At the end of the 22nd year of Wanli, a Ming Army warship from the Philippines arrived at the port of Yangon. It unloaded a few boxes of goods at the port and was escorted by soldiers to Yangon City.
In Yangon City, one of the three cities that Daming controlled and developed, the small army was fully rested and reorganized. Then, under the escort of more troops, it went all the way to Baogu City, the center of Daming's rule in Burma Town. To be more precise, it was the Marquis Zhennan's mansion in Baogu City.
Burma Town was twice the size of Korea. The ruler of twelve Han people and five thousand troops lived in the Marquis Zhennan's mansion.
When Xiao Ruxun heard the news of the ship's return, he was overjoyed. He personally went out of the city to welcome the ship. When he saw the soldiers escorting a few carts back from afar, he directly rode over. When he saw the glistening yellow corn and the yellow potatoes with his own eyes, he was overjoyed.
Corn and potatoes ranked third and fourth on the world's food list. In history, corn and potatoes once saved China during the Little Ice Age and pulled China back from the brink of destruction. That was at the end of the Ming Dynasty, during the Chongzhen era. The population of China plummeted from more than two hundred million to tens of millions. Excluding the epidemic diseases caused by the Manchurian Qing Dynasty and the sudden drop in temperature was one of the main killers.
Unfortunately, in the Ming Dynasty, no one proposed to cultivate potatoes and corn as food on a large scale.
During the Zhengde era, corn was introduced to Guangxi, China. A little later, potatoes were also introduced to China. However, at this moment, no one realized that China had already obtained two crops that could save the fate of the country. For a hundred years, no one discovered the amazing output of corn and potatoes, and no one tried to cultivate them as food crops. They were regarded as rare products. Not only were they expensive, but their output was extremely low. Only the rich and powerful could use them and eat them.
However, at this moment, the rich and powerful families would never have imagined that decades later, when the Manchurian Qing Dynasty marched south to the Central Plains, when severe coldness spread all over China, the rare products they regarded as treasures would become the fruits of life that saved the lives of tens of millions of Han people who were lucky enough to survive.
The so-called Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasties were just a joke. A group of barbarians dared to say that they could create a prosperous era and establish their own political power to rule tens of millions of people. However, the Daming was really unlucky, and the Manchurian Qing Dynasty was too lucky. In that cold era, traditional crops such as rice and wheat failed one after another. While people were in despair, they found that potatoes, which had never been valued, bloomed in the harsh cold environment.
Potatoes could grow in cold weather.
This kind of news swept across the devastated China and became the only hope. In the era after the war ended and the Manchurian Qing Dynasty was established, the Manchurians, who were at their wits' end because of the cold, finally heard the news. They were in a constant state of anxiety because of the cold and were afraid that they would be driven back to their homeland by the Han people who had no food to eat. They were wild with joy when they announced the news. They regarded potatoes as a treasure bestowed to them by God. It just happened to show that the Manchurian Qing Dynasty's rule over China was reasonable and irrefutable.
How could they refute it? The Daming had potatoes for a hundred years, but he did not know that potatoes were the key to saving it. At least, they could grow on the land where wheat and rice could no longer grow. If they could grow and could be eaten, they could control the refugees and give people hope. They would not make everyone follow Li Zicheng. The Daming could free up his hands to deal with the Manchurian Qing Dynasty and not have to fight on two fronts. In that rotten situation, potatoes were the only hope.
However, the Daming did not grasp this opportunity, and the Manchurian Qing Dynasty took advantage of it.
Time? Life?
As for the corn, it was just the icing on the cake. For the Daming of that era, potatoes were the only hope to break the deadlock. It was the key to the continuation of the Daming Dynasty's destiny. Potatoes could grow on the land in the north that was gradually unsuitable for wheat and other crops. With a higher yield and higher energy, the military forces of the agricultural empire in the north could be maintained. As long as there were potatoes, and as long as they could grow and maintain a certain yield, the army could continue to be stationed there, the farmers could stay, and the land could be preserved. The Han people's power would not move south.
Of course, for the current Xiao Ruxun, corn was the most important thing. Like rice, corn preferred a hot and humid environment. The more humid and hot it was, the better it would grow. This coincided with Myanmar's hot and humid climate. The temperature rarely dropped below 20 degrees Celsius throughout the year. In the northernmost mountainous area, there was no need to wear thick clothes. The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau blocked the cold air coming from the north of the Daming Dynasty, leaving Myanmar with a warm climate.
It was a hot land given by God. As long as one was willing to work hard, one would never starve to death.
From the explanation of the old farmers who came from Guanzhong, Xiao Ruxun knew how much they hated the fact that this land was not their hometown. If this was the case, they would not have to leave their hometown and come here. However, the fact was that it was so, there was no need to force it. To be able to settle down and reproduce here was not necessarily a bad thing. Other than the hot and humid climate that they were not used to, everything was fine.
Slowly, they would also adapt to the climate here, and their descendants would also get used to the life here. They would take root here, live, reproduce, and live here forever, just like they had lived in the land in Guanzhong for hundreds of years.
Potatoes aside, potatoes could only be grown in the northern mountainous areas in Myanmar. When the temperature was slightly lower in Myanmar's winter, a batch of potatoes could be grown in one winter. As for the rest of the time, rice and corn were really enough. Hundreds of thousands of people could not eat these high-yield crops. When the time came, there would still be surplus. Xiao Ruxun could even secretly arrange for merchants to sell the surplus food.
While planting, reclaiming the wasteland, and building the city and houses. In the second half of the 22nd year of the Wanli calendar, Myanmar Town developed rapidly in such a bustling atmosphere. The Han people used their inherent diligence and willingness to work to gradually turn this barren land into their ideal home.
Yuan Huang became the administrative housekeeper that Xiao Ruxun relied on. This was because apart from Xiao Ruxun himself, among his subordinates, only Yuan Huang had the experience and ability to deal with government affairs. Xiao Ruxun also had to supervise the army, go out everywhere, and manage the daily affairs. He did not have much time to make arrangements, so these things could only fall on Mr. Yuan Luofan. Every day, the 60-year-old old man started working as soon as he woke up in the morning and did not go to sleep until midnight.
Xiao Ruxun had repeatedly tried to persuade Yuan Huang to relax a little, saying that he could assist her in handling more things, but Yuan Huang would always say — You just have to watch over them from the outside, share the joys and sorrows with them, and establish your prestige. In just a few years, the people and land here will all be yours. Those old masters don't want it, but you can't not. This is the foundation of your existence, and in the future, you will have to rely on this place to realize your dreams!
Xiao Ruxun was driven out of the government office by Yuan Huang, but he was very worried about Yuan Huang's health. So, he chose ten literate people from the army and the refugees and asked them to be responsible for helping Yuan Huang. When Yuan Huang was tired, he could dictate and let them record, which more or less relieved his burden.
Yuan Huang wrote more than 20 letters back to his hometown, hoping to invite his friends and companions from his hometown to go south to Myanmar to help him and Xiao Ruxun. But a month had passed, except for a student, Chen Longzheng, who sent a letter saying that he would arrive in Myanmar to help Yuan Huang in a few days, only Yuan Huang's wife and son, Yuan Yan, replied to the letter saying that they would come. Other than that, no one replied.
Yuan Huang even felt that he had let Xiao Ruxun down. He said that he had made a name for himself in the outside world for so many years, and had made countless good friends. But in the end, he didn't even have a friend who was willing to go through thick and thin with him.
Xiao Ruxun held Yuan Huang's hand and said, "In this era, the scholar-bureaucrats have low moral integrity, greed, and shameless behavior. Only the end of the Northern Song Dynasty can be compared to them. However, even at this time, there is still a scholar-bureaucrat like Duke Fan. As long as there is, there is still hope. If there is no one, then the scholar-bureaucrats will be completely useless, and there is no hope."
In this era, Myanmar Town was poor. There were only five thousand soldiers and one hundred thousand Han people. Apart from that, there was nothing else. Many people were willing to add flowers to brocade, but few were willing to help in times of need. Yuan Huang had a disciple who was willing to help in times of need, and a wife and son who came to meet him regardless of the danger. What more could he ask for?
In addition, Xiao Ruxun also felt that it was not a good idea to let Yuan Huang's son, Yuan Yan, come here.
Yuan Yan was also a scholar and also needed to go to school. But there was no quota for scholars in Myanmar Town, and the people here had not even been incorporated into the households. That would happen three years later. If the Yuan family moved here, it would be difficult for Yuan Yan to go back to study and take the exam. In the Marquis Zhennan's Mansion, Xiao Ruxun could arrange officials in the Marquis's Mansion, but for the scholars, it was an official position that they did not care about at all.
The scholars who could come here were people who had more ideals than reality and were willing to put their ideals into practice. Yuan Huang was over sixty years old and had long passed the age of being obsessed with fame. But Yuan Yan was still young and had not reached the realm of Yuan Huang. It seemed that it was not a good idea to treat Yuan Yan like this.
Yuan Huang shook his head.
"As my son, he should have this kind of awareness. His ability to study is not as good as his father's. He has not passed the provincial examination twice. With this kind of academic ability, even if he passes the Jinshi examination, he can only be a top three Jinshi. Without me and the help of colleagues, he can only be a county magistrate for the rest of his life. There is only one Zhang Cong. No one knows better than me what that boy is capable of. Ji Xin, don't worry. This boy knows it very well in his heart."
After saying that, Yuan Huang smiled.
"The officialdom is a big dye vat. If you want to be pure and clean, then you can only be a small official like me for the rest of your life. Never think about entering the political center. That boy has no other ability, but he is stubborn. If he enters the officialdom with such a temper, he will be very lucky not to be killed. But he still wants to be promoted? Zhang Cong is an exception. He encountered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of the Great Ceremony Conference and Lord Jiajing, the once-in-a-lifetime Emperor. Only then did he enter the Cabinet with the top three Jinshi and become the Prime Minister. Only then did Jiajing prosper. Now, is it possible?
Rather than having to face the fate of having to send off his son, which would be a fate worse than death for this old man, it would be better to tell that brat to give up on the idea of entering the officialdom and come here to work hard and train his skills. Following you, Xiao Jixin, might be another way out. Ji Xin, I, Yuan Huang, will hand the lives and future of my entire family into your hands. In the future, we'll be bound together for good or bad. When you're working for me, you must remember this old life of mine! Hahahaha! "
Yuan Huang spoke freely and laughed freely, but Xiao Ruxun's heart could not be at ease at all.
He knew that Yuan Huang could not be at ease either.
Myanmar was a paradise. People from the outside would not come in, nor were they interested in coming in. This, of course, gave Myanmar Town a chance to develop, but it was destined to be unable to enter the world. If he wanted to save Daming, he had to enter the world. His power was still too small, so small that he could not shake the existence of any interest groups. It was also unknown whether Myanmar Town could support his ambitions.
But he knew that he had already started. In the Marquis Zhennan's estate, there was only one Marquis and three aides, and they were dealing with the poverty of this land and the people's pessimism about it.
How many people would be willing to offer help in a time of need? It was a virtue to send charcoal in a snowy day, but if it was a military town or a faction, it meant that they had pledged their allegiance. It could be considered an investment with everything they had. How many people in the world would have the guts, courage, and determination to hand over everything they had to this impoverished place?
It would be abnormal if people flocked to this place. Not to mention the scholars, even the ordinary people would not think of coming to Myanmar, a barren land that they knew nothing about, if they had not lost their land, if they had not been suppressed to the point that they could no longer live in the country, if they had not made up their minds.
Those who came here were either people who had reached the end of their lives or people who had the spirit of exploration, and these two types of people were exactly the people that Xiao Ruxun needed. The first type was people who had lost all hope and were on their last breath. They could take root in Myanmar and would not leave. They were the mainstream. The second type was tenacious, curious, and did not like to stick to conventions. There were very few of them, and they were the non-mainstream. Only this kind of non-mainstream was the talent that Xiao Ruxun urgently needed.
Those who liked new things and those who liked the barren land were also what Xiao Ruxun needed.
Xiao Ruxun did not know if these people would come, but he knew that they must exist.
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