Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1103 Chieftain
Qianlongzhai is under the jurisdiction of Nanning Prefecture in Guangxi, just like the southwest. There are many chieftains among the residents, forming the characteristics of a small settlement.

It can be said that you have me, and I have you.

But there is no doubt that compared to Yunnan and Guizhou, Guangxi is adjacent to Guangdong and has a large proportion of Han people, so its influence is wider.

Even though Nanning Prefecture is the capital of Guangxi, it still has a lot of toasts. Yu Chenglong, who moved his residence from Wuzhou to Nanning, naturally couldn't help but make a tour to understand the deep-seated toast situation.

It’s even more difficult to change the situation and enter the deep water area!
It's a pity that he has a good temperament after all, so he was welcomed into Qianlong Village as soon as he arrived and became a guest.

During the dinner, Yu Chenglong asked about the situation in the village and the interactions between Han and Yao people.

From what the village leader said, his family has a long history.

His name is A Xiong, his surname is Liu, and his ancestral name is Sang Lang. As early as the Jianyan period of the Southern Song Dynasty, he had already taken root here and became the hereditary leader of the village.

Because he helped suppress the rebellion of the natives during the Hongwu period, he had military merit and was promoted to a native official.

This is a hereditary official position that has been passed down through generations until today, for seventeen generations.

"This child's nickname is Ahu, and he is my eldest grandson. He is less than 15 years old this year. Because he has been friends with Han people for a long time, the family also invited a Han person to teach him and teach him the learning of saints. For a Yao like him, learning is Poems, books and etiquette are of great benefit and can be used for imperial examinations."

"Then, Guizhai?" Yu Chenglong stopped eating and asked the leader of Liu Village: "What does it have to do with me?"

"Sir, he is elegant and generous. He is a learned man at first glance. Although my grandson has had some teachers, he is far behind you!"

Yu Chenglong remained silent.

He didn't want to accept a student just to have a meal.

In response, Liu Xiong said hurriedly: "Don't look down on our Liu family. My brother-in-law went to Sizhou to know the state!"

After hearing this, Yu Chenglong became interested.

He said that if he could meet the magistrate, he would be willing to accept him as his disciple.

Shangsizhou is also a chieftain, and it is also close to the Qin State. It is currently the most difficult border chieftain between Guangdong and Guangxi.

Once it is not handled properly, the consequences will be endless.

Liu Xiong patted his chest and responded.

When he went to Sizhou, Zhao Li was stunned for a long time and ordered his mother to be found. His mother was a Han. She had read for several days and understood the importance of it. She said to his son:

"Usually when important things come up, mother always comes forward for you, but this time it can't be the case. You are the magistrate, and you always have to come to see me. Mother is behind the screen, listening to what he wants, and when he speaks, you will He said, “I want to ask my mother, and I will come forward when the time comes.”

"This person can suppress your sister-in-law. He must be a very important person. Don't wait any longer."

In particular, the mother is Han, so the education of her son is completely different from the Yao people's way of raising their children. They pay attention to the family's teachings from childhood, and the parents' words must be regarded as a guideline.

So Zhao Li was very filial to his mother and nodded obediently: "Oh, my son understands."

Yu Chenglong was invited to the hall and introduced by the director of a workshop in the state. The two of them bowed to each other.

This was already an unusual courtesy for Zhao Li. Usually when people came, he would go to the next stop in the hall, finish the official business in a loud voice, offer some gold sand, and turn around and leave.

But this person looked like an angel delivering decrees from heaven.

"Who are you?"

"The staff of the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi have been established." Yu Chenglong said calmly.

"There are two gold sand smugglers. I heard they are hiding in your yamen. Can you hand them over to me and take them back for justice?"

"You have to ask my mother about this." After hearing her son speak like this, the mother turned out from behind the screen.

Unexpectedly, Yu Chenglong had such a skill and hurriedly left his seat to salute, showing some humility to each other.

After sitting down, the old lady said: "Smuggling gold sand is strictly prohibited by imperial law. Today there is such a bold guy who persists in his evil deeds. He should be handed over to the Yamen. I just don't know if you have brought any of your colleagues with you." come yet?"

"Oh, that's not true."

"Since you didn't bring me with you, I have to let my son's Yamen send someone to escort him." The old lady asked again, "Then shall I go with you? Or shall I be escorted back alone?"

Yu Chenglong thought that this time he had condescended to come here and couldn't take the person away. He would just go back. He would have to stay here for a few days.

Besides, he didn't do it just to lead a few people into committing crimes.

So he smiled and said: "It would be great if we could directly return to the county government office."

"I don't dare to take it, I don't take it." The old lady said to her son: "Ali, return the master's notebook." Then she asked again: "I wonder where you always live?"

"Stay at the inn."

"Master, please come back. Everything is easy to discuss." The old lady said to her son, "Ali, open the middle door and send Mr. off the mountain as a gift."

This is what is called 'soft in and hard out' in official circles.

Yu Chenglong had to take care of his identity, so there was no need to be polite. Not long after returning to the inn, someone from the Youzhou Yamen came to present gifts, which were some tiger and leopard skins, a bag of gold sand, and ten kilograms of astragalus.

What's left is a Burmese knife made of hundreds of refined steel, but as soft as cotton, and can be worn around your waist!Finally, there was an invitation, inviting him to a banquet that evening, and specifying that he should only wear casual clothes.

The gifts on the side are nothing more than that, but this Burmese knife comes from Jackie Chan's heart.

He usually only heard about the name Burmese sword from some travel notes and knight's biographies, but he needed to appreciate it seriously!

He took out the knife and danced back and forth like a silver snake under the lamp. He had no knowledge of martial arts and could not play. He accidentally cut his hand. He quickly and carefully put the knife back into its sheath. Be prepared to return this gift when we meet again.

In the afternoon, Yu Chenglong was still dressed in regular clothes, ordered his servants to bring their coats and bags, and then went to the Xuanweishi Yamen.

Zhao Li and a pacification department below, and four chief officials greeted him at the door. Like stars holding the moon, they welcomed him to the main hall and sat down.

When he saw it, it turned out that the old lady was also present - the Yao people did not pay attention to the etiquette of avoiding family members like the Han people. Others looked calm, so he could not look disapproving.

After a while, someone came to report that the dinner was ready and invited the distinguished guests to take their seats.

Yu Chenglong accepted the host's invitation and sat down to the table. It turned out to be a very sumptuous banquet. The old lady said that she was in Yao Township and couldn't eat Yao people's food.

Ali's father loved his wife very much and hired a cook from Guangzhou to serve her all year round.

"I'm in a hurry today, so I didn't have time to prepare some dishes, but Mr. Zuo won't be in a hurry because of official business, so just stay here for a few more days!"

As she said that, the old lady looked a little strange: "If you have something to tell the truth, you might as well not tell it at this time."

"After all, it is difficult for a distinguished guest like you to come to our state city."

"It's a pity that I don't have Shaoxing wine here," the old lady asked, "Sir, do you prefer rice wine or rice wine?"

Yu Chenglong's heart moved. He is from the north, so rice wine is natural.

He chuckled and said, "Just rice wine."

So the old lady ordered someone to fetch Maotai, opened the mud seal on the jar, and the room was immediately filled with fragrance. Before it entered the throat, there was a fuzzy feeling.

With wine to cheer you up, the conversation becomes much easier.

Yu Chenglong smiled and said: "Now that Governor Yu is implementing the reform of native officials in Guangdong and Guangxi, the former Xuan comfort envoys are almost exhausted, and now it is the turn of native officials."

"Whether it is Tuzhi County or Tuzhi Prefecture, I am afraid that no one will be spared."

"Of course I know." The old lady sighed: "I, the Zhao family, have lived in Nanning for a long time. I have always been respectful to the imperial court. Whether it is money, food or soldiers and horses, I have never been short of it." "I'm afraid it is inappropriate for the imperial court to implement it this way. Come on! It’s too chilling!”

"Old lady, hundreds of years are enough."

Yu Chenglong said in a deep voice: "How long can such a local emperor stay in the Ming Dynasty? Besides, there are so many dirty things in private in the state."

"Smuggling gold mines, logs, various specialties, and even directly robbing merchants and imposing tariffs are all illegal businesses. How can the imperial court ever blame them?"

"Now that the Holy Emperor is in court, the situation has changed drastically. For the sake of the local people, the Zhao family should also follow the trend."

"It should be noted that there are ten thousand soldiers and horses under the command of Governor Yu. They are all strong soldiers wearing armor. It is easy to attack the city and take out the stronghold."

The old lady was particularly dissatisfied: "Old gentleman, please note that these tens of thousands of native people are only safe under the control of my Zhao family. If we are not here, chaos will easily occur."

"No matter what, our Zhao family's merits outweigh our faults."

"I wonder what compensation the old lady needs!"

Yu Chenglong understood what he was thinking, and did not make any more twists. He said directly: "As long as the conditions are acceptable, I am willing to speak for you."

"How about a hereditary duke?" the old lady asked tentatively.

"No!" Yu Chenglong hurriedly shook his head, good guy, even if the emperor comes, I won't be able to agree.

"At most a baron."

"Old sir, don't try to fool me. That baron can only be passed down to two generations, but our Zhao family has been passed down for more than ten generations." The old lady immediately became angry.

Zhao Li on the side was so angry that he gasped after hearing this.

How could we give up the wealth of generations.

Yu Chenglong said calmly: "Spyker is no small matter."

"Old lady, please forgive me for being frank. Even if I agree, the Governor cannot agree. If the Governor agrees, His Majesty the Emperor cannot agree."

"There are so many nobles in the army who have gained their wealth with one shot and one blow with a stick. How could they give it up to the chieftain so easily?"

"Besides, with thousands of soldiers, it takes only ten days and a half to capture Shangsizhou. Wouldn't it be better if we could have a few more earls?"

Now everyone in the Zhao family was dumbfounded.

In any case, one of their chieftains would never be able to defeat the imperial court. Otherwise, they should have taken action long ago in the face of the continuous attempts by the governors of Guangdong and Guangxi to repatriate.

It is precisely because of fear that I dare not!
Negotiations were tense.

At night, Yu Chenglong only felt that there was an extra person next to him, who was as warm and fragrant as soft jade. This frightened him, so he lifted up the quilt and took a look.

Although the woman's cold was not white, it was much better than those natives. After asking her, she found out that she was the maid beside the old lady.

He knew that the Yao people had the right to deal with the servants at home as they pleased, and their servants were like livestock. Not to mention asking her to serve him, it was not uncommon for her to be beaten to death with a stick.

At this time, he became more determined to change his ways and return to his hometown.

Under the rule of the government, although people are still killed, it is not so common and casual.

The natives are like slaves and livestock, and they are driven like running dogs.

If they are not dealt with decisively, rebellion will always be inevitable if they go against their wishes in the future.

The next day, he took the Yao girl and left.

This is not to covet some beauty, but to warn oneself of the determination to change the soil.

Returning to the Yamen, Yu Chenglong retreated to think, so neatly, effortlessly, and at the same time solved the toast problem once and for all.

There is no doubt that a title is the best way to deal with it, but it is inappropriate.

Those above the earl level are distinguished nobles, and they are even more noble. They cannot be given easily.

Considering that there are thousands of toasts in the entire southwest, this is simply impossible to achieve.

But otherwise, it would be impossible to solve the huge Tusi and millions of local people in Guangxi.

"But the title of nobility is not limited to the Ming Dynasty!"

Suddenly, he thought of Guangxi's neighbor Qin.

The title system of Qin was inherited from the Ming Dynasty, but at the same time it was significantly different from the Ming Dynasty.

Although his title and salary are low, he is hereditary and will not be deposed easily.

"In that case, why not let the Qin State grant him a title? Then let the chieftain take some of his native people south to enrich his population and consolidate his foundation. I must be willing to grant him some titles."

Thinking of this, Yu Chenglong immediately brought the secret box and wrote to the court.

At the same time, he asked someone to send a letter to King Qin, secretly discussing the matter.

He wanted to deal with the toast problem as soon as possible during his term of office.

In Beijing, after learning about this, Zhu Yixi was silent for a moment, feeling that this was a matter of killing three birds with one stone:
First of all, the imperial court changed the status quo and obtained most of the native people and land, and removed the remnants of the former chieftains to avoid disasters.

Next is the vassal state, where a large number of chieftains and natives have poured in, which is an excellent source of labor and soldiers. In the case of a small and large one, more checks and balances are the best choice.

Finally, it was the chieftain who gained hereditary wealth and exempted the court from military disasters.

It's a pity that some of the native people are going to be displaced and forced to go south.

"Yunzhi!"

Zhu Yixi said, and immediately remembered that she had been thinking about border ministers and vassal affairs before. This was a good opportunity.

He added: "It's up to Jackie Chan to be appointed as the Minister of Border Affairs of the State of Qin."

"In the future, some matters in Qin that the court has no time to deal with will be dealt with first to avoid delaying the opportunity."

For example, the establishment of a vassal state will definitely not be smooth sailing. Things such as material supply, suppression of chaos, relief to victims, suppression of bandits, etc. all need to be dealt with in a timely manner.

By the time the minister arrives in Beijing, the day lilies may be cold.

Granting border vassals the power to handle emergency affairs is beneficial and harmless to the vassal state, and can even strengthen ties with the vassal state.

Jiaozhou, Hanoi,
After hearing the letters from Beijing and Guangxi, Zhu Cunming agreed without hesitation.

There is still a lot of land in the country, and the Royal Forest Army also needs more soldiers to enrich it. Compared with the local indigenous people, the indigenous people from the country are like rootless ducks and can only serve him, the King of Qin.

Once you come to Qin, won't you be at his mercy?

But he didn't do it at will: "Anyone with less than 500 people will be awarded a baron, with less than [-] people, he will be a viscount, and if there are more than [-] people, he will be a count."

"And they must be young and strong."

Under the coercion of the governors of Guangdong and Guangxi and Qin's overtures, in just one month, 38 chieftain families decided to go south and come to Qin to live a wealthy life.

The reform of Guangdong and Guangxi has entered a new level.

(End of this chapter)