiment. With the arrival of immigrants in the future, it will be just around the corner for the new army to expand to more than 10,000."

"Very good. You've all done your jobs very well. Taiwan's rapid development in such a short time is all thanks to you." Liu Ye affirmed their achievements. "Now that the situation at sea has stabilized, our strategic direction needs to be adjusted, shifting towards the inland areas. Personnel changes will follow accordingly. I've decided..."

Upon hearing this, the group stopped bending over, with Xu Yifan and Lin Chuanzong standing ramrod straight.

Within six months, Xu Yifan expanded the Second Regiment to 20,000 men, then handed over the responsibility of training the garrison to the Governor's Office, and returned to Lingao to undergo reorganization with Shi Ying and Su Hongtu.

Xu Yifan saluted and replied firmly, "Yes, sir!"

"Lin Chuanzong will leave half of the ships to continue the strait patrol mission and select capable subordinates to take over. You will take the rest of the ships and return to Lingao next month to prepare for heading north."

Lin Chuanzong was somewhat excited, his face beaming with enthusiasm: "Your subordinate obeys!"

"Hongkui's position will remain unchanged, and the customs offices in Tainan and Bofu will be retained for a long time. No matter how the Qionghai Army develops in the future, this income will remain the main source of income for the Qionghai Army for a long time. As for Mr. Yanzhi, the migration of immigrants may gradually decrease until it stops by the end of the year. After the governance here is on track, you should be prepared to go north to cultivate a successor. You may be given another important position."