Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 782 Reform through labor

From the moment Zhu Biao said "there is no reference in history," Zhu Su guessed that Lao Zhu would definitely ask himself.

After all, although there is no reference in the "historical records", there may be something for "later generations" to learn from.

From the conversation between Zhu Biao and Lao Zhu, it can be concluded that the biggest problem facing Ming Dynasty today is the problem of labor force. This problem actually existed when Lao Zhu established the Ming Dynasty. After a hundred years of raging in the Yuan Dynasty and decades of war in the late Yuan Dynasty, tens of thousands of Chinese people were killed and injured, and in some places there was not even a single person left alive.

There are piles of debris and few residents. Some state capitals are "deserted for a long time due to lack of manpower" and "have not received taxes for many years." The existing population is not even enough to support the operation of the new dynasty... This is when the Ming Dynasty was founded. The mess faced.

Faced with this problem, Lao Zhu's solution was to relocate people from Shanxi, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and other places with ample population, to places with sparsely populated areas. Then guide these people to open up wasteland, encourage people to have children, encourage agriculture, suppress industry and commerce, and use various policies to make China recuperate.

It has only been more than ten years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the number of people in various places is still not abundant. However, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has emerged. Expanding land, building ships, sailing to Fengming Island, and enclosing land to build pastures. All tasks cannot be delayed. The gap in labor force is getting bigger and bigger. Come bigger.

However, in the face of such a problem, although Zhu Su knew some of the history of later generations, where could he find a direct solution to the problem? Previously, the Ming Dynasty relied on the many captives obtained from conquests and lured the Japanese and Koreans to farm in the Ming Dynasty, which was able to barely cope with many affairs. But this is a temporary measure after all. If the market continues to develop, something will happen. Tang Shengzong and Lu Zhongheng hoarded slaves in the suburbs of Beijing to cause trouble, which was a wake-up call.

"Dad, I think that no matter what, the market business cannot continue to develop without any restrictions." Zhu Su said after thinking. "Slave-keeping by thoughtful people like Lu and Tang is only one of the disasters. These slaves themselves are also a big disaster."

"They were trafficked to the mainland of our Ming Dynasty. They didn't understand the language and were treated poorly. They must have resentments in their hearts. If things go on like this, there is no guarantee that some of them will not choose to take risks. If there are a large number and they gather together, they will be a force that can overturn the place."

This has been proven by history. Few of these slaves who were trafficked to the Ming Dynasty were treated well by the people of the Ming Dynasty, and were not even regarded as human beings.

If a riot breaks out, it would be better if the killer escapes. But if someone similar to the leader of the uprising appears, why not bring disaster to one party?

"There was a Byzantine Empire to the west of Timur. Our country used to be called 'Great Qin'. It was a great and glorious country like the Han Dynasty in China in the past. Slaves were popular in this country, and the people bought a slave as if they were buying goods. There were even places where slaves were taught to fight each other to the death for the nobles to watch and have fun.”

"Because most of the affairs were done by slaves, the nobles and people of Qin became increasingly arrogant and licentious, and the country's power was frivolous. Later, a slave named Spartacus gathered slaves to rebel against the Qin state, which caused great disasters and lasted for ten years. The Ming Dynasty and the Qin Dynasty are both great countries, so we should take this as a lesson."

Lao Zhu and Zhu Biao listened very seriously. Zhu Biao said: "I didn't expect this to happen in foreign countries... It seems that I am not the only one with Chinese stories that can warn the world."

"What the elder brother said is true." Zhu Su nodded. "Therefore, I think it is not advisable to allow slaves to buy and sell freely, and the human market must be prohibited. Those who come here voluntarily, such as Yingzhou, Goryeo, etc., can work for our Ming Dynasty. As for the prisoners captured in the war... it is better to set up a special How about a division that lets its captives build bridges and roads, open rivers and build canals?”

"On weekdays, these affairs are all about levying people to do corvee... If these captives are organized to atone for their sins through labor and the people are exempted from corvee, wouldn't it be considered a good government?" "What's more, labor can transform people. While rehabilitating them through labor, they can also order people to indoctrinate the captives with our Chinese education... Those who are successful in their transformation can be incorporated into our Ming army, or they can become our Ming people. Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once said: ' Since ancient times, the Chinese have been valued by the Chinese and the barbarians have been despised, but I have only loved Ruyi. My father is no less powerful than Taizong, so how can I know that I can't influence these foreign races and give my Ming Dynasty more support?"

Zhu Biao's eyes brightened slightly and he looked at Lao Zhu. Old Zhu thought for a moment and nodded: "Well, this is a good idea."

"Reform through labor... is a good word. We know that most of the slaves who invaded the borders were deceived by their leaders and were ignorant of everything. Since we have included the grassland into our territory, as long as these people reform Well, it’s not like we can’t accept it.”

"Boss, this is good governance. You go and discuss it with the ministers in the cabinet and promulgate it as soon as possible... In short, that city will never be able to stay." Lao Zhu said. There are now people in every city in the south of the Yangtze River. If people everywhere gather slaves to cause trouble, the land of the Ming Dynasty will be at war everywhere.

"Yes." Zhu Biao stood up and answered the order, and then looked at Zhu Su with approval: "This method of fifth brother is the righteous way, and there will be no future troubles."

"Well, it is also a good idea to attract people from foreign countries to work in our Ming Dynasty." Empress Ma also said, he has a pure and kind nature, and Zhu Su's suggestions could not be more in line with his wishes. "If the population is still not enough, then we can only recuperate and wait for the people to multiply... In short, we can no longer use people as goods and do such dangerous things."

"We know. This matter should be dealt with earlier to avoid harming our descendants." Lao Zhu said. "Well, we have some clues about this matter. As for who will assist Lu and Tang in purchasing prisoners, we can wait until they are interrogated before deciding."

"One more thing, do you have any suggestions on how to control the generals who lead troops outside the closed territory and cause trouble?"

This...Zhu Su looked troubled. Communication in this era is extremely inconvenient. Not to mention outside the territory, even sending a letter back and forth between Yingtian Mansion and Suzhou City often takes more than ten or twenty days. Under such conditions, it would be a fantasy to control a feudal country thousands of miles away.

But if you say this, Lao Zhu and Zhu Biao will definitely not be satisfied. Therefore, Zhu Su thought for a long time and finally said: "Father, I actually believe that this matter is extremely difficult to prevent. All we can do is to ensure that Ming Dynasty will always be the most powerful in the world."

"In fact, when they go to foreign lands, they have to rely on our Ming Dynasty and many other trade supports. People like Tang Shengzong and Lu Zhongheng who think they can be at ease by running to Fengming Continent are definitely just fools... There is no help from big countries behind them. They go It’s just a monkey in that wild and wild land.”

"I don't know who instigated such a foolish act..." Zhu Su said. Before he finished speaking, he saw two of Lao Zhu's personal guards suddenly hurried to Lao Zhu's side, and then said something to Lao Zhu.

Lao Zhu's face instantly darkened.

(End of this chapter)