"She was just under the boat. I was afraid that something might happen to her, so I kept taking her with me."
Chen Qing walked to the side of the ship and looked down the ship. Sure enough, there was a Japanese woman in a white kimono. She was about twenty years old at most, standing alone on the shore. Although she was not beautiful in appearance, she had a good temperament. She was indeed not beautiful.
Like other prostitutes, she should be a woman from a good family, otherwise it wouldn't be the first time.
"Do you really want to marry her?"
Chen Qing smiled lightly and said, "Aren't you afraid of people pointing fingers behind your back?"
Zhong Hui shook his head, "Don't be afraid of the humble position, I beg Your Highness to do it!"
"Have you redeemed her?"
"Not yet, but the old madam wants fifty guan, and my humble job can afford it."
Chen Qing smiled slightly and said: "It's not about money. Once you redeem her life, her origin will be determined. I don't want my generals to bear this reputation!"
Chen Qing turned around and ordered: "Nian Xiaowu, Li Hu!"
"The humble duty is here!" Two soldiers stepped forward and said.
"You bring a dozen brothers to find the old bustard, beat me up, and force her to confess to kidnapping a good girl. Then she will be executed in public. Each of these new prostitutes will be given ten guan of money and all will be sent back to the country."
Chen Qing said to Zhou Tao again: "It's up to you to arrange this!"
Zhou Tao went there with more than a dozen of Chen Qing's personal soldiers. Chen Qing smiled and said to Zhong Hui: "After clearing her identity, you can safely marry her and have children."
Zhong Hui knelt down and choked with sobs and said, "Your Highness has been so kind to me, but I can't repay you even if I'm humble enough to be shattered into pieces."
Chen Qing said calmly: "If you really want to repay me, just settle down in Ryukyu!"
"I swear that my descendants will defend the sea for Your Highness!"
Chen Qing nodded, "Based on your oath, from now on, you will be officially promoted to commander!"
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During dinner, Chen Qing told the two women what happened to Zhong Hui today, and the two women became interested. Yu Lian smiled and said: "This kind of thing is often published in newspapers, and we were most interested. We thought it was a made-up story.
, I didn’t expect it to be true.”
Yao Mei also said: "General Zhong's deceased wife has been dead for ten years, and he still misses her. He is really a sweetheart. This time is also his fate."
Chen Qing shook his head and smiled: "Amei always likes to think of things beautifully."
Yao Mei pursed her lips and said, "Guardian, could it be that I made a mistake?"
"It's not wrong, it's just a bit exaggerated."
Chen Qing said lightly: "Essentially, these soldiers guarding the island are too empty and lonely. When a young woman smiles at him, he can't help himself. In fact, looking like his deceased wife is just an excuse."
Yao Mei said angrily: "Even if it's an excuse, if he hasn't married for ten years, it must be because he misses his deceased wife!"
Chen Qing waved his hand and said: "The thing I am thinking about now is not this Zhong Hui, but other soldiers. I am considering whether I can bring their families together so that their families can slowly adapt to this place and like it. Even if
Soldiers can stay after they are discharged from the army. Being able to stay is the key!"
Yu Lian smiled slyly and said: "I will give you an idea, and I will ensure that many soldiers will stay in the end."
"Tell me, what's a good idea?"
"You can recruit some young women from Japan to come to Ryukyu Island to work, and then let the unmarried soldiers choose women to get married. When they give birth to children here, have children, and have property, these women will definitely not be willing
If they leave, they will be afraid of living in a new environment and fear of being excluded. I am a woman and I understand women's psychology. If their wives and children are unwilling to leave, the soldiers will finally stay with peace of mind."
Yu Lian's words made Chen Qing thoughtful.
The next morning, Chen Qing and Zhou Kuan talked about the matter. Zhou Kuan smiled and said: "Madam's suggestion is very reasonable. In fact, we have experience. Many of the party women we captured were married to Western Army soldiers. These soldiers
After being discharged from the army, most of them stayed in Lingzhou. The reason is as my wife said, their wives and children did not want to leave, so the soldiers chose to stay. To increase the population of Ryukyu Island, it is a good way for soldiers to retire and stay."
Chen Qing nodded, "If soldiers who already have wives and children at home bring their families over and grant them land and real estate, will they also stay in the end?"
Zhou Kuan shook his head, "That's not necessarily true. We Han people believe in returning fallen leaves to their roots. In the end, even if they don't go back, their children will go back to their hometown, unless there is nothing left in their hometown."
Chen Qing walked a few steps with his hands behind his back and said to Zhou Kuan: "When I was chatting with the villagers yesterday, I learned that most of them are from the Yellow River area. They are all willing to come to Ryukyu. The reason is that there is nothing left in their hometown, so they can only provide food in a foreign land.
People worked as sharecroppers and coolies. At that time, I had an idea. We could recruit people from the Yellow River area. The same goes for soldiers. Let soldiers whose hometowns are in the Yellow River area come to Ryukyu to station and bring their families over. They would stay and settle there.
The possibility is very high.”
"Your Highness, this is a good idea!" Zhou Kuan praised.
Chen Qing smiled again and said: "But it would be a good idea to recruit young Japanese women to marry unmarried soldiers."
Chen Qing immediately asked Chao Kun to be found. Not long after, Chao Kun hurried over, and Chen Qing explained his idea of recruiting young Japanese women.
Chao Kun thought for a while and said: "It's completely feasible. When we were recruiting, many families wanted to send their daughters. We only want young and strong men. If we recruit female workers, I know there will definitely be many women coming. The first batch
Recruiting two thousand people is no problem."
Zhou Kuan asked again: "But will it cause unrest among Japanese workers?"
Chao Kun said with a smile: "Don't worry about participating in politics. Once the city is repaired, 20,000 Japanese workers will move north to open a new settlement at another river mouth hundreds of miles away. By the time the Japanese female workers arrive, these men will no longer be here.
These female workers are good at weaving, and with young women, the soldiers can get married, have children, and stay with peace of mind."
Chen Qing made the final decision, "That's it. I've decided to go to Japan next time and recruit the first batch of two thousand female workers!"
Chen Qing stayed on Ryukyu Island for three days. He did not wait for the leader of the Gaoren natives to come to see him, and authorized Chao Kun to conclude a non-aggression agreement with the Gaoshan natives as his representative.
This is actually a very pragmatic approach. If Chen Qing regarded the Gaoshan natives as his own people, there would be no agreement. Although he gained face, it left hidden dangers.
The Gaoshan natives are not actually citizens of the Yong Kingdom, and they will not listen to any Yong Kingdom laws. They only consider their own interests.
At the beginning, there were not many immigrants, so things might be peaceful. But as the number of immigrants increases, the suspicion and insecurity of the mountain natives will increase day by day, and conflicts will break out sooner or later.
Therefore, concluding a non-aggression agreement early and having both parties strictly abide by the agreement will be of great benefit to dispelling the suspicion and insecurity of the other party. This is tantamount to having a limit. As long as the immigrants do not exceed this limit, the other party will have nothing.
worry.
Of course, when the immigrants are strong enough, the treaty will be meaningless, and the Gaoshan natives will naturally take the initiative to attach themselves and become subjects of the Yong Kingdom.
Three days later, Chen Qing left Ryukyu Island and returned to Quanzhou.