Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 314 Pilot Sichuan

"Pre-shoot three rounds, let go!"

"Boom boom boom——"

In the high mountains and jungles of the southwest, when artillery sounded like thunder, a stone and wood structure castle that was regarded as the target suffered a devastating blow.

The stone and wood walls made of Sanhe soil began to dent. The local soldiers in the city, wearing blue-blue blouses and trousers, black bandanas, white cloth belts, and simple iron coats, were hiding behind the city wall in fear.

They looked at the sky and saw tens of thousands of small black dots falling in piles. They could survive if they raised their shields quickly. If those without armor and shields were still exposed to these black dots, they would be in danger. After a while, the flesh and blood became blurred.

When the triple combination of cannons, solid iron cannonballs, explosive shells, and shotgun shells appeared, the Southwest Tusi Fortress, which was originally difficult to shake, became a military meritorious service with promotions and rewards.

Just like now, after a whole day of shelling, the stronghold was breached, and Ming troops wearing armor poured into the stronghold in droves. The fire rose at some point and did not go out until nightfall, but spread. .

In this regard, the Ming army, which had been well prepared, had dug out a fire-proof isolation zone and watched as a city and mountain forest were burned down.

The fire lasted for three days before it was extinguished. However, in a mountain plain more than ten miles away from him, a camp covering an area of ​​thousands of acres stood.

"This field artillery is easy to use, but it's a pity that the roads are not good. Otherwise, if we had used siege artillery, we wouldn't have been able to fight for four whole days."

In the large tent of the camp, Liu Zhen, who was wearing military uniform, smiled heartily. Also in the tent with him were Cao Guogong Li Jinglong, Jiangyin Marquis Wu Gao, and Anlu Marquis Wu Jie.

"After removing the Duzhang barbarian stronghold in Shangbaiyan, I think it will be enough to deter other Duzhang barbarians. However, it is best to strike while the iron is hot and clean up all the Duzhang barbarians in Xuzhou in one go."

Looking at the map on the table, Li Jinglong, who was in Xuzhou, Sichuan, spoke slowly, which made Liu Zhen, Wu Gao, Wu Jie and others look askance.

Although they were transferred to Guangxi, due to the rebellion caused by the Duzhang barbarians in Xuzhou Prefecture, Muchun and others went to Nanjing. Therefore, they could only lead their troops to Xingwen County in Xuzhou Prefecture to attack the Duzhang barbarians entrenched in Xuzhou Prefecture. Launch a crackdown.

Duzhangman, a nation that emerged from the mountains of Yunnan and Guizhou and expanded northward during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, has been famous since the Jin Dynasty for "wearing two swords on the left and right, being fond of fighting and killing, and despising life and death."

In the Tang Dynasty, due to the continuous advancement of iron smelting technology, they also began to constantly confront the Central Plains dynasty, attacking and killing county guards and soldiers.

From the Tang Dynasty to the present, successive dynasties have failed to surrender them, nor have they penetrated deep into their territory to destroy their bases.

Among them, there were more than ten battles between the Song Dynasty and the Duzhang barbarians. In the most serious one, the Song army mobilized its treasured and ace unit, the Northwest Frontier Army, to suppress the rebellious Duzhang barbarians.

After many years, 40,000 Song troops finally annexed the land in two states and eight counties from the Duzhang barbarians, seizing a large area of ​​land suitable for planting.

But even so, the kings and scholar-bureaucrats of the Song Dynasty still felt that their investment was not proportional to their income, so they began to try their best to maintain peace with the barbarians.

After the Yuan Dynasty destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty, due to the chieftain policy in the southwest, Duzhang barbarians seized large areas of land under the indulgence of the Yuan Dynasty, and even claimed to rule southern Sichuan and overlook Yunnan and Guizhou.

After the Yuan Dynasty came to their senses, they immediately sent Prime Minister You, Pingzhang and Zhengshi, to lead their troops southward and fight the Duzhang barbarians in southern Sichuan.

The two sides fought more than ten battles, large and small. In the end, the Yuan army believed that it could not fight the entire Duzhang barbarian area, so it could only adopt a policy of disintegration and disintegration. It ignored the four major tribes such as Dingzhou and Ayong, tried to appease them, and concentrated on attacking Shandu. Take charge of the headquarters.

After capturing Shan Du Zhang's Dam Military and Civilian Office, the Yuan army only killed the dozen or so chieftains who led it, and did not investigate the Shan Du Zhang area to prevent the entire Du Zhang barbarian region from resisting the Yuan Dynasty's rule in the southwest.

Because of the indulgence of the Yuan Dynasty, Duzhang Man has now begun to build stone villages and castles, and even built his own city.

This time, when Muchun, Qu Neng, Gu Cheng and others came to Beijing to visit, they invaded Xuzhou in a large scale. Therefore, Zhu Dicai dispatched one thousand artillerymen, fifty field guns and ten siege guns from Qinzhou to accompany the army to Sichuan to fight.

The war started in the winter of last year and ended in March now. No fewer than a hundred forts in Duzhang Manzhai were razed to the ground, more than 6,000 people were beheaded, and 30,000 people were captured.

Even so, Li Jinglong did not completely pacify the Duzhang barbarians, because the road conditions in southern and southeastern Sichuan were so bad that siege cannons could only be used when attacking cities, but there was nothing they could do against these fortresses hidden in the mountains. .

There are more than 2,000 forts like this in the entire southern Sichuan and Guizhou metropolitan areas.

"My lord, we've figured it out!"

When Sheng Yong's voice appeared, he walked into the big account with a book, put the book on Li Jinglong's table and said at the same time: "Sixty-seven brothers were killed, more than 500 were injured, and one was beheaded. One thousand six hundred and seventy-two people, two thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven prisoners, two hundred and seventy water horses, three hundred and forty-two cattle, and other kinds of things are recorded above."

After Sheng Yong finished speaking, Wu Gaocai looked at Li Jinglong and said, "Based on the current situation, it will take at least several years to pacify the Duzhang barbarians. Why not make peace temporarily and come back to encircle and suppress them after defeating Annan?"

"Let's send it to the Governor's Mansion first, and wait for the East Palace's reply." Li Jinglong frowned and everyone nodded in approval.

Soon, this booklet and other books were sent to Nanjing by fast horse. By the time they arrived in Nanjing, it was already March 26th.

"It's been six months, and your belly hasn't grown at all."

In the bedroom in front of the East Palace, Zhu Gaoxu touched Guo Yan's belly and wondered why her belly was not big.

"Maybe it's because of my martial arts practice that I've grown a bit, but I haven't grown particularly big."

Guo Yan answered with a smile, and the two female officials also smiled and said: "Your Highness is with the Crown Princess every day, so naturally you can't feel it."

"The Queen came here a few days ago and said that the Crown Princess might be pregnant with a boy and that she had to be careful to protect her."

"Boy?" Zhu Gaoxu smiled when he heard this and touched Guo Yan's belly: "Hello boy, I won't be too old when he grows up, so I can still teach him well."

"Yes..." Guo Yan's smile was light but captivating. Zhu Gaoxu was about to say more to her when he saw Yi Shiha appearing at the palace gate.

"I'll go to the front to handle government affairs first, and I'll come back to have dinner with you."

"Your Highness, be careful not to work yourself too hard."

Zhu Gaoxu told Guo Yan, and Guo Yan also cared about Zhu Gaoxu.

The couple looked at each other and smiled, and then Zhu Gaoxu walked out of the front bedroom.

"Is there anything important ahead?"

After walking out of the front palace, Zhu Gaoxu asked Yishiha who came from the front. Yishiha answered unhurriedly after hearing the words: "Dong Cao Guo from the southwest sent a merit reward booklet and a handwritten letter. In addition, he did Wang Shanggong of the Qing Palace is also here and wants to inquire about some details of the ceremony."

"Okay." Zhu Gaoxu agreed, and then took Yishiha to Chunhe Hall.

Not long after, the two arrived at the Chunhe Hall and saw Wang Shanggong, the nanny of the three Zhu Gaoxu brothers, as well as the piles of memorials and documents on the table.

"Is the concubine selection coming to an end?"

Seeing Wang Shanggong, Zhu Gaoxu sat back and asked. Wang Shanggong also returned the greeting and said: "Your Majesty has already been selected by Her Majesty the Queen. Now there are only twenty-two honorees left to choose from, Your Majesty."

"Her Royal Highness the Queen has said that among the remaining two thousand beauties, as long as Her Royal Highness likes it, you can choose them, regardless of the number."

"I don't want that much." Zhu Gaoxu was a little curious after hearing this: "Can I go and see for myself?"

"Return to your Highness, no." Wang Shanggong replied respectfully, but it made Zhu Gaoxu lose a lot of interest.

"How many girls with natural feet are there in this selection of concubines?" Zhu Gaoxu did not want to choose a woman with bound feet. Although foot binding was not as scary as foot binding, having feet tightly bound was not among his tastes.

If there is anything about Guo Yan that satisfies him the most, apart from his understanding of others and his background as a martial artist in Huaixi, it is the pair of talented people.

"There are some Tianzu, but not many." Wang Shanggong didn't understand why Zhu Gaoxu wanted a Tianzu woman, but he still answered his question.

"Is it possible to let Yishiha go and see if it's possible?" Zhu Gaoxu didn't quite believe in the portraits, but still wanted to send Yishiha to choose for him.

"Your Highness, please don't embarrass me."

Wang Shanggong's words shattered Zhu Gaoxu's thoughts. He could only think for a moment, and then said to Wang Shanggong: "If you are talented, just be plump."

The women who can enter the palace are all good-looking. Although Zhu Gaoxu cannot choose the one he likes, based on these two standards, they are pretty much the same.

As for women, unless they are stunningly beautiful, they will start to grow old after thirty-five or six.

These twenty-two women are just for his personal enjoyment and to reproduce his children, so there is no need to take them too seriously.

"In that case, I'll leave this slave."

When Wang Shanggong saw that Zhu Gaoxu liked Tianzu, he didn't know what to say, so he returned the favor and left.

After she left, Zhu Gaoxu also opened the book of merit awards and Li Jinglong's letters to read.

Zhu Gaoxu only had a general understanding of what the Ming Dynasty did in the southwest. After all, this period of history was rarely mentioned in later generations. Unless someone specializes in studying this period of history, it would be difficult to explain the details of the Ming Dynasty's expansion into the southwest.

Therefore, after reading Li Jinglong's letters, Zhu Gaoxu had a general understanding of the strength of Duzhang Man, and at the same time, he also had a general understanding of the Miao Yao, Luo Luo and other tribes in the southwest.

Before going to Sichuan to pacify the capital of Zhangbarbaria, Li Jinglong had already converted twenty-seven families in Guangxi and suppressed six families that tried to resist the imperial court.

Even so, there are still more than 400 Tusi families in Guangxi, large and small, and the situation is only slightly better than that in Yunnan.

If you include Sichuan and the Guizhou region in the future, there may be more than 1,800 toast families in the entire southwest.

Some of them only have thousands of people, while others have millions of people, and the number of troops they can pull out ranges from two to three hundred to three to forty thousand.

Just as Li Jinglong said in his letter, just to pacify the Duzhang barbarians would require the deployment of more than 100,000 troops, and it would take five or six years of continuous encirclement and suppression to eliminate them and move them to the Sichuan Basin to integrate with the locals.

Although there are hundreds of thousands of Duzhang barbarians, they are a small ethnic group compared to the Miao Yao, Laluo and other ethnic groups.

It can be said that the Southwest before Daming is still a difficult nut to crack.

If it weren't for the cannon, I'm afraid Li Jinglong wouldn't have broken through several Duzhangman stone villages yet.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Yi Shiha: "Check the merit reward booklet and confirm it is correct before promoting him."

"Besides, how is the situation at the Ordnance Bureau? Are all the firearms needed for the Northern Expedition ready?"

"Back to Your Highness, we still lack a lot of artillery, muskets, and fixed ammunition." Yi Shiha returned the greeting and continued:

"Why don't we stop the casting of naval guns, coastal defense guns, and siege guns first, and go all out to forge field guns to meet the needs of the Northern and Southern Expeditions?" "Well, do as you say." Zhu Gaoxu nodded and said nervously Then he asked: "How is the recruitment of Jurchens recently? Does Meng Zhang have any letters going south?"

Since it is already the end of March, it stands to reason that the Changchun Mansion in Bohai Sea can already send news to the south, so Zhu Gaoxu asked Yifa.

"Meng Zhang does have news, but it's not a memorial, but a letter."

Yi Shiha found a bamboo tube as thick as his thumb from the scattered table, then took out a note from it and handed it to Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Gaoxu picked up the magnifying glass placed aside and read the contents carefully.

There were hundreds of words written densely on a piece of paper, which even Zhu Gaoxu found very uncomfortable.

After spending one word, he finally read the content on the note. The general meaning was that before winter, more than ten Jurchen tribes from Beishan and Donghai took refuge one after another. In addition, the Jurchens from Helan Mansion in the former Yuan Dynasty actually sent people to Jilin to seek refuge.

The person who went to Jilin was Ahachu from the Wanyan clan, and the person who followed him on the mission was an Odoli Jurchen named Mengge Timur.

"Brother Timur..."

Zhu Gaoxu had a strange expression. This name seemed familiar to him. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that this was the ancestor of Lao Nu.

The idea of ​​this group of people was very simple, that is, to ask the court to grant them a place to live. When Zhu Gaoxu saw this, he immediately put a smile on his lips.

"Tell Meng Zhang to appoint Aha as the commander of Jianzhou's left guard and appoint Meng Ge Timur as the commander of Jianzhou's central guard."

"The left guard of Jianzhou should be located south of the Helan River, and the central guard of Jianzhou should be located in the area of ​​Haiyang Station in Qianyuan."

After Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, he did not forget to add: "Give them armor and weapons, official uniforms and seals, let them reestablish the second guard of Jianzhou for the imperial court, and send generals to teach them military training and the art of war."

"Yes..." Yishiha responded first, and then said anxiously: "But Your Highness, although that place is the former Yuan Dynasty, it is currently in the hands of North Korea. If we rashly set up a guard station, I'm afraid it will cause trouble in North Korea." dissatisfied."

"You also said it was the former Yuan Dynasty's hometown." Zhu Gaoxu dealt with the memorial and said: "The Ming Dynasty replaced the former Yuan Dynasty, so the former Yuan Dynasty's hometown will naturally belong to the Ming Dynasty. North Korea has violated the power of God by not asking for it."

"After you ask Meng brothers Timur and Aha Chu to conquer all the Jurchens in Helan Mansion, ask Meng Zhang to send officials to build cities and set up yamen there."

"If Meng Brother Timur and Aha have any objections, then let Meng Zhang leave it alone for the time being and wait for my orders after the Northern Expedition is over."

When Zhu Gaoxu talked about his arrangements, he couldn't stop smiling, and Yi Shiha quickly understood what he was thinking.

"Is Your Highness planning to let these two Jurchens stir up the troubled waters in the area, and then reap the benefits?"

"Almost." Zhu Gaoxu finished processing a memorial, then looked at Yishiha and said, "Give them armor and official uniform seals, and see how many Jurchens they can conquer."

"If there are only a few thousand people, they probably won't be able to stop North Korea's troops."

"If North Korea kills the two of them, the court can send troops in this name. If North Korea comes for diplomacy, it can just reprimand them for taking it for themselves."

"Anyway, let the news out. The imperial court is bound to win this place."

"Wuying Palace also sent people to pass the news to my father, saying that if North Korea knew the news, they would definitely ask him for this place, so he should not be soft-hearted."

"With this place, in the future, the handicrafts from Liaodong can be sent to the dock via the Yalu River, and then sent to Yinqi and Treasure Island by land and sea, which can save 800 miles of journey."

After Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, Yi Shiha also wrote down the matter, and then said: "By the way, Your Highness, the books of the three hospitals in Jilin, Liaoyang, and Shenyang outside the customs have been sorted out, and 827 people have been brought out from each department. doctor."

"Well, let them continue to study, and at the same time improve the teaching materials in vernacular." Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but nodded after hearing the news about the hospital outside the customs, and then piled up the completed memorials.

After doing this, Zhu Gaoxu thought of how to deal with the large number of ethnic minorities in the southwest.

"Tell Li Jinglong that for the Duzhang barbarians, it is best to kill their native officials, relocate their people, and disrupt them into Sichuan to enrich Sichuan's population."

"For those who are stubborn, there is no need to hesitate or ask for instructions. Don't worry about the impeachment of the temple. I will block it for him."

After saying that, Zhu Gaoxu looked at him and said, "Do we have any officials who can serve as chief envoys?"

"If you want to look for it, you can find it. It's about loyalty..." Yi Shiha hesitated, and Zhu Gaoxu shook his head after hearing this:

"You don't have to worry about being loyal, as long as you have the ability and know how to do things."

"Jian Yi, the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, is a talented person. He was born in Ba County. Emperor Taizu Gao praised him as a simple and upright man. Your Majesty also praised him for his integrity, honesty and sincerity, and for his benefit to the country."

Yi Shiha told the person he had inquired about. After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu thought for a while and found that he really couldn't remember the origin of this Jian Yi. He seemed to have read it in a book, but he couldn't remember the content clearly.

"You send someone to ask him if he is willing to serve as Sichuan Chengxuan's envoy. If he is willing, bring him here."

After Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, he rubbed his eyebrows, Yi Shiha bowed and sent someone to invite Jian Yi.

After resting for a while, Zhu Gaoxu continued to devote himself to government affairs. It was not until half an hour later that he heard footsteps.

Yi Shiha glanced at the palace door, then whispered to Zhu Gaoxu: "Your Highness, Jian Yi is here."

"Invite him in." Zhu Gaoxu ordered without raising his head, and at the same time he hurriedly processed the memorial in his hand.

After more than a dozen breaths, when he looked up again, Jian Yi, who had already come in and waited for a long time, bowed and bowed: "Jian Yi, the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel, please see your highness."

The news that the East Palace was not interested in kneeling down and worshiping had already spread, so Jian Yi naturally did not perform five prostrations or three kowtows.

"Give me a seat." Zhu Gaoxu ordered and shouted, then looked at Jian Yi and sat down before saying:

"I have always felt that what an official has to do is to benefit the people, which can be divided into three steps, namely oneself, one's hometown, and the world."

"Of course, you can also compare it with cultivating oneself, managing one's family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world."

"I heard from Yishiha that you are from Ba County, and my grandfather and father have praised you many times, so they want you to be the chief envoy of Sichuan."

After Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, he sat back and watched Jian Yi's attitude. Jian Yi was silent and then said, "I dare to ask Your Highness what the difference is between this Sichuan Chief Envoy and the current Sichuan Chief Envoy."

"Of course there is." Zhu Gaoxu did not hide it, but said straightforwardly: "If Shandong is the northern pilot of the New Deal, then Sichuan is the southern pilot of the New Deal."

Zhu Gaoxu decided to use Sichuan as a pilot project in the south after careful consideration. Therefore, when asked by Jian Yi, Zhu Gaoxu also explained:

"I read ancient books and found that Sichuan's population dropped sharply from more than 13 million during the peak period of the Southern Song Dynasty to more than 500,000 after the unification of the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties."

"During the Ming and Xia Dynasties, Sichuan's population stabilized and recovered to 750,000. Later, it was taken over by the imperial court. It took 22 years for the population to recover to 1.46 million."

"Although the population has not yet been censused, judging from the past growth rate, I am afraid that the population has now recovered to 2 million."

"As for cultivated land, at the peak of the Southern Song Dynasty, Sichuan's cultivated land was about 22 million acres. However, in the 24th year of Hongwu's reign, it was written as 1.07 million acres. In fact, it was probably no less than 12 million acres."

Zhu Gaoxu first talked about Sichuan's population and cultivated land situation, and then talked about Sichuan's New Deal issues.

"I am going to ask Cao Guogong to move the people from Xuanweisi and other places in Guizhou to Sichuan to enrich Sichuan's population, open an official school in Sichuan, and reform Sichuan's officialdom."

"Based on the number of people in Sichuan, at least 5,000 clerks and 600 officials are needed to handle government affairs well, measure acres of land, cancel miscellaneous items, implement land tax and commercial tax of one out of ten taxes, and reduce the burden on the people."

"In addition, Guizhou Xuanwei Division and parts of southeastern Sichuan south of the Yangtze River will also be placed under Guizhou to reduce Sichuan's administrative pressure."

"After these are completed, Sichuan should also open compulsory government schools, which only charge book fees, no tuition and miscellaneous fees, and provide students with a free lunch."

"I think these are all policies that can reduce the burden on the people of Sichuan. If you, a Sichuan native, manage it, the people of Sichuan will be more accepting of it."

"Besides, Sichuan's wealthy gentry are not powerful enough to confront the imperial court. Sichuan's new policies will be implemented faster and better than those in Shandong."

Zhu Gaoxu said everything he wanted to say, and Jian Yi listened to the whole process and had to admire Zhu Gaoxu's understanding of Sichuan's ancient and modern times.

As Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he has naturally been paying attention to Shandong's New Deal, and he has also seen many benefits.

It has to be said that improving the salary of officials does increase expenses, but official officials also reduce corruption cases.

During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, although the land tax was fixed at 30 million shi, the actual burden borne by the people was 40, 50 or even 60 million shi.

Because the quality of subordinate officials varies greatly, the "Lin Jian Ki Hu" they invented can be said to have harmed countless people.

This situation is not limited to the Ming Dynasty, but has existed in all dynasties.

Since ancient times, many emperors have only collected taxes on paper, thinking that if they could only collect 20 to 30 kilograms of rice per mu, they would make it difficult for the people to live and revolt.

But in fact, the twenty or thirty kilograms of rice they collected were the leftovers after being exploited and eaten by the subordinate staff below. Behind the twenty or thirty kilograms of rice might be fifty, sixty kilograms, or even hundreds of kilograms of tax revenue.

In fact, land annexation is not terrible, but not being able to pay taxes is terrible.

It is not so dark for landlords to hire tenants. Most landlords still know how to be considerate of tenants because they know that this is the only way to last.

However, for subordinate officials, they could not afford to offend the big landowners, so they had no choice but to exploit small and medium-sized landowners and rich peasants.

Under the exploitation of subordinate officials, when this group of middle class people were slowly exploited and destroyed, a large number of tenant farmers also lost their livelihood.

It is normal for the land to be abandoned and to rise up.

Rectifying the administration of officials is the best way for a dynasty to maintain long-term stability, and Zhu Gaoxu has already given this method.

With the combination of Guanwai's teaching methods and systematic training, it can be said that Guanwai can produce a large number of students every year who need to support their families and move forward.

As long as work can be arranged for them, they will do their best, and according to Jian Yi's observation, their morals are much higher than those of ordinary subordinates, and their rate of corruption is not too fast.

Even if there is corruption, the court can severely combat corruption without worrying that the place will not be able to function without them, because behind them there are a large number of students waiting for this position.

As far as the Shandong New Deal is concerned, if they can really follow the instructions and enter Sichuan, Jian Yi believes that the burden on the people of Sichuan will indeed be reduced a lot, so at this moment, he also became shaken...

(End of this chapter)