In this era, the population pressure in the Ming Dynasty was extremely great, and various social contradictions were becoming increasingly acute. The rapid increase in population, so that the population density of all parts of the Ming Dynasty is very high, although the area is vast, but the distribution of resources is extremely unreasonable, once there is a major natural disaster, it will inevitably cause great turmoil in the society.

Of course, this is also a strange circle that cannot be avoided in the late period of the previous dynasties in the Central Plains of China.

Large-scale immigration to the Northeast, Outer Northeast, Nanyang Islands, India and other places can not only alleviate the population pressure in the Central Plains, but also open up a new production base of agriculture, forestry, fishery and animal husbandry in India, and fundamentally solve the food shortage of the Far East Company.

Even in modern China, food crises are frequent, although the relevant authorities say that China has increased production for nine consecutive years and there is no food crisis. But facts speak louder than words. As a traditional agricultural powerhouse, China has become the world's largest importer of soybeans and the world's second-largest importer of rice and wheat. In particular, rice, as a staple food for Chinese, can have disastrous consequences if rice production is insufficient.

As a country of 1.3 billion people, China is the world's largest importer of soybeans, the world's second-largest importer of rice and the second-largest importer of wheat. Such large-scale food imports are very dangerous in any era. Because food is also part of the war reserves, this issue deserves alarm for all in the context of the increasingly tense world security environment.

At the Far East India Theater Command in Calcutta, an airship slowly landed, and Qiao Haipeng, Lin Hua and others jumped out of the airship pod. Li Yukun, who had been waiting here for a long time, came up, held Qiao Haipeng's hand, and shook it vigorously: "Old Qiao, you can be regarded as coming back......

Qiao Haipeng smiled and said, "Lao Li." It's been a hard time. ”

As if he had remembered something, he suddenly asked, "By the way, how about our harvest in Bengal?" ”

Li Yukun laughed when he heard this: "Don't worry, this time we can say that we have gained a lot in Bangladesh, with countless supplies such as grain, cotton, and cloth. That's not all, it's like you said. Bangladesh is so rich, gold, silver and gems are packed in boxes, haha......"

Qiao Haipeng listened to Li Yukun's words and immediately became excited. Pulling Li Yukun and hurriedly said: "Great, hurry up and take me to see, I can't wait......"

After he finished speaking, he pulled Li Yukun and left, making Li Yukun cry and laugh and said: "Big brother, don't worry, there are too many things seized." Most of the materials are still being counted and are being shipped to various ports along the coast. ”

Qiao Haipeng didn't care so much, he still pulled Li Yukun to the bank of the Hooghly River. By this time, a long row of improvised wharves had been built along the Hooghly River, and a large number of river steam-engine sailing ships and sailboats were moored at the wharves to load supplies.

There are more boats waiting on the river, densely covered with the river, and a large number of black Indian locals are nervously busy on the docks, a group of wolf-like soldiers and soldiers who dare to die are urging them with leather whips and wooden sticks. From time to time, I scolded, or whipped a few times.

All kinds of supplies are piled up at the dock. Most of them are grain and other crops, and some cotton cloth and wool blankets produced by local Bangladeshi handicraftsmen, as well as large quantities of cotton, wool and other raw materials, are the most urgently needed materials in the Far East.

Since the seventeenth century, with the development of the social division of labor, handicrafts have been further separated from agriculture. Many rural handicraftsmen provide for the needs of village communists. Started selling some of their products on the market. The peasants in the vicinity of the trade routes left the village community and took textiles as their main occupation, and the wealthy merchants of the cities took control of the handicraftsmen by paying cash in advance, and then invested in industry. Gradually formed a handicraft workshop.

India was extremely commercial at this time, although it was still a feudal agricultural country. But the germ of capitalism was already being nurtured within the feudal society, and without the invasion of Western capitalism, India would have slowly developed into a capitalist society.

In the early seventeenth century, Indian merchants and feudal lords, as well as tribal chiefs from all over the world, were no less wealthy than the wealthy families of the Ming Dynasty. Bengal, in particular, has historically been the world's largest intercontinental distribution center and the centre of the cotton textile industry, and has always been the wealthiest region in India.

The Far Eastern Company occupied Bengal and did nothing against the local peasants and craftsmen, but carried out a bloodiest purge of the upper ruling class in Bengal.

A few months before the start of the Indian campaign, the Ministry of Intelligence had already reconnoitred the targets of the upper echelons of society, such as the local governors, feudal lords, tribal leaders, and wealthy merchants, and the specific situation was all transmitted back to the theater command.

After the Southern Army of the Eastern Route Army launched an attack, these targets were swept away by the death troops of the Far Eastern Army, and almost all the people died, and all the land, family property and other family property were seized. Because of the large number of materials captured, the Logistics Department of the Southern Corps set up a material coordination team to count, manage and collect all kinds of booty in Bengal.

According to the estimate of the Southern Corps Material Coordination Group, the Theater Command can seize more than 500,000 tons of grain in Bangladesh alone, and this figure is still an extremely conservative estimate, and after the final statistical work, it is even much more than the estimated figure.

In addition, along the banks of Bangladesh's rivers and in various ports in coastal areas, raw materials such as cotton and wool are piled up, and materials such as cotton cloth, blankets and scarves are piled up in various warehouses and shops.

This time the Far East launched the Indian campaign can be said to have made a lot of money, especially various crops such as grain, which definitely exceeded everyone's imagination.

Qiao Haipeng looked at the crowded Hooghly River, shook his head and said with a wry smile: "The Hooghly River still can't meet our needs, has the Chittagong expansion project begun?" ”

Li Yukun nodded and said: "The company's infrastructure construction department has sent people to conduct surveys in Chittagong, and it is estimated that the first phase of expansion should be carried out this month, at least to ensure the berthing capacity of our large sail carriers." ”

"That's good, or we won't be able to keep up. It will take several months for the supplies from Bangladesh to be transported back, and the materials seized from India this time, coupled with the autumn harvest in Liaodong, Outer Northeast and Nanyang, it is estimated that the company's grain reserves should be able to hold on for a while. ”

Qiao Haipeng paused when he said this, and then continued: "When the theater joint fleet comes back this time, it is going to bring the displaced people of the Ming Dynasty over, and we are also busy during this time." (To be continued.) )