Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 684 Return in triumph

Liu Ye immediately rejected Liang Xiaoming's suggestion: "My development of Taiwan is not about turning it into a replica of Qiongzhou. It's simply about using it as a secondary base for farming and military training, providing food and manpower. Qiongzhou is enough as the main base. Our energy and resources should be concentrated in one place, not spread evenly. Putting aside the fact that Taiwan is relatively scarce in raw materials like cotton, our main economic source is currently maritime trade and customs revenue. How could we put the cart before the horse and focus on manufacturing?"

Actually, there were some things he didn't say. As an isolated overseas branch base, it had to rely on the governor's autonomous model for development, resulting in relatively weak control. Therefore, the simplest and most effective way was to eliminate the danger of its independence to some extent by controlling weapons and ammunition. So how could it possibly build steel mills and arsenals?

Seeing his firm opposition, Liang Xiaoming had no choice but to abandon the idea.

Everything was ready, and all that was left was for the arrival of the fleet of ships to transport the immigrants.

Five days later, the massive fleet arrived at Dengzhou. Yan Guang led Panda ashore and said to Liu Ye, who had come to greet them, "General, all 100,000 civilians have gone ashore to load onto the ships. We have successfully completed our mission!"

"You've worked hard." Liu Ye expressed his concern and sympathy, then said to Panda, "Come, come, I'll take you to meet your future boss."

Liu Ye brought him to Zhu Dadian and introduced them to each other: "This is Pan Da, the former Tianjin Military Commissioner, and this is Zhu Dadian, the former Governor of Fengyang and Grand Canal Transport Commissioner. From now on, Taiwan will be handed over to the two of you."

Pan Da was taken aback. He had actually managed to get someone like Zhu Dadian to come to his aid. This Marquis of Pingnan was truly capable. He bowed respectfully and said, "Pan Da greets Mr. Yanzhi. I am also a former official, having served as a censor in the Ministry of War. I have long admired you, sir."

Zhu Dadian stroked his beard and smiled, "What a coincidence! When I came to the capital from my post as magistrate of Zhangqiu, I also served as a supervising secretary in the Ministry of War. Which year did you become a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination)?"

"He was only a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the fifth year of the Tianqi reign."

"Those are junior scholars. I was a Jinshi in the forty-fourth year of the Wanli reign."

After introducing themselves, the two immediately found common ground and chatted enthusiastically.

Liu Ye observed coldly, nodding inwardly. This was exactly the effect he wanted. The two men had similar backgrounds, both starting as censors, but their positions differed greatly. This allowed them to have common ground while maintaining a clear distinction in seniority and status, enabling them to work together without forming cliques. Moreover, although Panda had his strengths, the burning of the granary revealed his reckless and unscrupulous nature. A seasoned veteran like Zhu Dadian was perfectly positioned to keep the overall situation under control and ensure no chaos ensued.

The fleet docked to replenish supplies, but immigrants were not allowed to disembark. Lu Gengyu led his men to load the farm tools, grain, and oxen that had been hastily purchased in the past few days onto the ships, preparing to transport them all to Taiwan.

Lin Tianming also arrived. When he saw the fleet stretching for miles, seemingly endless, he was stunned by his son-in-law's extravagant gesture. So many people, from whom the able-bodied were selected and trained into elite soldiers, supplemented by the Qionghai Navy's renowned firearms—who in the world could stand against them? Now he understood that Zhu Dadian's words were not unfounded; such actions were hardly something a general confined to a corner of the land would undertake.

The dock was bustling with noise, mixed with the mooing of cattle. Countless people were carrying grain and farm tools, driving oxen onto the ships, while squads of soldiers, armed to the teeth, disembarked and walked ashore—only Xu Yifan's Second Regiment was going to Taiwan; the rest of the soldiers had to transfer to ships bound for Qiongzhou.

Xiang Yu reluctantly bid farewell to Zhu Jinhu. The two had become friends during their time on the ship, despite their initial misunderstanding. However, all good things must come to an end. Xiang Yu was assigned to Taiwan, while Zhu Jinhu's First Regiment was to return to Lingao.

Xiang Yu asked, "Brother Zhu, I wonder how long it will be before I can see you again?"

Zhu Jinhu chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, it won’t take too long. I heard from our company commander that you in Taiwan are also going to organize the local militia into a new army. With your physique, recruiters will be scrambling to hire you. As long as you work hard enough, you’ll soon be coming to the Ma’ao Military Academy for training as a reserve officer, and then we can meet.”

Xiang Yu didn't quite understand Zhu Jinhu's words, but "officer" and "military academy" sounded impressive. He nodded excitedly, "Okay, I'll listen to Brother Zhu. I'll definitely come to Qiongzhou Prefecture to see you in style!"

After a day and a night of hard work, they finally loaded all the production tools and supplies onto the ship, and the troop rotation was completed. The next day, Liu Ye and the others bid farewell to Lin Tianming and the others, preparing to board the Yongle-class warship "Guangdong" and return to Lingao. The fleet split into two, one heading to Taiwan and the other to Lingao.

Before boarding the ship, Liu Ye said to Zhu Dadian, "There are still many things in Qiongzhou that I need to deal with when I get back. I don't have time to go to Taiwan for the time being, so I'll leave that to Mr. Yanzhi!"

Zhu Dadian said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Marquis of Pingnan, Yanzhi will certainly not fail in his mission."

Lin Tianming then instructed Liu Ye: "Stop personally leading expeditions so often. You are now a regional commander, not a mere junior officer. Stay in Qiongzhou for a while this time, spend some quality time with Shiyue, and hopefully have a son or daughter soon."

Liu Ye was a little embarrassed. Before, he was being pressured to get married, and now he was being pressured to have children. He could control the former, but he couldn't control the latter! He could only nod and agree, "I will try my best."

Even after boarding the ship, Liang Xiaoming was still teasing Liu Ye: "Did you hear your father-in-law's instructions? Hurry back to the mountains to protect the forests and have a big, healthy son soon!"

Liu Ye looked at him with disdain: "How dare you say that to me? You and Liu Ru have been together for so many years, how come there's still no sign of pregnancy? Maybe your father-in-law is just angry but dare not say anything."

Liang Xiaoming's laughter stopped abruptly. He thought about it carefully, frowned, and looked around to make sure no one was watching. "Our bodies should be fine, right? We have a good appetite and are in great health, so why haven't we had a child after all these years? Could it be that our bodies were damaged during the time travel?"

Liu Ye was also puzzled by what he said, and frowned, saying, "That shouldn't be the case, right? Everything else is fine, so could it be a problem with the kidneys?"

The "Guangdong" ship, carrying two people full of questions, sailed through the waves and arrived at Bofu Port half a month later.

Since the fast ship "Yangming" had already returned to Lingao to report the news, Sun Yuanhua led the people who were holding the main camp to the dock early to welcome the army's triumphant return.

Liu Ye stood at the bow of the ship, looking through binoculars at the welcoming crowd on the dock. Suddenly, a group of beautiful women appeared in his field of vision. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Lin Shiyue leading her wives and concubines to greet him. His heart warmed, and he couldn't help but smile. Just then, he noticed that Suwen's belly seemed to be slightly protruding, and his hand trembled, almost dropping the binoculars.

"Mingzi, can you take a look at Suwen's belly? Does it look like she's pregnant?"