The wimpy, short folk of the Wa country, whether they truly had no fear of death or were simply not right in the head, made no difference to Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of Great Ming. They were destined to be cannon fodder, so whether they were used to deplete resources in the Ottoman Empire or elsewhere was inconsequential.
Zhu Jinsong chuckled and said, "The country of Wa is small, yet its people are numerous. With such a limited expanse of land to support so many short folk, the soil's fertility is ultimately insufficient, and it is precisely for this reason that the people of Wa struggle to make a living."
"If a portion of these Wa barbarians were to serve the Ming Dynasty in battle in the Ottoman Empire or elsewhere, then Wa would have a large amount of land freed up. Coupled with the availability of high-yield grains, it is likely that the lives of the Wa people could also improve."
Zeng Cheng thought to himself, "This venerable elder truly knows how to consider the well-being of the Wa people—letting a large number die first, naturally creating more vacant land. And the talk of high-yield grains is probably just you planning to turn Wa into a grain base entirely, isn't it?"
Zhu Jinsong continued, "Most importantly, with those short folk, I believe they will be sufficient to clean up the mess that the English and Dutch East India Companies have made in Tianzhu."
...
Liu Yangxing, the Governor-General of Kyushu Island for Great Ming, was in a foul mood.
One could argue that the position of Governor-General of Kyushu Island for Great Ming was not one of great power or prestige. At most, it was equivalent to that of a Provincial Administration Commissioner. But what kind of lives did those Provincial Administration Commissioner magnates lead? And what kind of life did Liu Yangxing, the Governor-General of Kyushu Island, lead?
The territory of a Provincial Administration Commissioner's office was many times larger than Kyushu Island, and consequently, the problems were also many times greater. The examinations conducted by the Ministry of Personnel's four grades and eight methods were therefore even more stringent, not to mention the vigilant censors' offices, the Imperial Guards, and the Eastern Depot, all of whom kept a close watch on those magnates at the Provincial Administration Commissioner level.
Especially for overseas Provincial Administration Commissioners, like those of Lanfang and Jiugang, they had to be cautious in every step. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they walked on thin ice.
In contrast, the situation on Kyushu Island was different. The territory was not large, but the authority was considerable. The various messy affairs were also fewer. Liu Yangxing, the Governor-General, essentially held a position akin to a retired emperor in the Wa country, leading a life of unparalleled comfort.
However, a comfortable life alone was not enough.
As a Governor-General of Great Ming stationed in Kyushu Island with ideals, ambitions, aspirations, and a conscience, Liu Yangxing felt that the people of Wa lived lives that were truly too arduous, making him feel unbearable pity.
Upon arriving in Kyushu Island, most of the Great Ming citizens were merchants. Even those who were not merchants possessed some specialized skills, making it exceedingly easy to earn money. The consequence of making money easily was that the lives of the Great Ming citizens were generally quite good, leading to more discarded items.
For instance, canned beef. The beef from the grasslands was not expensive, and once made into cans, it was not particularly valuable either. Any citizen of Great Ming could afford it.
The problem was that while the citizens of Great Ming could afford it, the citizens of other countries could not.
Especially the short folk of the Wa country.
Thus, a scene that made Liu Yangxing's heart ache emerged—the short folk particularly enjoyed collecting the discarded cans left behind by the Great Ming citizens.
The short folk would take the cans home, use the residual soup to boil a pot of mixed vegetables and rice paste, and consider it the finest meal. If there were a few pieces of fatty meat that the Great Ming citizens had discarded because they disliked them, it would be considered a delicacy even better than what one could eat during the New Year.
Those short folk even coined an extremely elegant term for it: the Kyushu Peony Pot.
If this dish were truly placed in Great Ming, it would probably be similar to what the Great Ming citizens used to feed their pigs.
As for real canned beef, canned pork, luncheon meat, and the like... Tokugawakari could afford it, Emperor Kanenori could afford it, and the prominent lords of the shogunate could also afford it. It was just that the ordinary short folk of the Wa country could not.
This caused Liu Yangxing to feel great pity for the short folk, even giving him the idea of establishing a cannery in the Wa country.
In Great Ming, certain less desirable cuts of meat were not wanted by anyone and were basically used to refine industrial oil. Yet, even this kind of meat, which hardly anyone wanted and ordinary families would only use to feed dogs, was considered a good thing in the Wa country.
To solve the problem of the Wa people not being able to afford meat, Liu Yangxing even prepared a meticulously detailed plan and convened his staff to thoroughly research its feasibility.
Unfortunately, whether it was pork or beef, they were considered rare commodities in the Wa country. Relying on the pigs, cattle, and other livestock native to Wa was insufficient to meet the demand.
And transporting them from Great Ming to Wa... While the cost of sea transport was not too high, these types of meat were difficult to preserve. In the absence of refrigeration technology at the time, forcibly preserving them with ice would also exponentially increase the cost, making this method infeasible as well.
Later, somehow, this matter came to the attention of a 'common merchant' from Great Ming. This merchant then established a cannery in Denglai, specializing in acquiring meat that certain Great Ming citizens did not consume, processing it into cans, and then shipping it to Wa via sea transport.
Liu Yangxing's dream of enabling the Wa people to earn money and live better lives was thus shattered. He could only watch as some unscrupulous Great Ming merchants, with tears in their eyes, made substantial profits in the Wa country.
Tell me, how could the Governor-General's mood possibly improve?
If it weren't for the fact that a while ago, His Highness Prince Jin of Great Ming, Zhu Sansun, had sent someone to convey a message stating his intention to recruit a batch of Wa samurai to accompany him to the New Qin Prefecture for territorial expansion, Liu Yangxing, the Governor-General, might have doubted if he would fall into depression due to his concern for the Wa people.
Therefore, upon receiving the official document from the imperial court requesting him to recruit another batch of Wa samurai to go to the Ottoman Empire to recruit laborers for the English and Dutch East India Companies, Liu Yangxing finally became happy.
With his happiness, Liu Yangxing directly sent someone to summon Tokugawakari to Kyushu Island.
First, he endured the feeling of nausea and accepted two young women gifted by Tokugawakari. Then, he insincerely accepted two jin of inexpensive local specialties brought by Tokugawakari. After the usual rounds of drinks, Liu Yangxing finally spoke, "General Tokugawa, I wonder if the livelihood of the Wa people has seen any improvement compared to before?"
Tokugawakari immediately sat upright and bowed, replying with a "Hai," "By the grace of His Majesty the Emperor of Great Ming, the livelihood of the Wa people has greatly improved compared to before. At the very least, they can now eat meat more frequently."
Liu Yangxing then nodded, stroking his beard and smiling, "That is good. I have been in Kyushu Island for such a long time, and at last, I have brought some benefits to the Wa people."
Tokugawakari continued to bow in thanks, "Thank you, Governor, for considering the well-being of the Wa people! When I previously went to Great Ming for tribute, I greatly envied the lives of the Great Ming citizens and also immensely wished to improve the lives of my own Wa people."
"However, as a mere warrior, I have ideas but cannot find solutions to the problems, leading to the continued hardship of the Wa people's livelihoods."
"It is good now. Although the Wa people cannot be said to eat meat at every meal, it is much better than before. This is all thanks to you, Governor!"
Liu Yangxing chuckled and nodded again, saying, "General Tokugawa also deserves some credit for this. If General Tokugawa had not felt the hardship of the Wa people's lives, even if I had the intention to introduce canned goods, it would probably not have been so smooth."
At this point, Liu Yangxing and Tokugawakari exchanged glances, and then they both burst into hearty laughter.
After all, they were both mindful of the hardship of the Wa people's lives, so their shares in the cannery were not that significant. Compared to the money invested in the cannery, what were a mere few shares?
After further reciprocal flattery, Liu Yangxing finally steered the conversation back to business, "To tell you the truth, General Tokugawa, the reason I summoned you this time is to inform you of some good news."
Tokugawakari suppressed the urge to vomit blood and asked, "May I ask what it is?"