In the morning of that day, Yang Zhen made up his mind to restart the immigration operation outside the main gate of Jinhai Town. Then he dismissed everyone who was accompanying him and returned to the inner courtyard of the main town to rest.

Since moving to Jinhai Town, Yang Zhen and his wife Qiu Bihan have spent less time together and more separation, while his wife Qiu Bihan has devoted herself to taking care of their son. They are very busy every day, but they don't feel lonely at all.

Especially after Jin Haibo's wife Qiu Bihan gave birth to a child, her mother Shen and aunt Guo almost always lived in the backyard to accompany her. Although Yang Zhen was often absent, the backyard was very lively every day.

Of course, in this case, even if Yang Zhen returned to the main town hall in Nancheng, Lushun, he had to temporarily stay in the official room in the second hall of the main town hall.

This morning, Yang Zhen returned to the inner courtyard, looked at his chubby son who was still sleeping, met with his wife Qiu Bihan and other members of the inner courtyard, then had breakfast with them, and then left again.

A meeting has been called.

Restarting the immigration operation from Weihaiwei or Chengshanwei was not something Yang Zhen could just say and hand over to Fang Guangchen and then start it.

This is a large project involving many aspects.

Especially this time, the destination of the immigration operation is not the existing five-way defense zone in Jinhai Town, which is just around the corner, but the distant Yingzhou Island, which is truly isolated on the sea.

Therefore, in addition to Zhang Degui, Fang Guangchen, Qiu Zhenhai, and Guo Xiaowu who had been confirmed to be sent to Yingzhou Island, the meeting convened by Yang Zhen also specially sent someone to call Chen Shunong, the ambassador of the Agricultural Reclamation Institute who is responsible for agricultural reclamation affairs in the nursery camp.

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It is now the beginning of August, and in about ten days it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival. By this time, whether you are planting sweet potatoes or potatoes, it has already passed the solar term.

At least in this area of ​​the Liaodong Peninsula, the season has passed.

As for whether it can still be planted and bear fruit on Yingzhou Island, a remote island in the southeast, Yang Zhen is really not sure.

"Brother Liben, do you know why I called you here today?"

"Well, I just heard that the governor intends to restart the immigration operation, and I heard that the immigrants will be sent to Yingzhou Island for resettlement. I boldly speculate that the governor asked Beizhi to come, but to ask Professor Beizhi to immigrate to cultivate seed potatoes on Yingzhou Island?"

"Brother Liben, you are indeed a well-educated and sensible person. That's right, that's why I called you here. Can you tell me, is it possible to cultivate seed potatoes on Yingzhou Island in this season?"

"Commander, please forgive me for speaking bluntly. I have never been to Yingzhou Island. I know nothing about its geography, customs, and climate. I really dare not speak nonsense."

Faced with Yang Zhen's inquiry, Chen Shunong was still very cautious about the important matter of the farm. He neither said no or yes, but he was quite pragmatic.

Seeing him like this, Yang Zhen understood his concerns. He thought about the general geographical location of Yingzhou Island, which would later become Jeju Island, and then said:

"This Yingzhou Island is located six to seven hundred miles southeast of Lushunkou. The climate at this time is much hotter and warmer than here. If we compare it with the north and south of the Ming Dynasty, its local customs and climate are quite similar to those in the south of Zhili and the north of the Yangtze River.

Well, it’s the coastal area of ​​Huaiyang!”

"South Zhili, Jiangbei, Huaiyang, and the coastal area?"

When Chen Shunong heard the general locations mentioned by Yang Zhen and the metaphors Yang Zhen used, his dark and thin face suddenly showed a look of enlightenment, and his eyes gradually became brighter.

After thinking for a moment he said:

"I understand. If so, I can give it a try. However, I cannot guarantee that planting potatoes on Yingzhou Island at this time will be as successful as it was in April and May."

Having said this, Chen Shunong seemed to have thought of something else. At the same time, he might also be worried that Yang Zhen would be dissatisfied with him. He paused briefly and said to Yang Zhen with a smile:

"It's true that I was too cautious. In fact, we in Jinhai Town now have no shortage of sweet potato seedlings. Sweet potato vine seedlings can be said to be everywhere in the mountains and plains. We already have everything we need. Even if the introduction fails, there is no loss!

"And according to the geography and climate of Yingzhou Island just mentioned by the governor, even if it cannot bear fruit normally after being transplanted to Yingzhou Island in August, there should be no problem in ensuring its survival.

"However, as long as it can survive through autumn and winter, then next spring, it will be widely planted on Yingzhou Island! Judging from the current planting situation in our Jinhai Town, I can guarantee this to the governor now!"

Although Chen Shunong's statement that there are sweet potato seedlings all over the mountains and plains is somewhat exaggerated, it is basically true.

Since April and May, sweet potato vine seedlings have been transplanted from the nursery camp to various places. It has been almost three months now. With the immigration and reclamation process in the 5th Road Defense Zone of Jinhai Town, they have spread all over the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula.

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As Yang Zhen knew in later generations, sweet potatoes and potatoes are very adaptable to the climate of the Liaodong Peninsula. Even though there was not much rain in the Liaodong Peninsula in the 13th year of Chongzhen, these transplanted sweet potato seedlings still grew very vigorously.

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Especially in places with rich soil along the river banks, the sweet potato vines are lush and lush.

Many new immigrants in the settlements have learned to pick fresh sweet potato vines and leaves to supplement the shortage of grain and rice.

What's more, some farmers who are short of food have begun to dig up the sweet potatoes grown in the ground to use as food rations.

When news like this was reported to Yang Zhen through two channels, the Agricultural Reclamation Institute and the Statistics Office, Yang Zhen just laughed it off.

Yang Zhen thinks it is a good thing that the villagers are willing to eat sweet potatoes, which are very unfamiliar to them.

Because in this way, when the sweet potatoes are harvested in the fall, he will no longer need to persuade and promote it.

Of course, for Chen Shunong, the ambassador of the Farm Reclamation Institute, those immigrant farmers who don’t know anything can’t wait to dig out the new sweet potatoes in the ground. This will affect the final harvest and the final performance of their Farm Reclamation Institute.

!

Therefore, during the days when Yang Zhen was staying in Lushunkou before he went north for inspection not long ago, Chen Shunong persuaded Yang Zhen, and finally issued a mining ban to all roads in Jinhai Town in the name of the Assistant Camp Affairs Office of the General Town Government.

All villages are prohibited from digging sweet potatoes without permission before the harvest season.

As for when each village can independently harvest sweet potatoes, it will have to wait for the order from the town government.

Yang Zhen originally didn't want to worry about so much, didn't want to cause resentment to the town government, and didn't want to draw hatred to himself, but considering that this was the first year that sweet potatoes were introduced to Jinhai Town, after much deliberation, he finally followed the advice of Chen Shunong, an expert.

Did it.

Thinking of these things, I thought that there are indeed all kinds of sweet potato vine seedlings in Jinhae Town. If they are not transplanted elsewhere, they will die in autumn and winter and be used as fodder.

Even if you dig a cellar, save them, and wait for planting again next spring, you won't be able to use so many.

So Yang Zhen made up his mind.

"Okay! Let's do it like this! Brother Liben, this time you bring more masters from the nursery camp of the Agricultural Reclamation Institute and prepare more sweet potato vine seedlings. When the time comes, go to Yingzhou with Qiu Guangyi, Guo Xiaowu, and An Yixin.

Island."

"Humble duty—obey!"

Chen Shunong was stunned for a moment, but he quickly clasped his fists and bowed to accept Yang Zhen's arrangement.

Chen Shunong was worried about the harvest. He was worried that he would not be able to come back soon after going to the unknown Yingzhou Island, and would miss the harvest season of the sweet potato fields in Jinhai Town.

But he immediately thought that since Yang Zhen sent him to Yingzhou Island after careful consideration, it meant that his mission of introducing sweet potatoes to Jinhai Town had been highly recognized by Yang Zhen.

Because it seems that Yang Zhen is not worried about the sweet potato harvest at all, just like he already knew that the introduction of sweet potatoes in the Liaodong Peninsula would be successful and there would be a bumper harvest.

This feeling is very strange, but it makes people inexplicably full of confidence in the future.

In the 13th year of Chongzhen, on the eighth day of August, Yuan Jin led the Jinhai West Road Navy Fleet, and after settling the 600 immigrants in Dengzhou Water City, they arrived at Shuangdao Bay New Port from the station on Juehua Island in western Liaoning.

The next day, Qiu Guangyi, who went north to the Jinzhou Bay Shipyard to receive new ships, also led the Yingzhou Island fleet of the Southern Navy, which he was responsible for organizing and commanding, and also headed south to Shuangdao Bay.

Correspondingly, the Jinhai East Road Naval Battalion, commanded by uncles and nephews Yu Liangtai and Yu Haichao, also returned with loyalty from the East Road's fleet transporting iron ore from Chaorenjiechuan three days ago.

The Ming army, commanded by An Yixin's headquarters, arrived at Lushunkou.

The arrival of Yuan Jin and Yu Liangtai made Yang Zhen overjoyed and left them directly behind, asking them to work together as a transport fleet to Yingzhou Island.

At the same time, they were also ordered to make another trip to Ganghwa Island on their way home to urge the emperor and ministers of the Li Dynasty to pay for the 20,000 shi of rice that they had long promised to pay after the summer grain harvest.

According to Yang Zhen's plan, Qiu Guangyi, Guo Xiaowu, An Yixin, Chen Shunong and their team will stay on Yingzhou Island to colonize the island and manage the immigration team.

They had to establish a stronghold on the island, expel or organize the existing Koreans on the island, and then establish the Yingzhou garrison office of the naval camp on Jinhai Town South Road to exercise jurisdiction over all the military and civilians on Yingzhou Island.

This is destined to make a trip from Yingzhou Island to Lushunkou very difficult. Apart from being able to carry an immigrant team when going there for the first time, there will be few opportunities to serve as an immigrant transport fleet in the future.

Therefore, when Yang Zhen met Yuan Jin and Yu Liangtai, they arrived together and decided to ask them to take their respective fleets to Yingzhou Island together.

In this way, on the early morning of the ninth day of August in the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, under the personal auspices of Yang Zhen, a large number of troops were mobilized to worship the Goddess of the Sea. A fleet consisting of Yuan Jin's Jinhai West Fleet, Qiu Guangyi, and Guo Xiaowu's South Fleet
Chapter completed!