Weijia Village, Dahuaishu Township, Mengyin County, Qingzhou Prefecture, Shandong Province.
Wei Erniu was wearing a jacket modified from a sack, carrying sweet potatoes that were very precious to him and burning them out.
Clothes modified from sacks are uncomfortable to wear, and the burrs on the sacks are very irritating.
But he didn't dare to wear cotton-padded clothes, let alone show his wealth.
Wearing a sack and showing a very poor appearance, he can live a more stable life in the village.
Wei Erniu was the domestic slave of Mr. Wei. After the founding of the new dynasty, Mr. Wei was kidnapped by the new dynasty's yamen, and the land of the Wei family was divided among the villagers.
Wei Erniu, a domestic slave of the Wei family, often acted as a thug and bullied the villagers in the village.
After Mr. Wei lost power, he could not rely on others' power, so he was severely punished.
They were isolated by the villagers and lived a miserable life. They had some money at home but did not dare to spend it.
His former companion spent money lavishly and was directly sued. He had helped the emperor to commit evil and had harmed people's lives.
This man was directly exiled, and now he does not know whether he is alive or dead.
People are very jealous. If a person like him lives a better life than other villagers, he is inviting disaster for himself.
Wei Erniu had always been frightened and wanted to leave the village many times to seek life elsewhere, but he couldn't bear to worry about his frail old mother.
His mother did not survive the winter and was cremated and buried under the coordination of the village chief.
Their family chose cremation, which was more trouble-free, and the ashes were directly enshrined in the ancestral temple.
There is no need to buy a Feng Shui treasure land, and you also get a burial silver from the government.
Wei Erniu's mind was full of energy again, and he was ready to stay away from Qingzhou Prefecture and start a new life elsewhere.
He didn't know anything about the outside world and was going to find Wei Hu, the village chief who had the most knowledge in the village.
The village chief still has some relatives with his family, and even if he doesn't want to see him, he won't deliberately give him wrong directions.
Wei Erniu came to Wei Hu's home carrying a pot of sweet potato wine.
At the gate of the hospital, he said in a loud voice: "Third uncle, I'm here to thank you for your help to my family after my mother's death."
Wei Erniu is only five years younger than Wei Hu, but there is a huge gap in seniority.
Wei Hu was elected as the village chief because he had the highest seniority in the village.
Wei Hu walked out of the room. Being a good drinker, he took the wine from Wei Erniu's hand without any courtesy.
He let Wei Erniu into the house and said politely: "Erniu, I'm very happy that you can come and thank my third uncle."
Wei Erniu sat on the kang and said with some trepidation: "Third uncle, you also know the situation of my family.
Most of the people in the village have been offended by me.
Many people hate Mr. Wei with a passion.
Now that Mr. Wei is gone, some people still take it out on me.
I can no longer stay in this village.
If I were a single person and the country was so big, I could go anywhere.
I have a family and a family now, and I don’t know where I’m going.
Third uncle is the most knowledgeable, please give me an idea."
Wei Hu stood up and took two steps back and forth in the room.
He nodded and said, "You made the right choice. Sometimes the villagers have conflicts with you, and I'm not very good at persuading them.
After all, you really have a blood feud. You are not the mastermind, but you can be considered a bastard.
At that time, I was not directly beaten to death by the villagers, but I was there to persuade him because we were related."
Wei Hu walked to the wall, where there were several newspapers on the wall of Ganghu.
"You came to me before, but I really couldn't tell you which place was best.
Now I recommend you to go to Nanyang.
When they immigrated to Nanyang, each family was assigned fifty acres of land.
Giving land directly, not borrowing land like we do here.
These fifty acres of land will also be exempted from land tax for five years.
The Nanyang Governor-General's Office will also lend seeds, farm tools, and cattle to farmers.
All we need to do is use grain to pay off the debt after the autumn harvest."
When Wei Erniu heard this condition, his eyes widened and he asked in disbelief: "Could such a good condition be fake?"
It is unbelievable that the government gave land for free and exempted land tax for five years.
They also provided so many services, even providing cattle and farm tools in advance, and allowing the autumn harvest to be used to pay off debts.
Wei Erniu had seen how Mr. Wei forced his tenants during the disaster years.
The approach of the Nanyang Governor-General's Office was completely opposite to that of Mr. Wei.
Wei Hu said firmly: "This is a policy published in the newspaper, how can it be false.
I know that Nanyang is a place that has just been conquered by the imperial court. It has a vast territory and is sparsely populated. Now it is short of people.
This great discount is available now, but it may disappear in a while.
When Henan was hit by a disaster, we arranged for the victims to come to our village.
At that time, some people said that some of them were arranged to go to Nanyang.
Besides, your family is poor and has nothing to worry about.
If the government says it will allocate land to us, it will allocate land to us.
Even the land was given to us, why would the government deceive us?"
When Wei Erniu heard this, he finally put aside his doubts and asked anxiously: "Third uncle, I want to go to Nanyang, how can I go?"
Wei Hu glanced at the information in the newspaper, compared it and read: "It's very simple, the county Yahu branch has an immigration department that is responsible for immigration.
When I go to the county government office to do business, I will report your name.
When a certain number of people are gathered together, the government will send a ship to transport you to Nanyang.
After arriving in Nanyang, someone will naturally arrange it for you."
After Wei Erniu got this information, he was very happy.
He contacted some villagers who, like him, were marginalized in the village.
They signed up to go to Nanyang together. After all, it was a strange place and it would be safer if familiar people stayed together.
…………………………
Wang Qiyuan was wearing casual clothes, and he and Wu Zheng came to Hongyan Inn together.
It's lunch time now, not just for those staying at the inn.
There are also outsiders entering the hotel lobby to eat.
They ordered a few dishes of side dishes and listened to the comments of the people while eating.
Wu Zheng happily reported: "Sir Wang, we are promoting Nanyang's preferential policies in newspapers.
It really caused some waves, the results of statistics from Dahua Transport Company.
During this period, the number of migrant transports increased fivefold."
Wang Qiyuan was very happy when he heard the news.
News from the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs may be delayed.
The news from Huayun Company must be accurate.
Huayun Company is a monopoly company. It monopolizes all passenger routes and most freight routes from Dahua mainland to Nanyang.
Wang Qiyuan took a sip of Erguotou and said happily: "Okay, this is really good."
He also received a letter from Lu Guangming, who had recruited more than 5,000 workers for the gold mine, asking when he would return to Nanyang.
Wang Qiyuan has already replied, asking Lu Guangming to take his people back to Nanyang immediately.
He has already made arrangements with Huayun Company, and passenger ships will depart from Qinhuangdao Port to transport a large number of workers to Nanyang.
The food consumed by more than 5,000 workers every day is a huge expense.
We need to get them to work as soon as possible and not just eat and drink for free.
When Wang Qiyuan came to the capital, all the things that needed to be done have been done.
He is also preparing to return to Nanyang. Today he came to Hongyun Inn just to hear the effect of the rumors he spread.
Hongyan Inn is where three religions and nine streams gather, and it is an important place to gather information from the public.
Wang Qiyuan pricked up his ears and listened to the conversations of the surrounding diners.
Wang Tie spoke in his rough voice: "Zhang Shi, during this time, there is a legend in the capital.
Large gold deposits with rich reserves were discovered in Nanyang.
Because Nanyang was short of manpower, people were allowed to mine.
After many people heard this information, they tried to find out whether it was true or false.
If it were true, that would be great.
This is a gold mine. A piece of gold can be mined and converted into silver coins.
Return to your hometown, buy a few acres of land, marry a wife, and your life will be complete."
Zhang Shi said dissatisfiedly: "You are so promising, but when you make money, you just miss your wife and children.
If you really find a gold mine, you should use the money to find a bigger gold mine.
If there is a local gold mine, there must be a second gold mine.
Even if we can discover a small gold mine, the benefits will make us rich for a lifetime."
Others in the inn heard the two men talking about the Nanyang gold mine.
This topic is the hottest topic right now.
Many people are looking at this table.
Some people couldn't help but clasped their fists and asked: "These two brothers, I heard you talking about the Nanyang Gold Mine, and it seems that you know the Nanyang Gold Mine very well.
It’s convenient for everyone to tell you whether the Nanyang Gold Mine is real or fake.”
Wang Tie saw other people's suspicious looks, and with the strength of his wine, he slapped the table and said: "There are a lot of rumors in the market. Whether various situations are true or false, it is difficult for ordinary people to distinguish.
But your lord, I still have some connections and can find out the authenticity of this matter.
Your Majesty, I have connections in the Ministry of Revenue. I learned about this from my friends, and it is indeed true.
Everyone is quick and slow, and if they want to make a fortune, there is absolutely no problem in going to Nanyang."
Wang Qiyuan heard these people talking about going to Nanyang.
He smiled, and millions of people got the news.
Even if one percent of people are tempted to go to Nanyang, his strategy will be considered a success.
As long as these people arrive in Nanyang, they have many ways to keep these people here.
Most of the people who want to go gold mining in Nanyang are young and strong, which can effectively solve the problem of insufficient population in Nanyang.
After Wang Qiyuan paid for the meal, he happily walked out of Hongyan Inn with Wu Zheng.
They were already far away from the inn, and Wu Zheng asked curiously: "Master Wang, are those two people the ones you are looking for?"
Wang Qiyuan smiled and said: "How could I find such a low-end shill?
The rumors I spread are not rumors. They are accurate information. There is no need to use shilling.
I have the impression that these two people are partners in a small company.
They should see benefits beyond gold mines, that's smart people.
These people, like us, don't want to make money digging for gold, but want to make money from gold diggers.
The more people go to prospect for gold, the more profitable their business will be.
These two talents changed their methods to attract gold diggers to go to Nanyang.
Very few gold diggers can make big money, only these smart people can make big money."
Wu Zheng listened to Mr. Wang's words and nodded in understanding.
…………………………
Wang Qiyuan submitted detailed policies for the development of Nanyang gold mines to Emperor Su He through the General Affairs Department.
His policy was quickly approved by Emperor Su He.
Wang Qiyuan also saw that rumors spread extremely quickly.
The news of the opening of gold mines in Nanyang spread throughout the northern region in a short time and is spreading rapidly to other regions.
He accepted Governor Wu's arrangement and all the matters he came to the capital to do have been taken care of.
Wang Qiyuan and Wu Zheng took the train to Tianjin, preparing to take the Huayun Company's passenger ship back to Nanyang.
They got off the train and rushed to the dock immediately.
Wu Zheng took the initiative to go to the ticket office to buy tickets, and he quickly came back with his head lowered.
"Sir Wang, the boat tickets are sold out.
A large number of gold diggers want to go to Nanyang.
The tickets for the Huayun Company are already hard to come by, and the price has doubled from before.”
When Wang Qiyuan heard the news, he was not angry at all, but laughed.
"Okay, this is really good.
Only when a large number of gold diggers go to Nanyang can we develop."
Wang Qiyuan took Wu Zheng to collect the tickets in person. Officials like him who were on official business did not need to buy tickets.
Just show your official documents and private seal and you will directly get the ticket reserved by Huayun Company.
In order to deal with special circumstances, Huayun Company usually reserves 10% of the ticket.
These missing passengers are usually picked up on the ship midway.
The enterprises under Shaofu are different from private enterprises and do not need to pursue maximum profits.
Wang Qiyuan boarded the passenger ship, which was a large passenger ship with six pairs of paddle wheels.
Passenger ships have a mast with sails hung from it.
He saw that most of the passengers on the passenger ship were young and middle-aged men.
Wang Qiyuan listened to their conversation. These people were all gold diggers preparing to go to Nanyang.
He looked at more than just the big ship he was on.
There is a busy large passenger ship on both sides of the ship.
Wang Qiyuan learned that the Nanyang route has been too popular recently, so Huayun Company temporarily added ships.
Originally there was one boat per time period, but now it has been changed to three boats per time period.
The air whistle sounded, and the paddle wheels on both sides of the ship were running at high speed driven by the steam engines.
The passenger ship slowly accelerated, sailed out of the port, and accelerated towards its destination, Nanyang.
A paddle steamer does not need to consider the direction of the wind. It can travel quickly on the sea regardless of headwind or tailwind.
Paddle steamers have been sailing on the sea for a long time.
Passengers played mahjong and chess, or drank wine and chatted, and they didn't feel that time passed too slowly.
The fleet stopped at Guangzhou Port on the way, replenished a large amount of water and food, and continued its journey.
The fleet stayed in Guangzhou. In addition to supplies, they were also waiting for a large number of merchant ships to move together.
There are pirates on the road from Guangzhou to Nanyang, so it must be escorted by warships.
Large-scale pirates have been wiped out by the military.
However, with the development of Dahua shipping, it is profitable to rob Dahua ships.
Pirates on this route have resurfaced again.
In addition to official operations, there are warship escorts.
Other caravans gathered together and followed the military patrol ships.
The First Fleet and the Fourth Fleet often send warships to and from Southeast Asia and the mainland to train the navy and patrol the maritime areas.
If pirates do appear, they will be eliminated by military patrol ships.
Wang Qiyuan felt that they were already a long way away from Guangzhou. He suddenly heard the whistle of a warship ahead, which was a danger signal.
Many merchant ships suddenly slowed down and were ready to abandon their cargo and escape.
When Wu Zheng saw this situation, he smiled bitterly and said, "Master Wang, I didn't expect there to be pirates.
The cargo ship can throw its cargo, reduce its weight and escape.
This is a passenger ship, we can’t throw people off.”
The warship soon sent a signal and the dangerous situation was relieved.
The fleet continued to move forward, and they saw a Western-style warship burning violently on the sea.
Wang Qiyuan saw the unburnt flag on the mast and recognized the origin of the ship.
This is the warship on which Spanish Ambassador Sedes returned to his country after handing over the ambassadorship.
At that time, newspapers reported the incident extensively and used extremely precious cameras to take a picture and publish it in the newspaper.
Unexpectedly, this warship would have problems on the sea.
Looking at the raging fire above, the warship is slowly sinking.
Wang Qiyuan estimated that no one would be able to jump off the ship and escape.
They really jumped off the ship to escape. This location was extremely far from the shore, and these people were bound to die.
