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The Dutch were scared away by the fleet, and the atmosphere inside the prefecture office was lively.
Yang Chengye was the most excited. Hearing Xiao Ming’s words, he grew even happier and said, “Your Highness, really?”
Nowadays, almost all the Great Yu Empire’s ports were in the south. Everyone knew how important ports were to a region. If Dengzhou could beco a prosperous port, it would soon beco a wealthy city.
As the governor of Dengzhou, Yang naturally welcod this news.
“Of course it’s true, but that depends on General Niu Ben and Yue Yun taking Ryukyu first,” Xiao Ming smiled.
Upon hearing this, Yang Chengye stood and cupped his hands toward Niu Ben and Yue Yun. “Generals, the future of Dengzhou depends on both of you.”
“Governor Yang, no need for formalities. This is our duty,” Niu Ben smiled.
With the completion of the warships, Xiao Ming could now control the seas around Dengzhou. For him, this ant gaining a vast mariti territory. He said, “From now on, wherever our warships sail, it is Great Yu’s sea. Governor Yang, your vision should not stop at the port. Actually, Dengzhou sits on a great source of wealth.”
“Oh? Please explain, Your Highness,” Yang Chengye said, puzzled.
“Marine fishing,” Xiao Ming replied softly.
Yang Chengye was overjoyed. He slapped his thigh and said, “Ah, Your Highness, you speak the truth. We’ve been badly bullied by Japanese pirates at sea all these years. I had forgotten about fishing. Now our fishing boats can finally sail out to sea.”
“Not just fishern fishing. I will allocate thirty rchant ships, which will be converted into fishing vessels. Dengzhou will establish specialized fishing teams to supply at to inland prefectures,” Xiao Ming said.
The Dutch soldiers’ robust physique amazed Xiao Ming. Apart from the wealthy elites in Great Yu, who were all well-fed, many common people looked malnourished.
From the Europeans’ perspective, this was no different from refugees, even seen as a symbol of poverty.
Xiao Ming noticed this issue during the wars against the barbarians. At first, his soldiers’ physical fitness was inferior, which was a disadvantage in battle.
Back then, his troops could only eat at once a month, which was the limit of Qingzhou’s at supply.
Without at, soldiers could not build their bodies to match the barbarians or even the Europeans. This was unacceptable to him.
In modern tis, soldiers’ diets are just as important as modernization itself. Training consus great energy. Without proper food, training quality declines.
The fish caught by the thirty fishing ships might not fully feed his army, but at least he could make broth so soldiers could occasionally drink at soup.
“I will rember this,” Yang Chengye suddenly felt the weight of his responsibilities.
Dengzhou had once been a marginal city, but now it had beco crucial—tasked with building coastal defenses and serving as a trade port and fishing base.
Xiao Ming nodded, having given all instructions. The New Year was coming, and after that, his focus would turn toward the sea.
After staying in Dengzhou for a few days, Xiao Ming inspected the developnt of the local prefectures and the implentation of various policies.
His main concern was whether policies were actually enforced. Even today, top-down policies often face local resistance, and in an age of limited communication, policy implentation could easily fail.
Thus, when appointing Yang Chengye to heavy responsibilities, he had to check whether Yang was responsive to Qingzhou’s directives.
His inspection was sowhat sudden, leaving Yang Chengye flustered. Still, Xiao Ming was relatively satisfied with the results.
Now, no powerful clans oppressed their neighbors. Forrly dominant clans had beco rchants and no longer maintained ard retainers.
Land distribution in Dengzhou was reasonable, with no peasant complaints. In fact, because Dengzhou was less populated, locals had more land than those in Qingzhou.
This was the difference between “wide” and “narrow” countryside in ancient tis—the wide countryside had more land per family.
Besides, he checked the granary reserves, which were crucial in ancient tis as the amount of grain determined how long a war could last.
After receiving satisfactory reports, Xiao Ming finally visited the Salt Transport Bureau in Dengzhou.
After marine fishing began, salt beca a big issue. Without refrigeration technology, salt and spices were used to preserve food. This was why spices were so valuable in ancient tis.
Europeans occupied Malaysia mainly to trade spices.
Xiao Ming did not have enough spices, so he planned to preserve sea fish by salting them. Though sea fish are salty, their salt content was insufficient for proper curing.
Therefore, he needed the Salt Transport Bureau to produce more salt. He also planned to sell salt to other parts of the Great Yu Empire, but only if his salt was cheaper than others’.
This required a more efficient salt production thod.
“Your Highness, this is how we produce salt in Dengzhou,” said Yao Wenyuan, the Salt Transport Officer, who hurried over after learning Xiao Ming had visited the salt fields.
They stood on a flat beach with over a hundred thatched huts emitting smoke.
So villagers carried seawater into the huts, filtered it several tis through cloth, then boiled it in pots to produce salt.
“Is this your thod of salt production?” Xiao Ming frowned. This was the seawater boiling thod.
Yao Wenyuan nodded, “Yes, Your Highness. Since ancient tis, the Salt Transport Bureau has used this thod. Now, our production ets the needs of the six prefectures.”
“It’s not enough now,” Xiao Ming said. “This thod is too slow. You must switch to a faster and more efficient thod.”
“Other thods?” Yao looked confused.
Xiao Ming nodded. “Rember what I say now. In the future, use this thod.”
Then Xiao Ming explained the modern salt harvesting thod.
“This thod is simple. The area is large. You can dig salt fields on this land. When the tide rises, seawater covers the salt fields, and the sun dries them…”
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