I

Just as the officials of Koroji Temple were pacifying Ezo Island, a Japanese Anzha ship followed the Datong naval fleet and carried the Tang envoy to Shanghai.

Lin Efeng served as the envoy, and his main task was to escort 20 international students to Nanjing.

The leader of these twenty Japanese students is Hotta Yoshimasa. He is only seventeen years old and is the nephew of the old man, Hota Masatoshi. Although Abe Tadaki became the elder after the fall of Sakai Tadaki, it is Hota Masatoshi who is truly influential.

Hota Masatoshi's adoptive mother was the wet nurse of the shogunate Tokugawa Iemitsu. He served Tokugawa Iemitsu with his adoptive mother since he was a child, and later became the entrusted minister with Sakai Tadakiyoshi.

Hota Masatoshi and Sakai Tadaki were mortal enemies. In another time and space, Tokugawa Ietsuna died. Hota Masatoshi supported the fourth child, and Sakai Tadakiyoshi supported the third child. In the end, the fourth child was the fourth child. As the eldest brother, Sakai Tadakiyo actually lost.

This guy is very cunning and will never make a move until he is completely sure.

This time Abe Tadaki led people to rescue the shogun, and it was Hota Masatoshi who was behind the plan. He also asked Abe Tadaki to represent the shogunate and sign a humiliating treaty with China. Others took the blame, while Hotta Masatoshi secretly controlled the overall situation.

In addition to the nephews of Hota Masatoshi, there are also children of the Doi family and the Ii family, all of whom have the background of being a minister.

The fleet arrived directly at Shanghai Port. After twenty years of construction, Shanghai County has become more prosperous than many state capitals.

This year the imperial court issued a number of lists, and Shanghai County was among them.

In the past, the county magistrate of Shanghai was a seventh-rank official, but now it has been directly upgraded to a fifth-rank official, with an official position equivalent to that of a prefectural magistrate.

There is also Foshan Town on the list. The previous mayor of Foshan Town was only a minor official of the ninth rank. Due to the rapid development of industry and commerce, he was directly promoted to the seventh rank, which was only one level lower than the ordinary magistrate.

There are many similar situations to Foshan, such as Yanshen Town in Shandong. After experiencing war and plague, Yanshen Town quickly recovered and became the glass manufacturing center in the north, producing everything from optical lenses to daily glass.

The Datong court was exactly the opposite of the Ming court.

There were not many official positions in the Ming Dynasty, but there were many officials waiting to fill the vacancies. The Datong China established by Zhao Han added a large number of official positions (especially affairs officers below the fourth rank), and the number of idle officials waiting to fill the vacancies was very small.

"The Tang Dynasty is really prosperous." Hota Yoshizheng said looking at the Shanghai pier.

Lin Efeng said: "When you arrive in Nanjing, you will know the prosperity of the world."

Hota Yoshimasa said: "I have quietly read "Jinling Scenery", and I know a lot about Nanjing."

The prosperity Hotta Yoshimasa talks about does not mean a large population. After all, there are nearly a million people in Edo.

Not only Edo Castle, but also the castle town is divided into several areas. There are daimyo settlements, samurai settlements, and merchants, craftsmen, and other settlements.

The lowest level of civilians all live on land reclaimed from the sea. It is very close to Edo Port, and you can see many thatched houses as soon as you get ashore. The first impression given to outsiders is not good.

Not many days later, the Japanese envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty arrived in Nanjing. They were naturally impressed when they saw this great city with their own eyes.

They were arranged to stay at Zhongshan Temple, and Hota Yoshizheng wanted to see the slums in Nanjing.

Lin Efeng naturally couldn't refuse, and set off with the international students the next day.

Nanjing's slums are concentrated in the northwest urban area, and there were even paddy fields in the mid-Ming Dynasty. There are many low hills there, only the area along the river is relatively prosperous, and those farther away from the river are all dilapidated houses.

Lin Efeng stood on the bridge and introduced: "I have been to Nanjing several times. Goods in the city are transported from this river to the city gate in the west, and then take the Qinhuai River and enter the Yangtze River. You can also go directly north, but the goods cannot be transported by ship. , it needs to be transported to the dock by mules and horses. Therefore, the two sides of the river here are very prosperous, but after crossing the riverside street, the blocks further behind are slums."

Hota Yoshimasa asked: "Are there no beggars in the slums of Nanjing?"

"No," Lin Efeng explained, "If a disabled person really has no relatives, the government will send him to a nursing home. If he has relatives and abandons the disabled person, the government will severely punish him. People with sound hands and feet , begging on the streets will be ridiculed, and they will be arrested by the government and immigrate to the north. In the past, they immigrated to Hebei and Liaoning, but now they immigrate to Heilongjiang, Tibet and overseas."

Hota Yoshimasa asked: "There are so many ronai and beggars in Edo, why didn't the shogunate immigrate in large numbers?"

Lin Efeng smiled bitterly and said: "Organizing immigration does not mean exiling criminals. It costs a lot of money. Moreover, there are also immigrants from the Edo Ronin. They are shipped and driven overseas, and many of them go to China's coastal cities and overseas territories. Chinese officials are worried about the Ronin. Too many would cause trouble, and those without jobs were removed by the Chinese government. I heard that there were two to three hundred ronin in Heilongjiang alone, and they were scattered and placed in remote villages."

The so-called Heilongjiang here is actually Siberia...

Many of the rogues who were thrown to Siberia were hired by merchants as bodyguards. After all, people in remote mountains and rivers should not only be wary of the natives, but also be wary of wild beasts in the mountains and forests.

The imperial court also imposed strict restrictions, and the number of rogues in each Siberian settlement could not exceed one-third of the Han people. The number of ronin hired by each caravan shall not exceed ten. All ronin must change their Han names and wear Han clothes.

"Crackling..."

The international students walked through the streets and alleys along the river. Before they reached the slums, they heard the sound of firecrackers.

Hota Yoshizheng went over and took a look, but he saw a whole row of six-story buildings. He turned back and asked Lin Efeng: "You said this is a slum?"

Lin Efeng was also a little dumbfounded: "The last time I came to Nanjing, there were still low earth walls. Some houses didn't even have earth walls, they were just shacks built with scrap wood."

Everyone continued to move forward and saw many civilians moving.

Their furniture is all shabby, but everyone is wearing new clothes, and all men, women, and children are beaming with joy.

Lin Efeng stepped forward quickly and asked an old man: "Old man, are you going to live in those new houses?"

The old man smiled and said: "Thanks to Long Live Lord, I will live in a big building."

"How much did it cost to buy the house?" Lin Efeng asked.

The old man smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits: "Long live Lord, please have mercy. You can live in a high-rise building for free."

Lin Efeng turned around and came back to explain that the Japanese students were dumbfounded. The Chinese emperor actually built free houses for the poor at the bottom... what the hell!

The population inside and outside Nanjing is increasing, and the area around Xuanwu Lake is almost completely developed.

So the government focused on the slums in the northwest city, but after all, they were under the emperor's feet, and the magistrate of Shangyuan did not dare to take action casually. After Bingming court, Zhao Han personally came up with the idea and started real estate development.

First, the Shangyuan County government came forward to determine the list of businessmen willing to invest.

These merchants took out their money and commissioned builders to repair the houses, while the government was responsible for the demolition work.

The six-story building is very tall, especially since the cement grade has been continuously improved and concrete prefabricated panels have been used, which has rapidly reduced the construction cost of the building. A large area of ​​Nanjing's lower-class civilians can be properly accommodated in a few rows of buildings, and the vacant land is sold to businessmen to build shops.

People in the slums can't get a penny in compensation, but they can buy a new house for free.

No one was a thorn in the side, and everyone was very happy.

After all, the ancient imperial court often did not care about the life and death of the people during demolition, let alone getting new houses after demolition.

These six-story buildings have no sewer pipes.

It is not a technical problem. The official road is made of coarse porcelain and can be used in walls. But if you do that, you still have to dig sewers, which is too complicated.

People's daily excrement and urine are placed in toilets and sold to excrement collectors every morning. One or two pence can be considered as income. As for drinking water, there are several wells nearby, and I fetch water in buckets and carry it upstairs.

The officials in Shangyuan County all admired Emperor Zhao sincerely. This method was so clever.

The common people got new houses, the merchants got shops, and the government changed the backward appearance of the slums (political achievements). It can be said that everyone is happy and everyone benefits!

That's because no developer makes a profit by selling houses.

All the merchants wanted was land and shops, and all the money they spent to buy the land was used to build houses for the demolished households.

Lin Efeng continued walking north with the international students, and finally a normal scene appeared.

There are shantytowns over there!

The people in these shantytowns are now running in groups to the south to look at the new buildings, their eyes full of envy. They also want to be demolished, and they also want to live in buildings for free.

Many people were invited to visit the house, and the demolition households couldn't help but show off, while the visitors began to find faults with the house.

"Everything about this house is good, but the building is too high. You have to go up and down several floors every day, which is very inconvenient for the elderly."

"Hey, my dad's legs and feet are very good."

“It’s not convenient to carry water either.”

"Don't be afraid, poor people just work hard. Working hard for your boss makes you money, working hard for yourself makes you feel comfortable."

"The house is too high, and the cold wind is very strong in winter."

"The poor bear the cold."

"Hey, why don't you demolish my shabby house?"

"Haha, your house is too far away from the river. Do you have to pay for it if you build a shop?"

"You are so lucky."

"Thanks to Long Live Lord, meeting other emperors is not such a good thing. The neighbors in our area have agreed that after moving in, every house will enshrine the late emperor's tablet."

"..."

Zhao Han is not dead yet, so it is not appropriate to enshrine him with a memorial tablet, so let’s enshrine Zhao Han’s lost father.

In the previous dynasty, this practice was considered excessive, and anyone caught would be beheaded. But the new dynasty does not have so many rules. As long as it is out of respect, civilians can also enshrine the late emperor's tablet.

Hota Yoshi was visiting the shanty town and found that although it was very poor, the environment was very clean. There are a few houses that are still relatively new, because the owners made money and renovated them. Although after the renovation, they are still low-slung houses with mud walls, but at least they can stand out from the neighbors.

Hota Yoshimasa suddenly asked: "Where is the factory with steam engines?"

Lin Efeng said: "They are all in the suburbs. Steam factories are not allowed to be opened too close to the city wall. Moreover, foreigners are not allowed to visit unless they have documents from Honglu Temple."

"Then can we apply for documents?" Hota Yoshimasa asked.

Lin Efeng shook his head: "I applied, but Honglu Temple didn't approve it at all."

Hota Yoshimasa asked again: "Can I learn how to make a steam engine at Jinling University?"

"Yes," Lin Efeng said, "but foreign students are not allowed to study related subjects. However, they can subscribe to Qintianyuan's magazines and buy books from students at high prices. After buying the magazines and textbooks, they can quietly study on their own Learn to understand.”