Chapter 1061 1057 [Prince Prince observes the feelings of the people]
Prince Zhao Kuanghuan landed at Lushunkou.
When Zhu Yuanzhang regained Liaodong, he landed across the sea here and changed the name of Shizikou to Lushunkou.
Lushun means smooth travel.
Throughout the Ming Dynasty, Lushun was the most important outlet for Liaodong, and a large number of Northeastern local products were transported from here to Shandong. Commodities from the north and south were also transported from Shandong to Lushun, and then distributed to the entire Northeast region.
The Datong imperial court immigrated to the Northeast for many years, and incorporated the Jurchens and Mongolians into households. 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. This can be seen from the prosperity of Port Arthur.
You can see it.
Before Zhao Kuanghuan got off the boat, he saw the lively and busy dock scene.
There are no lever cranes here yet, and everything is moved by manpower. And the labor costs are comparable to those in Shanghai. After all, Liaoning is full of land to be cultivated, the cities and docks have a small population, and there are few people willing to work as contract laborers.
Pearls, furs, and even Siberian specialties from the Heilongjiang River Basin are mostly imported to the mainland through Lushunkou.
Before the Prince entered the harbor, there were warships clearing the harbor, and all merchant ships had to stay away. After all, merchant ships were allowed to carry six small cannons. What if someone was not smart enough to fire a few cannons at the Prince's ship?
Immediately afterwards, the pier also opened 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 duties of the guards.
"That tall guy, call him over." Zhao Kuanghuan pointed to a coolie in the distance.
The coolie was brought before the prince. He was a little nervous and a little excited. He subconsciously wanted to kneel down and worship, but Zhao Kuanghuan held him up with his own hands.
"How much is the monthly salary?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.
The coolie replied: "When it's more, it's five or six yuan, and when it's less, it's two or three yuan."
Zhao Kuanghuan asked: "How will the price of food be this year?"
The coolie replied: "Bao rice costs two cents per catty, and wheat costs seven cents per catty. They are both more expensive than last year."
"What is corn?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.
The attendant next to him whispered: "Your Highness, corn is corn."
Zhao Kuanghuan asked again: "Where is the rice?"
The coolie said: "There are few rice growers in Liaoning and the price is very expensive. The poor cannot afford it."
Zhao Kuanghuan asked again: "How many people are there in the family?"
The coolie gradually became less nervous and said like he was pouring beans from a bamboo tube: "My father came here in the sixth year of the Republic of China. The government helped to marry my mother. My mother used to be a slave of the Tatars. I have an eldest brother in the family and several younger brothers and sisters.
, were all assigned fields in the countryside. I am not good at farming, and I am not good at studying, so I come here to carry bags. Although it is a bit tiring, I can make money much faster than farming. I also married my wife three years ago and we have been married for two years.
I have no children, but 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: "Life is good. My wife is in confinement, and I bought her chicken stew to eat. In my hometown in the countryside, I will bring money back to honor my parents during the Chinese New Year. I have saved more than ten yuan in Datong Bank.
I can still earn bank interest every month. I am renting a house now and plan to buy a house next year."
"Having a wife, a house, and children is indeed a good life." Zhao Kuanghuan said with a smile.
The coolie smiled and said, "It's all thanks to Long Live Lord."
After walking dozens of steps, Zhao Kuanghuan pointed at a middle-aged man again and called that man over for questioning.
"What do you do for a living?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.
The middle-aged man replied: "Reporting to your highness, ordinary people are running business for the boss."
Zhao Kuanghuan asked: "What business are you running?"
The middle-aged man replied: "At first, we collected wild ginseng in Shenyang and Liaoyang, and shipped it to Lushun for sale. Later we started collecting furs, and the owner's business grew bigger and bigger. A few years ago, we even went to Hailan to pick up ginseng.
Number."
"I didn't ask my boss, I asked you yourself." Zhao Kuanghuan said.
The middle-aged man said: "Cao Min is the third shopkeeper of the Lushun branch. He specializes in contacting southern businessmen and selling Northeastern goods to the South."
The first shopkeeper can be understood as the general manager, the second shopkeeper is equivalent to the financial and administrative director, and the third shopkeeper is responsible for sales and operations.
Zhao Kuanghuan asked: "How much do you earn per month?"
The middle-aged man answered in detail: "The monthly salary is 15 yuan, and there will be a bonus at the end of the year. If we make a big business, there will be another reward from the boss."
Zhao Kuanghuan smiled and said: "That man is considered a rich man."
The middle-aged man also said: "Thanks to Lord Long Live, we have caught up with the good times. When the common people were young, there was war and chaos everywhere, and business could not be done at all. Fortunately, Your Majesty swept the world away, and we have the good times now."
Zhao Kuanghuan asked again: "How many children are there in the family?"
The middle-aged man said: "Four daughters and one son. The son was only born in his thirties. However, the common people did not pamper him. He still had to beat him when he should. Now they have graduated from elementary school. They are studying pretty well and I think they can get it.
Get a high school diploma. If you can't pass the public-funded entrance examination, you can go to college at your own expense, and maybe you can become an official in the future."
"Then I wish Master Ling to be named on the gold list." Zhao Kuanghuan said with his hands in hand.
The middle-aged man hurriedly bowed down and said, "Oh, Your Highness, you have harmed the common people. By your Highness's auspicious words, if the dog can be named on the gold medal list, he will definitely become a good official who is loyal to the emperor and serves the country."
Zhao Kuanghuan called in several more people to inquire and found that Lushun was prosperous.
The main reason is that Liaodong was destroyed at the end of the Ming Dynasty. The land was vast and sparsely populated, and land taxes were reduced and exempted for many years. Farmers could live a good life solely by farming. As for the city, especially the docks, there were many farmers who came to the city, just because the city and
Making money quickly at the dock is more exciting than digging for food in the dirt.
I also asked two merchants, and they both said that officials were not exploiting them and they paid the shop tax according to the rules every year.
Continue north and pass a village.
Zhao Kuanghuan first called an old farmer and asked, "Old man, where is your ancestral home?"
The old farmer replied: "The Cao Min came from the south and are Koreans. However, I heard that the Cao Min's hometown was also included in Liaoning and was conquered by Long Live Lord a few years ago."
"Then you speak Chinese very fluently." Zhao Kuanghuan said.
The old farmer said: "When the grassroots were young, they were captured by the Tatars and brought to Liaodong to farm. They were whipped every day, which was not a human life. Later, they followed the Tatars to Hebei and farmed for the Tatars. After returning to Liaodong, I finally
He was rescued by the imperial court, and even got a share of land from his wife. The life of the common people is all given by Long Live Lord."
"There are many Koreans in the village?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.
The old farmer stretched out his hand and said: "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.
, there were wastelands everywhere at that time, all reclaimed by us people. Later, more than ten households moved into the village, and the village chief also came during that period. The village chief was a lame Datong Army man who led the whole village
My father dug a canal, and when the canal was dug, more food was harvested."
"Where is the village chief?" Zhao Kuanghuan shouted.
A middle-aged farmer came running lamely, with mud still on his trousers. He must have just returned from the fields. He came to the prince, stood up straight, clenched his fists and crossed his arms in front of his chest, and gave the prince a military salute: "Former Datong Army
Li Guogui, sergeant of the 1st Brigade and 1st Regiment of the 13th Division, please see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
Zhao Kuanghuan said happily: "Okay, you are energetic. If your legs and feet are inconvenient, please sit down and talk."
"Yes!" Li Guogui sat up straight.
Zhao Kuanghuan asked: "Is there any difficulty at home?"
Li Guoguo said: "No."
Zhao Kuanghuan asked: "You speak good Mandarin. Where is your hometown?"
Li Guogui said: “My hometown is in Anhui.”
"Have your parents ever brought you to Liaoning?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.
Li Guoguo said: "My father has died of illness, but my mother is still here. She is supported by my brother from my hometown and has not been brought to Liaoning. After Datong Bank opened the postal remittance, I send money to my old mother every three years. The money is not much, it is just a token of my gratitude."
"
"You are really filial," Zhao Kuanghuan asked, "Do you have a wife and children here?"
Li Guoguo said: "Yes, my wife is the concubine of a Tatar nobleman. She was caught by lot when she was in the army. She is very fertile. She has three sons and four daughters, and she has supported them all."
Zhao Kuanghuan asked: "How many acres of land do you have at home?"
Li Baogui said: "More than forty acres."
"It's a lot, can you grow it?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.
Li Guoguo said: "I couldn't grow it at first. The eldest and second eldest children in the family are more than ten years old. They can help now."
If the soldiers who retired in Liaodong are willing to stay in Liaodong, they will be provided with resettlement land, and it is also good land. There are wastelands everywhere here. As long as Li Guigui's children are over twelve years old, they can work in Liaodong.
Apply for land allocation when registering.
When all seven of his children grow up, it is estimated that the family's farmland will be nearly a hundred acres, and they will be considered small landowners in a few decades.
Zhao Kuanghuan asked: "Does the government bully the people and impose arbitrary taxes and miscellaneous taxes?"
Li Guoguo smiled and said: "I don't know about other places, but there is definitely no such thing in Liaoning. Basically every village has one or two veterans. Veterans serve as both village chiefs and peasant and soldier captains. Which corrupt official would dare to mess around?
"
"Hahahaha." Zhao Kuanghuan was amused by these words and laughed.
It can only be said that there are too many veterans in Liaodong. Some are disabled and some are retired at old age. The society here is relatively pure and not as complicated as in the south. If something happens, the veterans really dare to take the peasants and soldiers with them.
Confront officials.
This is not the case in several southern provinces. Veterans are not counted, which means it is more convenient to find certain jobs.
"Is there a school in the village?" Zhao Kuanghuan asked.
Li Guoguo said: "It didn't happen before. Firstly, it was difficult to find teachers, and secondly, there were not many children in the village. A small school was built five years ago, and the government didn't pay much. Every brick and tile of the school was built by the villagers.
There is only one teacher here, and he teaches from grade one to grade three... He doesn't teach very well."
Zhao Kuanghuan asked: "What's wrong?"
Li Guoguo said: "In the past five years, there have been two batches of people who have finished primary school, but only one child has received a diploma, and the others have all received certificates of graduation."
Zhao Kuanghuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The teachers here were really not very good.
Even after elementary school, there is an elimination rate of more than 50%. It is not possible to graduate with any test.