Chapter 779

After autumn set in, the air gradually became tinged with coolness.

The ministers in the council hall also put on slightly thicker robes.

Under the effect of the technology crystal, he explained in detail the decrees he intended to implement, which the officials then understood.

“Your Majesty is truly far-sighted and makes us admire you,” Pang Yukun said, bowing, his voice filled with excitement.

Because Xiao Ming’s words hit the nail on the head, which reminded him of how Shanhai Pass was lost. It was precisely because the Great Yu Empire had a sparse population outside the pass that the Golden Tent Khanate gradually grew strong.

Otherwise, if the Great Yu Empire people had occupied the majority, how could they have caused such chaos? This was precisely the problem Xiao Ming spoke of: being able to conquer, but not to defend.

“Long live Your Majesty!” After Pang Yukun, the ministers all shouted loudly.

Xiao Ming showed a slight smile. This matter had been officially passed in the council hall. Next was the promulgation of the birth policy.

As long as he had enough population, he would not fear being unable to defend the conquered territories.

Having finished this matter, Xiao Ming suddenly noticed that Wang Xuan was also in the council hall today. Previously, Wang Xuan was always traveling around and rarely attended court.

Noticing Xiao Ming’s gaze, Wang Xuan proactively stepped forward. He said, “Your Majesty, I have something to report.”

“Speak.”

Xiao Ming frowned. From Wang Xuan’s expression, it did not seem to be good news.

After a moment of thought, Wang Xuan said, “I wish to speak of the Prince of Chu. Currently, the Prince of Chu is collaborating too closely with the French. According to the information I have obtained, five days ago, a French warship docked at Lin’an harbor. This ship was loaded with flintlock guns and cannons. When this warship returned, it was loaded with porcelain, tea, and silk, and also some scholars preparing to study in France.”

“This Prince of Chu indeed has wolfish ambitions! Your Majesty, this Prince of Chu is a major threat and cannot be ignored. You must not be deceived by him!” Zhan Xingchang said angrily.

Fei Ji agreed, “The Prince of Chu is treacherous and cruel. He even sent his eldest son to Qingzhou Province as a hostage, which shows his ambition is not small. It is just a pity that the major northern threat has not been eliminated, making it impossible to withdraw troops to the south.”

“Elder Fei is absolutely right.” Pang Yukun frowned. “But simply watching the Prince of Chu grow stronger is not an option. Your Majesty, we must find a way to curb the Prince of Chu.”

Wang Xuan stopped speaking after relaying the intelligence.

Xiao Ming’s eyes shifted among the agitated ministers. The intelligence Wang Xuan brought back indicated that the cooperation between the Prince of Chu and the French was becoming increasingly close.

Especially the dispatch of scholars to France, this was a dangerous move, because it meant that the Prince of Chu fully accepted the French ideas.

Presumably, it was precisely for this reason that the French spared no effort in supporting the Prince of Chu.

Clearing his throat, he said, “All you beloved ministers, please calm yourselves. The Prince of Chu is in the south. As long as my warships patrol the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, he cannot launch an attack. Moreover, the most important thing back then was to eliminate the northern threat, only then can we spare forces for the south. If we put the cart before the horse, it will only benefit the barbarians,” Xiao Ming said loudly.

After a moment of contemplation, he continued, “Therefore, for now, we still need to pretend to cooperate with the Prince of Chu and avoid fighting in both the north and south simultaneously. And the Prince of Chu is currently focused on developing his feudal state and will certainly not initiate an attack.”

The ministers all quieted down upon hearing this.

At this point, Fei Ji said, “Your Majesty, I do have a plan that can make the Prince of Chu suffer a loss, yet leave him helpless.”

“Elder Fei, please speak,” Xiao Ming said with a smile.

“Your Majesty once said that Ryukyu and the Sanshan Kingdom are suitable for agriculture, with rice harvested three times a year. If so, why not migrate common people to these places to settle? This way, it can also provide a large amount of grain and fodder for the Great Yu Empire. In my humble opinion, this population migration should start with the Prince of Chu,” Fei Ji said.

Pang Yukun understood. He said, “During the northern war, the Prince of Chu encroached upon a large number of imperial prefectures and counties. After Your Majesty unified the north, the Prince of Chu nominally acknowledged these prefectures and counties as imperial, but in reality, he secretly controls them. Therefore, rather than letting the common people remain under the Prince of Chu’s rule, it is better to migrate them to Ryukyu and the Sanshan Kingdom.”

Xiao Ming nodded slightly. This was truly a case of great minds thinking alike. In fact, he had long coveted the population of the south and had been trying to figure out how to transfer people from the densely populated south to the north.

So he said, “All you beloved ministers and I are truly of one mind. Since this matter has been brought up, today I will speak my thoughts. Firstly, I highly agree with Elder Fei’s idea. After occupying Ryukyu, I already intended to migrate people to Ryukyu. It’s just that due to the late Emperor’s passing, this matter had to be suspended. Now is the time to continue promoting the migration policy.”

After a pause, he continued, “However, besides this, I have another plan: the Equal Field System. And to implement the Equal Field System, it is necessary to migrate people from densely populated areas to sparsely populated areas. Currently, the south has a large population but little cultivated land, while the north has few people but much cultivated land. We can use this reason to migrate common people from the south to the north.”

“Excellent,” Fei Ji laughed heartily upon hearing this. Zhan Xingchang and other capital officials also showed expressions of admiration.

Pang Yukun said, “Your Majesty’s plan precisely rectifies the Prince of Chu and gains the support of the common people. If this is the case, then we, your humble servants, will draft the decree and send it to various prefectures and counties, preparing for this migration.”

“Hmm, this matter should be done sooner rather than later. We cannot let the Prince of Chu have his way so easily,” Xiao Ming said.

Having settled this matter, Xiao Ming had now dealt with all of today’s state affairs. At this point, he was preparing to have Qian Dafu announce the adjournment of court.

Just then, Lu Tong suddenly said, “Your Majesty, I have one more piece of good news to share.”

The matter of the Prince of Chu had ultimately left Xiao Ming somewhat depressed. Lu Tong’s words, however, lifted his spirits slightly. He said, “I hope what you say is truly good news.”

Lu Tong, hearing this, said with a smile, “Your Majesty, I have led the students in establishing the Great Yu Empire’s first industrial sulfuric acid workshop. The lead chamber process for preparing sulfuric acid has been successful!”

“It’s truly successful!” Xiao Ming, who had been feeling lethargic, instantly became energized.

“Absolutely true. I was just about to invite Your Majesty to observe,” Lu Tong said, looking smug.

Looking at Lu Tong, Xiao Ming showed a slight smile. This was indeed good news. Chemistry and chemical industry were different. It only made sense to industrialize the production of things that could be made in a laboratory.

This lead chamber process for preparing sulfuric acid was precisely the method for large-scale industrial production of sulfuric acid, invented by the Briton Roebuck in contemporary times.

He established the world’s first factory for manufacturing sulfuric acid using the lead chamber process in 746 AD. This method was perfected until the 1850s, influencing a century.

Now, Lu Tong had also established a sulfuric acid factory in the Great Yu Empire, which was undoubtedly a breakthrough in the chemical industry.