nucmednet Chapter 677 An Unprecedented Great Migration
Chapter 677 An Unprecedented Great Migration
Liang Xiaoming pondered for a long time before finally realizing what he meant: "Damn, isn't this like you becoming a king of the mountains, a country within a country? Taking advantage of the fact that the imperial court doesn't have any government offices in Taiwan, you're just sending some people over there to set up your own independent regime?"
Liu Ye feigned displeasure and said, "How can you say that? I drove out the red-haired barbarians and Spanish for the court, and I also helped immigrants reclaim wasteland. This is expanding the territory of the Ming Dynasty!"
"Uh... just keep pretending!" Liang Xiaoming had long seen through his good buddy's thick skin and black heart; he was full of bad intentions but pretended to be righteous.
Yan Guang's eyes lit up when he heard Liu Ye's words, and he praised, "General, you are absolutely right. Without the name of an official government, but with the substance of one, this will indeed attract many unsuccessful scholars to go to sea and try their luck."
The imperial examination system in feudal dynasties was far more arduous than today's college entrance examination. It was a true "thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge," with only a tiny fraction of the millions of scholars able to pass the provincial examination (举人). Those who achieved the highest level (进士) and were listed on the imperial examination list were even rarer. The proportion of officials who became officials through the imperial examinations was extremely low, with countless people failing at each level. Many, unable to secure official positions through normal channels, resorted to various means. Those with the means entered the Imperial Academy (国子监), while those without could only obtain minor official positions through recommendation and selection, with virtually no chance of advancement.
Even so, many scholars who never passed the imperial examinations, let alone became officials, were still struggling. Those from wealthy families fared better, but those from poor families might not even have enough to eat. This is where the saying "poor scholar" comes from. If given the opportunity to travel overseas and "become an official" at that time, many would surely be willing to give it a try.
They walked and talked, and soon arrived in Tianjin.
Xu Zhong, the commander of Tianjin Garrison, had already learned of the news and rushed over to greet him, respectfully saying, "Your humble servant respectfully welcomes the Marquis of Pingnan's triumphant return!"
Panda jumped out to correct him: "Commander Xu, you're wrong. He's now the Marquis of Pingnan, not the Earl of Pingnan. Moreover, he's now been appointed Grand General, Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, and promoted to Left Commander-in-Chief. He's gone up several ranks!"
"Lord Pan... Lord Pan?" Xu Zhong stared at Pan Da in disbelief, speechless with astonishment. He had heard about Pan Da's underhanded schemes against Liu Ye when the Tartar army passed through Tianjin, and the burning of the granary had shocked the entire city. These two should have been bitter enemies, so why were they so close? Moreover, it seemed that Pan Da, a former censor who had always looked down on military officials, was acting like a subordinate. What was going on?
Panda saw his doubt, snorted, and said, "I was once misled by a villain and offended the Marquis of Pingnan. However, he is a magnanimous man who does not hold grudges. He has a heart that can hold a boat in his belly. The past is over. Now I am no longer the Tianjin Military Commissioner, but I am working for the Marquis of Pingnan."
Xu Zhong felt a little dizzy. The turn of events was too crazy and completely beyond his comprehension. Was this still the Panda he had known for several years? Moreover, it didn't make sense for a military commissioner to give up such a lucrative position to run errands for a military officer! He almost blurted out that he wanted to find out the reason and satisfy his curiosity.
However, his years of experience in officialdom had taught him that in the system, one should not be curious about what one shouldn't be curious about, nor should one inquire about what one shouldn't inquire about. You never know what kind of dark secrets lie behind things, and often, the less you know, the better. He suppressed his impulse and greeted the Marquis of Pingnan again: "This humble official greets the Marquis of Pingnan!"
Liu Ye replied with a smile, "We're all acquaintances, don't be so formal. And don't take Panda's words too seriously; those honorary titles are just external things."
Xu Zhong respectfully replied, "This humble official understands." But inwardly, he was churning with rage. That was a perfect display of arrogance!
In less than ten days, this man had changed his title and rank completely, including the completely unheard-of "Grand General," which seemed incredibly impressive. Judging solely from his titles and ranks, Liu Ye was clearly the most powerful military officer since the current emperor ascended the throne. Not to mention the Chongzhen era, even the combined reigns of the Tianqi and Taichang emperors hadn't produced such a formidable figure. Yet, the emperor casually remarked, "A nominal title is merely an external thing," leaving Liu Ye, a hereditary commander of the Imperial Guard with no chance of promotion, utterly bewildered.
Liu Ye was unaware of Xu Zhong's thoughts. His mind was preoccupied with how to resettle the 100,000 people and establish grassroots government in Taiwan. The prerequisite for all of this was safely smuggling the 100,000 people out to sea from Tianjin. He said to Xu Zhong, "Commander Xu, we're already so familiar with each other, I won't stand on ceremony. I need your help with something..."
Xu Zhong quickly replied, "Please give your instructions, Marquis of Pingnan. I will do my best."
"I need to transport a large number of people from Tianjin to Taiwan by sea to reclaim wasteland. It will take many batches and quite a long time, so I need your full cooperation..."
Although Tianjin Wei had some government offices, it was essentially a garrison city primarily focused on military functions. The commander of the garrison and the military commissioner were the ones who truly held power, so the passage of large numbers of people required the cooperation of these local strongmen. After Panda's fate took a complete turn, the military commissioner's office was temporarily without a leader, and Xu Zhong became the only person in charge of Tianjin Wei.
Xu Zhong was flattered and nodded obsequiously in response: "Your Excellency Pingnan, what are you saying? I will do my best whenever you need me. I cannot accept your request." However, he couldn't remember what this Taiwan was. "I have never heard of this Taiwan before. Could it be a place overseas in the West?"
Liu Ye slapped his forehead, forgetting that it wasn't called Taiwan anymore. He explained, "It's Dongfan Island!"
"I see." Xu Zhong suddenly realized. "Please rest assured, Marquis of Pingnan, I will immediately gather my men to assist your troops."
An unprecedented mass migration began. Transporting so many people by sea at once was unprecedented in history; even Zheng Zhilong's migration from Fujian did not involve such a large-scale operation. Under Liu Ye's command, the Qionghai Navy and Tianjin Wei were mobilized and engaged in this massive migration operation.
The small fortified town could not accommodate so many people, so the Qionghai Army built temporary shelters outside the town for the people to stay temporarily. Large groups of soldiers were deployed around the perimeter, armed to the teeth, and kept the town brightly lit all night to prevent the people from fleeing.
Panda recruited his old subordinates from the temporarily abandoned military yamen, and together with the Qionghai Army, he took charge of the city gate, transforming himself into the "Deputy Commander of the Immigration Work Command," arranging for immigrants to enter the port and board ships in batches.