Li Xiao only stayed in Kaifeng for two days, and then led his entire army along the Yellow River and returned to Tielong City, Shan County, Shandong.

At this time, it was mid-December, and the earth was frozen. The Yellow River on the high river bank had frozen. At first glance, it looked like a crystal-winding jade belt, which could not be seen or the end.

In the cold weather, Li Xiaojun, who was escorting the prisoners and the captured returning east, was full of enthusiasm, with a slogan that shook the sky and loud military songs, adding a warm vitality to the entire desolate and lonely Yellow River Plain.

In the neatly marched army, Li Xiao, the chief general who was closely guarded by the guards, said to him in the living room that day when he thought about Lu Xiangsheng.

To be honest, when Lu Xiangsheng said that he wanted to protect Li Xiao as General Denglai, Li Xiao was not particularly excited.

After all, even if he became General Denglai, he would only be responsible for the military defense of Dengzhou and Laizhou, as well as his nominal jurisdiction over the guards in various parts of Denglai, and the court would also withdraw food and salary according to the quota of 5,000 soldiers in the first battalion. However, these things were not very attractive to Li Xiao, who was determined to seek development.

To be simple, if he became the general of Denglai, he was just a pure military chief and had no control over the land and financial resources of Denglai. The subordinate garrisons only had no nominal jurisdiction, but could not actually control and manage them. Even if the amount of food and salary for 5,000 soldiers was added, it was unknown whether it could be issued in time when the court was short of food and salary.

Li Xiao is not a greedy person. He has such a glamorous appearance but the benefits he can obtain are limited, which cannot arouse much interest in him.

Thinking of this, Li Xiao smiled gently and exposed the matter.

Now, the big thing that has been under Li Xiao’s heart has been how to properly resettle the 130,000 prisoners along the way.

This is the problem that Li Xiao must face and solve seriously.

Although Li Xiao made a promise in front of Lu Xiangsheng that day, it was not easy to truly resettle these large number of bandit prisoners.

Eight days later, Li Xiaojun successfully returned to Tielong City.

When Li Xiaoxin sighed when he saw the 130,000 prisoners settled in the densely prepared tents in the open space in the northwest area of ​​Tielong City.

I have built a lot of industrial projects now, and it is very difficult to settle these prisoners. The Ming Dynasty government, which had already been sparse and weak, would of course be just empty talk about the placement of surrendered bandits.

Li Xiao was a meticulous person. Before returning to Kaifeng, he ordered his personal soldiers to go to Chifeng City urgently, and called Chen Zilong, the chief manager of Chifeng City, Xu Xiuqing, and urgently called to Tielong City to discuss with them to see how to settle these large number of prisoners.

In the living room of Li Xiao’s mansion in Tielong City, the charcoal fire in the white cloud copper basin was clattering. Li Xiao, Chen Zilong, Xu Xiuqing, Wu Liang, and Guan Yi, deputy director of the Supervisory and Supervision Department, discussed ways and countermeasures to resettle refugees.

Guan Yi spoke first and reported to everyone the specific situation of the current captives and seizures.

"Everyone, our army has destroyed two bandits this time, and has captured 129,400 prisoners, including 95,000 strong men, 22,000 strong women, and more than 10,000 elderly and weak. A total of 52,000 taels of gold, silver, 510,000 taels of silk, 9,820 pieces of silk, and 370,000 stones of food."

When Guan Yi said this, Li Xiao nodded and signaled him to stop.

Xu Xiuqing, the chief manager of Chifeng City, stood up and said with a smile: "Although our army now makes a lot of profits every day, many captures are ultimately a good thing, and it also adds considerable help to our army's development."

Wu Liang, the general manager of Iron City, immediately continued: "That's true. This is true. With this large amount of money, it is just right for our army to develop the newly leased marine island."

Everyone laughed, Li Xiao looked around and smiled and said, "Everyone, let you come today. The first thing to do is to arrange these prisoners. This matter is the most important thing for our army."

After Li Xiao finished speaking, Chen Zilong interrupted: "Mr. Li, the student believes that the key to these prisoners is to arrange those refugee men. As for those women, as well as more than ten thousand old and weak, it is better to arrange some."

"Oh, please tell me in detail."

"Mr. Li, according to statistics, in Chifeng Camp and Tielong Camp alone, there were about 6,000 soldiers in our army who had not been married. First, the women and women who had not been married or whose husbands died were forced to be married to our army's soldiers as wives. In this way, one can calm the hearts of the soldiers, two can greatly reduce the number of prisoners who need to be allocated and placed. Three, the elderly and weak who are related to this woman can also be arranged together according to the situation, but it is a very good thing." Chen Zilong said with a lingering voice.

Li Xiao nodded with a smile, and asked Guan Yi again: "How many adult women are there without spouses?"

Guan Yi quickly replied: "Sir, there are about 8,000 people, but they are just right for our army. After the military is matched, the extra women and women can also be matched with the craftsmen of our army's factories and mines, but they can also find a good home for them."

Li Xiao smiled and said to Chen Zilong: "Zilong's suggestions are very good. In this way, with the elderly and weak who are related to those women, I am afraid that at least 10,000 people can arrange this. Zilong, then you can do this matter. You should be a mass matchmaker for our soldiers and workers and miners everywhere."

Speaking of this, Li Xiao smiled and added: "Although this distribution is compulsory, the wrist should not be too stiff. You should always pay attention to your love and my wish."

Everyone burst into laughter, Chen Zilong stood up and bowed to Li Xiao with a sneer, "Please rest assured, I will do this for you properly."

After Chen Zilong finished speaking, Xu Xiuqing interrupted: "How should the remaining women and the old and the weak?"

Chen Zilong thought for a while and said, "The remaining women and the elderly and the weak are the wives and families of the bandits. As long as their husbands can arrange their arrangements, have a job, and get paid, they can naturally live with them, but it's okay."

Wu Liang frowned and said, "But if their husbands were later investigated and had done many evil things in the past but could only work hard, they would only care about food, accommodation and no salary. In this case, how should these women and the elderly and the weak survive?"

Before Chen Zilong could speak, Li Xiao took over and said, "This matter is not urgent. When I saw it, it is not too late to arrange for other arrangements for women and the elderly and weak who have no salary because their husbands are going to work hard."

Everyone nodded when they heard this. At this time, Guan Yi stood up and said, "Mr. Li, our army suffered a lot of losses this time, but we can first recruit some troops from the bandits to supplement our army's losses."

Li Xiao nodded and agreed with his opinion: "Wozi said that, I was thinking that like the last time I took over Zhang Xianzhong's troops, I absorbed 10,000 people with good physical fitness from this group of prisoners, but not long after joining the army, and selected them into our army. First, they started with auxiliary soldiers, and after the ideological education work was strengthened, they were selected into various types of combat soldiers."

After Li Xiao finished speaking, he explained to Guan Yi: "Then Guan Yi will arrange this matter of selecting prisoners into our army."

"Don't worry, adults, students will do their best to handle this matter and strengthen ideological education so that they can become qualified members of our army's combat soldiers as soon as possible." Guan Yi responded loudly.

After Guan Yi finished speaking, Wu Liang, the general manager of Iron City, said to Li Xiao in a tentative tone: "Sir, there are only 86,000 strong men left now. The students were thinking, why not vigorously expand the steel smelting and production of Iron City while there are so many strong laborers now, but they can digest and absorb a large number of prisoners."

Li Xiao's eyes lit up and he asked, "What is the number of people engaged in steel production and production equipment in Tielong City now?"

Wu Liang hurriedly said: "Sir, there are three blast furnaces and two fried furnaces in Tielong City. They can produce at least 36,000 kilograms of cooked iron every day. The cooked iron produced is mainly used for forging squatting grounds, producing various types of armor, weapons, and production and living equipment. In addition, it is used to make firearm shells such as thunder and other firearms."

Wu Liang paused and continued: "The situation of workers used in the entire Tielong City is roughly 3,000 mining teams, 2,000 mine mills, washing and transporting, 3,000 workers operating blast furnaces and frying furnaces, and 8,000 male workers, 5,000 female workers, 200 male workers in the forging squatyard, 200 male workers in the ammunition factory, 300 female workers, and 300 male workers in the trench factory."

Hearing this, Li Xiao immediately said to Wu Liang: "Mr. Wu, this is the case. Now there is sufficient manpower and capital. It will double the steel production in Tielong City."

Wu Liang smiled and said hurriedly: "Students also think so. In this way, the CCP can build 6 blast furnaces and 4 fried furnaces in Tielong City. The daily production of iron will reach 72,000 kilograms. If there is such a steel production, our army's steel products will be fully supplied in all provinces in the northern Ming Dynasty."

Li Xiao smiled but said nothing.

He knew that in the middle of the Wanli period when industry and commerce reached its peak in the Ming Dynasty, the total iron output nationwide was only 180,000 tons in a year, and the iron ore consumption was about 400,000 to 450,000 tons.

This number sounds like a lot, but compared to modern China, it is simply not worth mentioning.

You should know that in contemporary China, as early as 2007, the total steel output per year was 489.66 million tons. Compared with the Ming Dynasty, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a difference between heaven and earth.

Now, the steel production of one day is 720,000 kilograms, which is 36 tons. So, based on the monthly production of 20 days, the monthly production is 720 tons, and the annual output can reach 8,640 tons.

Although Li Xiao’s Iron City has a yearly steel production, although it is as small as a mustard in modern China, it is enough to look down on the iron farms and workshops throughout the Ming Dynasty.

According to modern China, the iron ore reserves in Dan County are 150 million tons of ore veins, which is enough for its own mining for dozens of generations. Li Xiao does not have to worry about insufficient ore.

While Li Xiao was pondering, Wu Liang said happily: "If this is the case, the mining team can be increased to 6,000, the mine grinding, mine washing and transportation personnel can be increased to 4,000, and the workers operating blast furnaces and fried furnaces will also be increased to 3,000. The 8,000 male workers and 5,000 female workers in the forging yard can be doubled at least on this basis, reaching 16,000 male workers and 10,000 female workers!"

Li Xiao smiled and said, "If this is the case, how many manpower can be selected from the prisoners?"

Wu Liang hurriedly replied: "Report to the adults, including the number of people employed in each process, if the scale of the forging site is expanded, at least 25,000 strong men can be captured and selected as laborers. In addition, the female workers required can also solve a lot of women's work problems."

Li Xiao nodded and smiled, "It's great, you will arrange this job in Wu Liang."

Next, Li Xiao stipulated that the personnel to be arranged, just like the last time Zhang Xianzhong's troops, the hardest and most tiring mining work was the bandits who committed the most serious crimes, and those who committed the minor crimes would be to crush ore and wash mines.

These prisoners are all voluntary laborers of labor reform. They have no salary and benefits except for food and accommodation. They work under the whip of supervisors every day, which is considered a redemption for the crimes they committed.

Next, prisoners who were more guilty than those of the grinding team and the mine washing team were selected, and they were arranged to become steelmakers who operated blast furnaces and fried furnaces, which just met the manpower needed to expand blast furnaces and fried furnaces. In order to make them more responsible in their work, in addition to providing food and accommodation, they were also given a monthly salary of 2 yuan.

Finally, the prisoner who committed the least sin entered the forging ground to be an apprentice, with a monthly wage of 3 cents and five cents of silver.

Li Xiao planned to divide the prisoners into different levels at any time, so as to artificially create differences in treatment, which can effectively prevent them from merging together, so that even if they want to resist, they will not be able to form cohesion.

After the arrangement of the 20,000 strong man, Li Xiao suddenly remembered something and asked Wu Liang: "Mr. Wu, has the 150,000 acres of wasteland developed into mulberry fields outside Shan County now?"

Wu Liang was stunned and hurriedly replied: "Not yet, because steel production has just been on track this year, but these wastelands have not yet been developed. Is it because I want to develop these wastelands and place these prisoners?"

Li Xiao nodded and said, "That's exactly what it means."

Wu Liang said oh and hurriedly said, "Since that's the case, it's like before. Just from these prisoners, the number of households with at least two husbands and wife was selected, and each household contracted 30 acres to become mulberry households. In this way, 5,000 families can be arranged. In this way, 5,000 strong men and their wives and families can be arranged."

Li Xiao smiled and said, "Yes, this arrangement is very good. They are like the previous mulberry silkworm households. In the first year, they pay 10 kilograms of cocoons per mu. From the second year, they pay 15 kilograms per mu. From then on, they will be a fixed order and no tax will be added. The remaining cocoons produced by the sericulture department will be purchased at the market price. The mulberries produced by mulberry trees are left to the mulberry silkworm households for their own consumption. This work will also be arranged by Mr. Wu."

Li Xiao knew that if these 150,000 mu of mulberry fields were developed, it would bring him more considerable benefits.

According to Zheng Rubao, the head of the sericulture class, these improved mulberry fields can produce about 1,000 kilograms of mulberry leaves per mu, and can reel 5 to 6 kilograms of silk, which can produce 750,000 kilograms of raw silk every year. Together with the 30,000 mu of mulberry fields in Chifengwei, a total of 900,000 kilograms of raw silk can be produced every year. If sold to China, you can get 540,000 taels of silver every year. If sold to overseas, you can get at least 1.2 million taels of silver!

Of course, the sooner such a profitable transaction, the better it should be developed.

After hearing Li Xiao’s arrangement, Wu Liang smiled and agreed loudly.

At this time, Li Xiao turned his head and asked Xu Xiuqing, the general manager of Chifeng City, and said, "General Manager Xu, now there are only 56,000 strong men left. But where does Chifeng City need manpower?"

Xu Xiuqing looked serious. He thought for a while and said, "Sir, last time, because of the expansion of the Chifeng Camp, the Chifeng Guards, he recruited nearly 20,000 refugees, such as cement factories, brick factories, sea salt factories, military horse farms, farms, quarries, lime farms and other factories, all of which are sufficient manpower. Even the Zhaoyuan gold mines have recruited enough manpower, and there is no undeveloped land. Now, there is no job or lack of manpower in Chifeng Guards."

Xu Xiuqing's answer made Li Xiao frown.

When Xu Xiuqing said this, she seemed to remember something suddenly and said to Li Xiao: "Sir, I suddenly thought that the ocean island has been temporarily leased by our army, but it just happened to use these prisoners."

Before Li Xiao could speak, Xu Xiuqing hurriedly said to himself: "Mr. Li, I heard you have said that the Ocean Island is as big as one-eighth of Huang County, with live water on it, but at least 40,000 acres of arable land can be developed. If each household is to be transferred to 20 acres of land, there will be 2,000 families with bandits who can be resettled."

When Xu Xiuqing said this, Chen Zilong next to him was also energetic. He interrupted: "Yes, I heard from the adults that there are nearly 2,000 mu of mudflats on the island, but the number of salt fields built is twice that of my Chifengwei. In this way, there are 3,000 strong men who can be arranged as salt factory workers."

As soon as Chen Zilong finished speaking, Xu Xiuqing said again: "Don't you still have to build castles, shipyards and naval bases on the island? In this way, there will be at least 5,000 strong men who can be used as construction workers."

Li Xiao nodded repeatedly from their words.

After Xu Xiuqing finished speaking, Guan Yi, who had not spoken, said with a worried look: "Even if all arrangements continue, there are still 45,000 strong bandits who have not been allowed to arrange them. What should we do?"
Chapter completed!