Agriculture is the foundation of industry.

As an agricultural empire, when most of the population devoted themselves to industrial production activities, it naturally brought about a food crisis.

Fortunately, industrial progress has also promoted the progress of agricultural productivity.

Yan Song, the governor of Southern Zhili, promoted fertilizers in the Jiangnan region, significantly increasing grain output.

In addition, with the dredging of large-scale canals and river channels, it also provides better irrigation conditions for crops and further stimulates grain production.

The emergence of the food crisis further intensified the pace of Ming Dynasty's external expansion.

However, up to now, the main expansion is commercial expansion and the migration methods of civilians, and military expansion is not the main means.

In the north, a large number of Shangtou continued to appear, and the arable land area in the Liaodong area increased sharply.

At the same time, Zhu Houzhao also issued an edict to encourage the people to leave the customs.

As long as the people are willing to leave the customs, they can purchase a large amount of land from the court at a low price.

In the south, a large number of local gentry families, especially those in Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Guangxi, began to move large numbers to Taiwan and Luzon Island in Manlaga, Chameng and other places to carry out farming and export grain to the Ming Dynasty for sale.

Now the central court of the Ming Dynasty and local governments have begun to purchase grain through grain banks to store disaster grain.

The Ming merchants marched to farm in Southeast Asia, so they naturally hired local indigenous people to farm.

Of course, this also intensified the conflict between the Han people and the local indigenous people, because although it was not a military means, when the Han people exported a large amount of local food to the Ming Dynasty, it also harmed the interests of the indigenous people.

I won't mention this matter.

The Ming Dynasty is now in a period of excessive transition from a small peasant economy to a commodity economy. The country's borders have not been fully opened, the expansion of foreign colonial expansion has not yet begun on a large scale, and many contradictions have not yet completely erupted.

Therefore, it seemed as if on the eve of the volcano eruption, in this era when the Age of Discovery had just begun, the Ming Dynasty and the entire world still seemed very calm.

It was as calm as the Atlantic Ocean that Xia Yan saw at this moment.

For more than a whole year, Xia Yan didn't expect that he would wander on the sea for so long.

Along the way, based on the information left by Zheng He, he found the footprints left by the Ming fleet and re-erected the monument. He also refused to recognize their control of the navigation route and had fought with pirates and even Western colonists, and even lost many of the Ming navy soldiers who followed him in the Western Tour, and many of them died of sepsis and other diseases.

So much so that when Xia Yan and his fleet arrived at Ceuta, a North African port controlled by Flangji, the number of officers and soldiers of the Ming Navy and other civil and military officials accompanied him was reduced by more than a thousand.

The Kingdom of Folangji also knew at this time that the Eastern Empire of the Ming Dynasty had sent their envoys to come.

If the Ming Empire had not destroyed the Flangji fleet in the East before, that is, the fleet that first established a colony in India and captured Malacca, and had been proud of the Flangji Kingdom, Flangji was very willing to establish trade relations with the Ming Empire, because as Western countries at this time, they dreamed of doing business with the Ming Dynasty, an ancient Eastern empire, so as to sell the tea and silk of the Eastern Empire to the West and make huge profits from it. Of course, it would be better if they could directly plunder it.

Westerners in this era are not just businessmen, but often businessmen and robbers, and even more often they play the role of robbers.

However, now the Ming Dynasty eliminated the fleet that was expanding overseas, and even took away the routes of the Flanger Kingdom east of the Indian Peninsula. It even forced the routes controlled by the Flanger in the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean by force. This greatly damaged the interests of the Flanger Kingdom's aviation and foreign affairs. The Flanger naturally did not welcome the appearance of Xia Yan, the envoy of the Ming Empire.

But Xia Yan is not a peace envoy, but an armed envoy, which can be understood as an armed inspection.

Like Zheng He's voyage to the West, he brought not only goods and his own eyes to examine, but also guns and warships, so the Flang machine did not dare to drive Xia Yan away.

Xia Yan even occupied Ceuta and captured the Governor Da Gama, who was appointed by King Momanuel I of Folangji half a year ago.

At this time, the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were already plundering the gold and gems left by Folangji here outside the inner city of Ceuta City. Of course, there were also the officers and soldiers who had been holding on the sea for a long time and could not help but forcibly possessing the women of Folangji and madly importing the genes of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Xia Yan did not stop it because this was the condition he promised to give to the officers and soldiers of the Ming Navy.

The officers and soldiers of the Ming Navy used their lives to escort Xia Yan to the West, and Xia Yan, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of War, had to allow them to plunder at will in the occupied place, otherwise who would be willing to follow him Xia Yan to travel far and wide across the ocean.

Zhu Houzhao taught him that Xia Yan was nationalism at the Peking University, and Xia Yan, who was deeply influenced by the traditional idea of ​​family as a country, believed in this very much. He didn't care whether he could make much money.

This is different from the original purpose of Dagama when he opened the Eastern route, which was just to make himself rich.

Xia Yan hoped that these Ming officers and soldiers who accompanied him could make money through plundering overseas and attract more people from the Ming Dynasty to go out to sea, and no longer rely on the heavens to make a living by their family for more than ten acres of land, and also avoid the people from rebelling due to natural disasters and land annexation.

Therefore, Xia Yan allowed these Ming officers and soldiers to plunder with the nature of primitive capital accumulation.

"This is overseas. The laws of the Ming Dynasty cannot control it here. You are the people of the Ming Dynasty and the people of the Supreme Kingdom of the Celestial Kingdom. Your actions can only be controlled by the Ming government. Therefore, no one here can control you. This official is the right assistant minister of the Ministry of War and the Western Inspector, and is only responsible for commanding your military operations. Therefore, you can do your best to increase your family's wealth. Remember to get one for the dead brothers!"

Xia Yan's seemingly logical words still seemed to be still resounding in the ears of the Ming Navy officers and soldiers, and also gave them enough motivation to participate in the accumulation of primitive capital in the Ming Empire.

Of course, Xia Yan's visit to the Western Conference was not just a group of navy soldiers to be robbers. He also had another purpose in coming to the West, which was to examine why this Western Conference was different from the Chinese civilization, what was Greece and Florence mentioned by His Majesty, and the so-called Christ and Pope here, etc.

"Be honest!"

At this time, Da Gama was brought up by a military officer, who also said to Xia Yan: "Sir, this is what Pires said about Naceao Governor Da Gama. He was caught by the general. Please ask him to send him off, should he behead or feed the fish?"

"Dagama, is this the Dagama that His Majesty said?"

At this time, Zhang Yanling, the Marquis of Jianchang, who was traveling west with Xia Yan to Ceuta and was preparing to continue his journey westward, could not help but ask after hearing Da Gama's name.

"It was him who returned to Jianchang Hou. He was the famous hero of Folangji. He was the first person to discover a new route in the East. He also made a lot of money because of this and was also named by King Folangji."

Pires has really enjoyed the benefits of being a Ming people. He also looted a lot of property while traveling west like other Ming officers and soldiers. Therefore, he has now treated himself as a Ming people. So, after Zhang Yanling asked, he immediately answered.

"What big hero is just a robber! Of course, for Florence, maybe he is really a big hero," Xia Yan said, then looked at Da Gama and asked, "You Florence people have always robbed others, but what does it feel like to be robbed by my Ming people now? Have you ever thought about the revenge coming so quickly?"

"Dear Orientals, I have to admit that you are strong, but I hope you can see our sincerity. I am sorry for the previous conflict. At the same time, I have paid the price for my stupidity. Now I only hope that you can protect my life and I can provide compensation!"

Da Gama now knows that the fleet and guns of the Eastern Empire are not something he can defeat, so he has no arrogant behavior. Moreover, Westerners have always cared about personal life and do not value national interests. Therefore, after being captured by Xia Yan, the first thing he hopes is that Xia Yan can forgive himself.

Of course, this is also the robber thinking of Da Gama, a senior colonial robber in the West. In his opinion, he naturally has to compensate for his captives. It seems that people in the East only care about making money, just like him.

Xia Yan did not intend to make a fortune by relying on Da Gama. As mentioned earlier, he mainly visited the West for inspection, but he might have used some force during the inspection, which seemed to be a bit bloody, but he did not affect his original intention of a peaceful visit.

Therefore, Xia Yan felt that there was no need to keep Da Gama, so as not to become an opponent that threatens the Ming Dynasty's maritime interests in the future, so he waved:

"Although your Majesty said that you are a great hero in your Florian flight, it is not a good thing for me, Daming. For people in the whole world, you are a robber, you have started the plunder and massacre of sin, so I decided to behead you!"

"Slow down! Mr. Xia, my marquis suddenly felt that he could still use it. After all, he was the most familiar with the route from this Folang aircraft to India. He also had experience at sea. You might as well leave it to me. However, death penalty can be avoided, and living crime cannot be escaped. This Da Gama is not a citizen of my Ming Dynasty and is not qualified to enjoy the protection of the Ming Dynasty's laws. As a country above the Celestial Kingdom, my Ming Dynasty is naturally beneficial to those foreign people who died at the hands of Da Gama to uphold justice. Therefore, it is better to castrate him, castrate him, and leave it to me for use. My marquis just let him help me continue traveling west to see if this place is a ball!"

Jianchang Hou Zhang Yanling asked with a smile.

Xia Yan thought for a while and nodded: "Yes! It's just that the person who has not executed the execution."

"Our family can!"
Chapter completed!