Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 374: The Great Trend, Spy Conspiracy [Please Subscribe]

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After hearing Zhu Biao's answer, Ge Sanqi and the villagers behind him gasped in shock.

"A thousand catties per mu?" After coming to his senses, Ge Sanqi became even more suspicious. "How is that possible? How in the world can there be crops that can produce a thousand catties per mu? Sir, please don't lie to me."

Zhu Biao said, "Whether it's true or not, I'll know after I talk to the old farmers there."

Ge Sanqi still shook his head. "That's outrageous—what if you guys teamed up with those people to cheat us?"

Seeing this, the magistrate could not help but want to report Zhu Biao's identity, but he did not dare to do so without Zhu Biao's permission.

Liu Kuan couldn't help it and stepped forward and said, "Mr. Ge, we understand that you think the 1,000-jin yield per mu is outrageous and that you're worried about being cheated."

"But have you ever thought about why the court and the government would deceive you? If the sweet potato yield per acre is less than 300 kilograms, or if there is no harvest at all, not only will you lose a harvest, but the court will also not be able to collect taxes."

"Think about it carefully, isn't this the truth?"

Ge Sanqi frowned and pondered, then said thoughtfully, "What this young master said does make some sense, but how is it possible to produce a thousand catties per mu?"

At this time, a young man squeezed out from the villagers at the back, pulled Ge Sanqi aside and whispered, "Second Uncle, what this man said is right. It's no use for the government to deceive us - so this story is probably true."

"Besides, this is a mission assigned by the imperial court. What if we refuse to do it and anger the imperial court? What if we are sent to the north to serve as soldiers in the snow and ice like the landlords in those villages outside the mountains?"

Ge Sanqi was frightened after hearing this.

He sighed, "The Ge family hasn't been against the government for hundreds of years, yet we've suffered countless losses and countless deaths... We won't be opposing them this time, but hopefully we won't suffer any more losses or have any more deaths."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao and Liu Kuan fell silent for a moment.

Liu Kuan then said, "Don't worry, Mr. Ge. As long as you plant these sweet potatoes according to the agricultural officer's instructions, you will definitely not suffer any loss."

Zhu Biao said, "Mr. Ge, if your sweet potato harvest is less than your other crops in previous years, I will compensate you for the difference."

Mr. Ge's eyes widened and he asked, "Is what this gentleman said true?"

"It's true."

"Okay, we, the Ge family, will trust this master just this once!"

After leaving Gejiakou, Zhu Biao took Liu Kuan to another village to inspect the people's conditions.

On the way, he sighed and said, "I didn't expect the sweet potato yield per acre to be so high. The policies given by the court are so good that the people can't believe it."

Liu Kuan laughed and said, "The Song and Yuan dynasties were not kind to the common people, especially the Yuan. Even though the Ming Dynasty implemented many policies to benefit the people in the past few years, it was not so kind to the common people. It's normal that the common people find it hard to believe for a while."

Zhu Biao nodded and continued, "I can make a promise to the villagers of Gejiakou, but I can't make a promise to all the villages promoting sweet potato and corn planting. It seems that this matter will ultimately rely on the majesty of the court to enforce it."

"I'm worried that some local officials will be too heavy-handed in implementing the policy, and even take advantage of the people, provoking resistance from the people and turning a good thing into a bad thing."

Liu Kuan said, "Zhili is under the emperor's feet after all. His Majesty is so majestic that few officials would dare to act recklessly."

"This is just to encourage people to grow new crops, it won't force them to live, so it shouldn't provoke a civil uprising."

"hope so."

In fact, Liu Kuan had something else to say.

He estimated that in Zhu's eyes, it would be worth it even if it provoked some civil unrest - the promotion of American crops such as sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes was a very important part of the Ming Dynasty's reforms in recent years. The trend was so great that anyone who stood in the way, no matter what their intentions were, would be crushed and trampled.

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While the Ming Dynasty was promoting the planting of new crops in the five provinces of Zhili, Henan, Shandong, Hebei and Liaoning, the situation in Goryeo to the northeast was turbulent and undercurrents were surging.

Historically, the Northern Yuan Dynasty had not yet been destroyed at this time, and a faction of Goryeo, led by the newly emerging powerful official Cui Ying, wanted to send troops north to attack Liaodong in this year (the 21st year of Hongwu).

Lee Seong-gye's opposition was futile, so he caused various incidents to occur in the army on the way, and then persuaded the commander-in-chief Cao Minxiu to return to the army halfway.

After the army returned to Kaesong, Lee Seong-gye took advantage of his control of military power and years of painstaking efforts to first exile the powerful minister Choi Young, and then together with Cho Min-hyuk deposed King Wang U of Goryeo, thus beginning his journey of changing his surname, plotting rebellion, and overthrowing the dynasty.

During this time and space, not only was Goryeo's former master, the Northern Yuan Dynasty, destroyed early by the Ming Dynasty, but the Ming Dynasty's navy also crisscrossed the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the Beiyang Sea, intentionally or unintentionally blockading Goryeo from the ocean.

Although Goryeo had never fought against the Ming army, it had learned about some of the Ming army's current combat capabilities from some channels.

Just considering this part of the combat power, the Goryeo king and his ministers were terrified and thought they could never win.

As a result, even a powerful official like Cui Ying, who was close to the Mongols and hostile to the Ming Dynasty, did not dare to mention attacking Liaodong, or even show any hostility towards the Ming Dynasty.

Although Lee Seong-gye and Cho Min-hyo no longer had the opportunity to lead a large army as in the original history, their power in Goryeo rose to the same high level through their own planning and management.

Li's family city.

The great families of Goryeo built castles as their residences. With Lee Seong-gye now one of the three most powerful ministers in Goryeo, the Lee family castle was naturally well-built, resembling a war fortress. Within the castle, in the mansion where the direct descendants of the Lee family lived, Lee Seong-gye, who had risen to the rank of Samjong Kuang, Pan Samsa Sa, concurrently Dian Nongsa Sa, Sang Hujun, and Wansanbuwongun, was meeting with a mysterious man in his study.

This person was clearly dressed as a Goryeo merchant, but when he sat opposite Lee Seong-gye, he was neither humble nor arrogant, and even had a slightly more imposing aura than Lee Seong-gye.

"Li Yuanjun, the higher-ups have long been dissatisfied with Wang Yu and are determined to depose him. Although you are the first person chosen by the higher-ups to carry out this task, you are not the only one."

"If you're unwilling to take action, then we will support others, such as Cui Ying and Cao Minxiu. I believe there will always be someone willing to do this."

"If that person happens to be your enemy, I'm afraid he'll take the opportunity to wipe you out, or even uproot the entire Li family. By then, it will be too late for you to regret."

Lee Seong-gye stared at the man across from him and said, "As far as I know, the Great Empire rarely interferes in the affairs of its vassal states, and certainly wouldn't and shouldn't resort to such schemes. How can I believe that what you're saying came from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty?"

The mysterious man said calmly, "You are quite right, so you can choose not to believe me, or even pretend you have never met me."

Upon hearing this, Lee Seong-gye wanted to arrest the man and torture him, but he didn't dare.

After pondering for a while, he said with a sullen face, "I will consider this matter carefully. Please leave."

The mysterious man stood up and said lazily, "If you don't respond after three days, don't blame us for looking for someone else."

Lee Seong-gye sat in his study for over a quarter of an hour before striking the jade chime and calling a servant, saying, "Call Mr. Zheng over."

The servant responded and retreated silently.

Soon, a middle-aged man dressed as a Confucian scholar walked in.

"Inari-kun."

After the visitor saluted Lee Seong-gye, he sat down at his gesture.

This man was named Jeong Do-jeon. Because he became a representative of the emerging scholar-officials of Goryeo and opposed the conservative aristocratic families, he was politically oppressed and exiled.

His temperament changed drastically as a result, and he later defected to Lee Seong-gye, intending to help him change the dynasty and achieve the kingship.

Jeong Do-jeon was not only well versed in Confucian philosophy, but also very resourceful and strategic. Therefore, he gained Lee Seong-gye's trust after entering the scene.

Now that Lee Seong-gye has encountered such a big thing, he must discuss it with him.

He first explained most of the details of his several "communications" with the mysterious man, and then asked, "Sir, what do you think about this?"

Zheng Daochuan's brows knitted together after hearing this, and he sighed, "Those people acted in a sneaky way, but their tactics were blatant. It's hard to figure out."

Lee Seong-gye: "Why do you say that?"

Zheng Daochuan: "The reason is simple. The Ming Dynasty is powerful. Whoever he supports will replace the Wang family. This is an indisputable fact."

"Even if we knew Ming had ulterior motives, we wouldn't dare miss this opportunity—as that person said, if the Prince doesn't do it, others might. And then, the Prince might end up in a worse situation than if he did it."

Lee Seong-gye pondered for a moment and then asked, "Sir, could you possibly understand the specific motive behind Ming's secret plotting of this?"

Zheng Daochuan calculated on his fingers and said, "First, it's possible that Wang was actually involved in a conspiracy against the Yuan Dynasty. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he wavered between the Yuan and Ming dynasties, even causing the death of a Ming envoy in an unclear manner."

"The Ming Dynasty is now at its peak, and no one dares to disobey. It is normal for the Ming Dynasty's rulers and ministers to hold grudges and want to cut off the Wang family's inheritance of the country."

"Secondly, I'm afraid that the Ming Dynasty has some plans for our Goryeo territory."

In the original history, Lee Seong-gye was able to become the founding king of the Joseon Dynasty, which shows that he had a good understanding of politics.

Hearing this, his expression grew even more serious. "Could it be that the Ming Dynasty wants to establish counties and prefectures on the peninsula to govern it, just like the Han and Tang dynasties?"

Jeong Do-jeon didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "If the Ming Dynasty failed to achieve what the Han and Tang dynasties had accomplished, would the emperor be willing to accept it if he were the Hongwu Emperor?"

Li Chenggui put himself in her shoes and shook his head with a wry smile, "Of course not."

"That's right."

Then there was silence in the study, and the atmosphere was a little depressing.

After another half a quarter of an hour, Lee Seong-gye finally asked, "Is there any way for my family to survive?"

Zheng Daochuan shook his head. "I can't say for sure. I can only say that if the Prince is willing to be a pawn of the Ming Dynasty, he can actively strive for a chance of survival. If he is unwilling, then the Li family can only obey the will of heaven and see if the enemy will show mercy."

Lee Seong-gye clenched his fists for a long time before releasing them. He then said in a deep voice, "I, Lee Seong-gye, never entrust my life or death to others!"

　Second update.

　　Good night~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)