The Origin of Hong Tong Immigrants

In the early Ming Dynasty, Shanxi immigrants were said to have moved from under the big pagoda tree in Hong Tong, but in fact it was much more than that. According to the records of Ming history, "Taiyuan, Pingyang, Zeze, Shandong, Liaoning, Fen, Qin and Ding have more fields and fewer fields", and the immigration was carried out by the method of "dividing their mouths". This area is quite large, including Jinzhong, southern Shanxi, Lvliang and southeastern Shanxi. According to the administrative divisions of Shanxi in the early Ming Dynasty, Taiyuan refers to Taiyuan Prefecture, which governs 6 states and 20 counties. Pingyang is Pingyang County, which governs 6 states and 29 counties. Zezhou, namely Zezhou, is a provincial-level Zhili state, with jurisdiction over 4 counties; Liao is a Liao country, a province of Zhili, and governs 2 counties; Qin Zhi refers to Qinzhou, a provincial-level Zhili state, which governs 2 counties; Lu is Luzhou, a provincial zhili state, which governs 6 counties; "Fen" refers to Fenzhou, the provincial capital of Zhili, which governs 3 counties. In this way, Shanxi immigrants in the early Ming Dynasty involved 66 counties in 2 states 17 states. Under the natural conditions of closed mountains and impassable roads at that time, is it necessary for immigrants from so many places to gather under the big locust tree in Hongtong County? Is it possible? I'm afraid it's neither necessary nor possible. However, because the locust tree in Hongdong was the largest immigrant "point" at that time, it had a great influence in later history, and the descendants of immigrants were naturally willing to agree with such a starting point.