dognovel Chapter 111 Methods of Dealing with Malou
Chapter 111 Methods of Dealing with Malou
The phrase "relocating people" sounds simple, but in reality, it can be a nightmare for many officials.
For example, the simplest four words, "clothing, food, housing, and transportation," involve three of them in the process of relocating people: food, housing, and transportation.
If the timing is wrong and the migration distance is too far, all four words will be involved.
Give the simplest example.
If people were to migrate from Shandong to Northeast China in October—would the winter clothing from Shandong be sufficient to withstand the harsh winter temperatures of Northeast China? What would people eat along the way? Where would they stay to avoid the cold at night? How far would they have to travel each day?
These are just the problems encountered during the relocation process. Without solving these four problems, the so-called relocation of people is just a joke.
However, even if these four problems are solved, the relocated people will still face great difficulties.
It's still the same four words: clothing, food, housing, and transportation, only now it's changed to food and housing.
After all, people won't consider migrating when they can survive. If they are considering migrating, it means they are about to die. Therefore, those who voluntarily migrate cannot have much food.
So here's the question: what will the people eat after they reach their destination?
Even if people carried grain with them when they migrated, would the remaining grain be enough to last until the following autumn harvest after they arrived at their destination?
This is all based on the premise that no accidents or dangers occur during the migration process, and that the people can be allocated land immediately after arriving at their destination and start cultivating it right away.
The same applies to accommodation.
If they don't relocate, the people can barely make ends meet even if they have a thatched hut. But after they are relocated to their new destination, will they still have the money to buy houses?
If they don't have the money to buy a house, do they have enough time to build one?
It was precisely because of these various chaotic factors that the people of Zhongyuan Tangkou were unwilling to relocate unless absolutely necessary.
This is why Emperor Zhu Chongba and Emperor Zhu Biao, the Executive Vice Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, did not directly relocate people from Shanxi to Shandong, even though they knew that Shandong was sparsely populated while Shanxi had a large population.
As for local officials, they were actually not very willing to accept immigrants from outside, since accepting migrants meant taking care of their food, clothing, housing and transportation, as well as the relationship between immigrants and local people.
More importantly, who knows what kind of people will be relocated to his jurisdiction? What if there are a few "Cheng Dayoujin" or a few "timely rain" or "jade unicorn" figures among them? Would he still want to be an official?
You probably couldn't find another county magistrate like Yang Shaofeng who was so eager to accept immigrants in the entire Ming Dynasty.
Of course, Magistrate Yang Shaofeng was not entirely indifferent to the background of these migrants; however, he believed he had sufficient means to stabilize them.
Look at the people that Magistrate Zhao Liang sent over... Just by looking at their tattered clothes and the piles of tattered cloth bundles on their backs and on the ground, it's clear that they have no grain reserves and certainly no money to buy houses.
Therefore, Magistrate Yang's solution was to first burden them with the cost of rent and the pressure of buying a house, and then let them see the hope of buying a house and the hope of land distribution. He made them spend their days in full labor, so that they had no time to think about anything else.
The initial warnings against engaging in gambling activities, along with punishments such as twenty lashes, were also a form of deterrence.
Anyway, they're all just cattle. I was bound by mortgages, car loans, and family responsibilities back then. Now I can just change the skin of these tricks and not be afraid that these Ming Dynasty lackeys will not behave.
Moreover, they have to remember the kindness of their master, and might even kneel down and shout "You are a just and upright master!"
Well, the community school thing is almost on the agenda, but we'll have to wait a bit longer for the school district housing issue.
Sure enough, just as Yang Shaofeng was maliciously plotting various ways to punish the local bullies, the people who had migrated from Wenshang County bowed to Magistrate Yang and said, "Thank you, Your Honor! May Your Honor live long and prosper!"
Yang Shaofeng waved his hand and instructed Limpy Five, "Please trouble Limpy Five to arrange for someone to take them to choose a house. Whichever village or community they live in, they will be considered a resident of that village or community from now on."
"Remember to tell those village heads and wardens that these people from Wenshang County will be people of Ningyang County from now on. If anyone dares to treat them as outsiders and bully them, don't blame me for my whip not discriminating against anyone."
"Once they've each chosen the houses they want to live in, remember to bring them back to complete the rental procedures."
"Also, tell those village chiefs and community leaders that the seeding is over now, those who are digging the artificial lake should continue digging, and the remaining able-bodied men should come to the county government office first thing tomorrow morning."
After Limpy Wu bowed in agreement, Yang Shaofeng rubbed his temples and added, "Also, tell Wang Laowai to come over later. I have something to tell him to do."
……
The sudden influx of immigrants from Wenshang County gave Magistrate Yang Shaofeng a sense of urgency, and also led him to decide to first build a brick kiln in Ningyang County.
There's no way around it. Whether it's empty houses in the city or empty courtyards outside the city, as more and more people migrate to Ningyang County, there will eventually be a day when these empty houses and courtyards are not enough to accommodate everyone.
Should the relocated residents be made to build makeshift shelters, or should they be allowed to sleep under the open sky?
Magistrate Yang knew he couldn't just abandon the people; he wasn't the kind of heartless, cruel official.
Therefore, we can only make some preparations in advance.
For example, making bricks to build houses.
Of course, Yang Shaofeng did not plan to build any mansion. After all, it was just a place for the relocated people to live temporarily, and there was no need to make it a large mansion with multiple courtyards.
Yang Shaofeng wanted to create something that was characteristic of the era when educated youth went to the countryside.
It's like dividing a long rectangular room into sections with bricks. Each section has a small door, and each room is about 20 or 30 square meters in size, big enough to fit a bed and some simple furniture.
This kind of small house is okay for one person, but it's really cramped for a family.
However, these houses are perfect for temporarily resettling people who have moved to Ningyang County. Want to live in a big house? Then work hard to farm and earn money when you have free time, so you can buy a house or build your own house sooner.