I

Prince Zhao Kuanghuan landed at Lushunkou.

When Zhu Yuanzhang regained Liaodong, he crossed the sea and landed here, and renamed Shizikou to Lushunkou.

Lushun means smooth travel.

In the entire Ming Dynasty, Lushun was the most important seaport in Liaodong, and a large number of Northeast local products were transported to Shandong from here. Commodities from the north and the south were also transported from Shandong to Lushun, and then spread to the entire northeast region.

The Datong court immigrated to the Northeast for many years, and incorporated the Jurchen and Mongolian households into Qimin, and now there are more than one million people in Liaoning Province. Although the population is definitely not as good as that of the Ming Dynasty, the business is more prosperous, which can be seen from the prosperity of Lushun Port.

Before Zhao Kuanghuan got off the boat, he saw the bustling scene of the pier.

There are no lever cranes here yet, everything is moved by hand. And the wages are comparable to those in Shanghai. After all, Liaoning is full of land waiting to be cultivated. The population of cities and docks is small, and there are few people who are willing to carry out contract labor.

Pearls, furs, and even Siberian specialties from the Heilongjiang River Basin are mostly imported to the mainland through Lushunkou.

Before the prince entered the port, there were already warships clearing the harbor, and all merchant ships had to get out of the way. After all, merchant ships are allowed to carry six small cannons. What if there is someone who doesn't have a good eye and fires a few shots at the Prince's ship?

Immediately afterwards, the pier also opened up a channel, and the busy commercial activities stopped instantly.

Under the protection of the guards, Zhao Kuanghuan slowly came to the shore. Seeing that everyone was driven away, he felt a little unhappy, but he also understood the guards' work.

"That tall man, call him over." Zhao Kuanghuan pointed to a coolie in the distance.

The coolie was brought in front of the prince, he was nervous but also a little excited, subconsciously wanted to kneel down and worship him, Zhao Kuanghuan supported him with his own hands.

"How much is the monthly salary?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.

The coolie replied: "When it is more, it is five or six yuan, and when it is less, it is two or three yuan."

Zhao Kuanghuan asked, "How is the grain price this year?"

The coolie replied: "The corn costs two cents a catty, and the wheat seven pennies a catty. Both are more expensive than last year."

"What is corn?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.

The attendant at the side whispered, "Your Highness, corn is corn."

Zhao Kuanghuan asked again, "Where is the rice?"

The coolie said: "Liaoning has few rice growers, and the price is so expensive that poor people can't afford it."

Zhao Kuanghuan asked again: "How many people are there in the family?"

The coolie gradually became less nervous, and said like beans poured out of a bamboo tube: "My father came here in the sixth year of the Republic of China. The government helped marry my mother. My mother used to be a slave of the Tartars. There is an elder brother in the family, and several younger brothers and sisters." , I got allotted land in the countryside. I’m not good at farming, and I’m not good at reading, so I come here to carry bags. Although I’m a bit tired, it’s much faster than farming. I also got my wife three years ago and got married for two years I have no children, I gave birth to twins not long ago, and my wife is still confinement at home."

"Can one person support a family?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.

The coolie grinned and said, "It's a good day. My wife is confinement, and I bought her chicken stew to eat. Back home in the country, I will bring money back to honor my parents during the Chinese New Year. I have already saved more than ten yuan in Datong Bank. I can still eat bank interest every month. I am renting a house now and plan to buy a house next year."

"It's a good day to have a wife, a house, and children." Zhao Kuanghuan laughed.

The coolie smiled and said, "It's all thanks to the blessing of the Long Live God."

After going back for dozens of steps, Zhao Kuanghuan pointed to a middle-aged man and called him over for questioning.

"What do you do for a living?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.

The middle-aged man replied: "Reporting to Your Highness, Cao Min is running the business for the owner."

Zhao Kuanghuan asked, "What kind of business are you running?"

The middle-aged man replied: "In the beginning, wild ginseng was harvested in Shenyang and Liaoyang, and shipped to Lushun for sale. Later, it started to collect fur, and the business of the owner became bigger and bigger. A few years ago, I went to Hailan to make a split. Number."

"I didn't ask my boss, I asked yourself." Zhao Kuanghuan said.

The middle-aged man said: "Caomin is the third treasurer of the Lushun branch. He specializes in dealing with southern merchants and selling goods from the northeast to the south."

The first shopkeeper can be understood as the general manager, the second shopkeeper is equivalent to the director of finance and administration, and the third shopkeeper is responsible for sales and operations.

Zhao Kuanghuan asked, "How much is your monthly salary?"

The middle-aged man replied in detail: "The monthly salary is 15 yuan, and there is a red reward at the end of the year. If it is a big business, the boss will give you another reward."

Zhao Kuanghuan laughed and said, "Then you are a rich man."

The middle-aged man also said: "Thanks to the blessing of the Long Live Lord, we have caught up with the good times. When the grassroots were young, there was chaos everywhere, and business could not be done at all. Fortunately, His Majesty swept the world, and the current good times come."

Zhao Kuanghuan asked again: "How many children are there in the family?"

The middle-aged man said: "Four daughters and one son, the son is only in his thirties. However, the grassroots are not pampered, so they still have to be beaten. Now they have graduated from primary school. They are not bad in their studies. I guess they can get a lot of money. To get a high school diploma. If you don’t pass the public-funded student exam, you will go to university at your own expense, and maybe you can be an official in the future.”

"Then I wish Mr. Ling to be named on the gold list." Zhao Kuanghuan cupped his hands and said.

The middle-aged man hastily bowed down: "Oh, Your Highness has ruined the common people. With His Highness's auspicious words, if the dog can be named on the gold list, he will definitely be a good official who is loyal to the emperor and serves the country."

Zhao Kuanghuan invited several people to inquire again, and found that Lushun was thriving.

The main reason is that Liaodong was destroyed in the late Ming Dynasty, the land was sparsely populated, and land taxes were reduced or exempted for many years. Farmers can live well by farming. As for the city, especially the wharf, there are many peasants who go to the city, just because the city and the wharf make money quickly, they are more motivated than planing food in the soil.

I also asked two merchants, and they both said that the officials did not exploit them, and they paid the shop tax every year according to the rules.

Continue north, passing a village.

Zhao Kuanghuan first called an old farmer and asked, "Old man, where is your ancestral home?"

The old farmer replied: "Caomin came from the south, Korean ethnicity. However, I heard that Caomin's hometown was also included in Liaoning, and it was brought down by Long Live God a few years ago."

"Then you speak Chinese very fluently." Zhao Kuanghuan said.

The old farmer said: "When the grass people were young, they were captured by the Tartars to farm in Liaodong. They were whipped every day, which is not a human life. Later, they went to Hebei with the Tartars, and they still farmed for the Tartars. Back in Liaodong, finally He was rescued by the imperial court, and his wife was also given the land. The life of the grassroots was given by the Lord Long Live."

"There are many Koreans in the village?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.

The old farmer stretched out a palm: "There are only five people whose hometown is in North Korea. There are also twelve locals from Liaodong, three from Jiangsu, two from Anhui, two from Jiangxi, and one from Zhejiang. We were the only ones in the village earlier. At that time, there was wasteland everywhere, all of which were reclaimed by us people. Later, more than ten households were moved into the village, and the village head also came there. The village head is a lame Datong army, leading the whole village The elders dug the canal, and the canal was dug through, and more grain was harvested.”

"Where is the village chief?" Zhao Kuanghuan shouted.

A middle-aged farmer came running lamely, with mud on his trouser legs, he should have just returned from the field. He came to the prince, stood upright, fisted and crossed his arms in front of his chest, and saluted the prince: "Sergeant Li Baogui, the first brigade and regiment of the new thirteenth division of the former Datong army, see your highness the prince!"

Zhao Kuanghuan happily said: "Okay, you are energetic, you have trouble with your legs and feet, please sit down and talk."

"Yes!" Li Baogui sat up straight.

Zhao Kuanghuan asked, "Are there any difficulties at home?"

Li Guigui said, "No."

Zhao Kuanghuan asked: "Your official speech is good, where is your hometown?"

Li Baogui said: "My hometown is in Anhui."

"Have your parents brought you to Liaoning?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.

Li Baogui said: "My father has passed away, but my mother is still alive. She was taken care of by my elder brother in my hometown, and I didn't come to Liaoning. After Datong Bank opened the postal remittance, I sent money to my old mother every three years. The money is not much, it's out of my heart. "

"Really filial piety," Zhao Kuanghuan asked, "Do you have a wife and children here?"

Li Baogui said: "Yes, my wife is a concubine of the Tazi nobles. She was caught by lottery when she was in the army. She is very fertile. She has three sons and four daughters, all supported."

Zhao Kuanghuan asked, "How many acres of land is there?"

Li Baogui said, "More than forty acres."

"A lot, can you grow them?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.

Li Baogui said: "I couldn't plant it at first. The eldest and second child in the family are in their teens. They can help now."

Soldiers who have retired in Liaodong, if they want to stay in Liaodong, there are resettlement fields, and they are all good fields. Wasteland is everywhere here, and Li Guigui's children, as long as they are twelve years old, can apply for land allocation when they register for household registration.

When his seven children are all grown up, it is estimated that the family's field will be nearly a hundred acres, and they will be considered small landlords in a few decades.

Zhao Kuanghuan asked: "Did the government oppress the common people and distribute excessive and miscellaneous taxes indiscriminately?"

Li Baogui smiled and said, "I don't know about other places, and Liaoning definitely doesn't have one. Basically, every village has one or two veterans. Veterans are not only village chiefs, but also peasant and soldier captains. Which corrupt officials dare to mess around? "

"Hahahaha." Zhao Kuanghuan laughed out loud at these words.

It can only be said that there are too many veterans in Liaodong, some are disabled and some are old. The society here is relatively pure, not as complicated as in the south. If something happens, the veterans really dare to bring farmers and soldiers to confront the officials.

It is not enough in the southern provinces, and veterans are not counted, so it is more convenient to find certain jobs.

"Is there a school in the village?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.

Li Baogui said: "There was none before. Firstly, it was difficult to find a teacher, and secondly, there were not many children in the village. A small school was built five years ago, and the government did not pay much. Every brick and tile was built by the villagers. The school Here, there is only one teacher who teaches from the first grade to the third grade...not very well."

Zhao Kuanghuan asked, "What's wrong?"

Li Baogui said: "It has been five years, and there are two batches of those who have completed elementary school, but only one child has received a graduation certificate, and the rest are all school certificates."

Zhao Kuanghuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, the teachers here were really not good enough.

Whoever makes elementary school graduates has an elimination rate of more than 50%. It is not possible to graduate with any test.