Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Yujian's insistence prevented him from gaining the understanding of his clan before he even set off.

But he remained unfazed, for he knew the emperor was on his side.

As long as the emperor remembers me, I might only be confined to Fengyang Pass for a few years. When the time is right, I will naturally be released.

Therefore, he ordered his trusted confidants who remained in Tang territory not to make any moves and to wait for his safe return from the interior.

During this period, you may follow the instructions of your younger brothers. You may completely disregard the requests of the other members of the Tang family.

Although Zhao Sheng, Bai Wang, and the others were extremely worried, they had no other choice but to take this method.

They had no choice but to remain on the island and continue to guard the Tang territory.

Bai Wang said angrily:

"I wonder if His Highness will ever return from this journey?"

"If you ask me, Your Highness is far too stubborn. What's wrong with giving in a little?"

"As long as we can escape the death penalty and return safely, with these tens of thousands of soldiers, where in the world can't we go?"

"When the time comes, hand over the conquered territories, and Your Highness will still be a nobleman!"

This was the fastest way to be granted a title in Southeast Asia. Zheng Zhilong received the title of Earl for conquering Borneo and presenting it to the imperial court, as a reward of one-tenth of the land in Borneo.

Compared to the nearly three million square miles of Borneo, a count's fiefdom of ninety thousand square miles is somewhat of a loss.

However, Borneo was not conquered by Zheng Zhilong alone, and the emperor reserved a ducal fief of 250,000 square li for him.

This means that as long as his merits are sufficient, there will be no problem in him being promoted to duke.

They don't even need to change their fiefdom; they can simply expand on the existing one.

Whenever Zheng Zhilong saw the reserved fiefdoms around him, he was filled with the motivation to make great achievements.

The same applies to Baiwang. Now that Tang Fan has been punished and his relocation is confirmed, his fiefdom of nearly one million square miles has become coveted by many.

Bai Wang also wanted a share of the pie, hoping to earn a noble title and rewards through meritorious service.

He said to Zhao Sheng:

"Brother Zhao, His Highness might be imprisoned if he goes there."

"We can't just sit here and wait, can we?"

"How about we try to earn a title?"

Zhao Sheng glanced at him, surprised that he had already considered leaving the Tang vassal state so quickly, and said:

"Go if you want, I'll wait for His Highness to return anyway."

"Aren't you aware of the news from the imperial court?"

"His Majesty intends to be lenient with Your Highness, but due to etiquette, Your Highness needs to be forgiven."

"Once this matter is resolved, His Highness will return sooner or later."

"Let's just wait patiently!"

Bai Wang knew about this, but he lacked confidence:

"Will I become the Emperor of Tang if I come back?"

"Don't forget that His Highness has committed an unforgivable crime."

"Why do you think he's in such a hurry? It would have been so easy to just transfer people to Tang territory and kill them."

Complaining about Zhu Yujian's choice, Bai Wang had little confidence in his succession to the Tang throne.

He has committed such a grave mistake that he has already been treated leniently by not being beheaded. The imperial court would never allow him to inherit the throne of the Tang Dynasty.

Even Zhu Yujian recognized this, and when he was escorted to the capital, he instructed Zhao Sheng, Bai Wang, and others to follow his brother's orders.

This means that the future Tang emperor is likely to be his younger brother, and he himself will not be able to inherit the throne.

Zhao Sheng also noticed this and sighed:
"There's no point in saying more now that things have come to this."

"It's a pity that Your Highness has no children, otherwise it would be easy to decide on an heir."

"For now, we can only observe which of His Highness's younger brothers possesses the qualities of a wise ruler."

"If I can help him restore the Tang dynasty, then my friendship with His Highness over the past few years will not have been in vain."

Bai Wang shook his head, not optimistic about it. He said:
"Wise rulers are not so easy to find."

“Look at the Chu region. The emperor has ordered a struggle for titles, yet more than a dozen princes cannot even afford to establish their own fiefdoms.”

"Now, several collateral branches have gained the upper hand and have a better chance of obtaining the throne of Chu."

"It is already an anomaly that the Tang Kingdom has a talent like Your Highness; it is unlikely that a second talent will emerge."

"Even the Emperor said that intelligence tends to revert to the mean, and most people are just average."

This latest theory from the imperial court, thanks to newspaper propaganda, has actually spread here—

The more remote the place, the more eager they are to receive news from the imperial court.

Many high-ranking officials in vassal states subscribed to newspapers, and each time a cargo ship arrived, it would carry a large number of newspapers with it.

Sometimes the imperial court would even use carrier pigeons to deliver important news published in the official gazette, so that the cooperating publishing houses could print it.

Because of this, the high-ranking officials of many vassal states were not out of touch with the news; they knew about many important events happening in the imperial court.

The emperor's belief that most monarchs were of average appearance and needed the assistance of a chief minister or other semi-monarchs was a piece of news that attracted much attention.

Thinking about the behavior of Zhu Yujian's younger brothers, Zhao Sheng felt that this theory did make sense.

Among Zhu Yujian's younger brothers, Zhu Yumo was not very capable. Otherwise, Zhu Yujian would not have suggested that his brothers compete for the title, but would have directly recommended him to inherit the throne of the Prince of Tang according to etiquette.

Zhu Yujian was capable and very bold. Historically, he was even enthroned as emperor after Zhu Yujian's death, but was defeated by the Qing army a little over a month later.

However, in the eyes of Zhao Sheng, Bai Wang and others, although Zhu Yumo and Zhu Yuyan, as well as the younger Zhu Yu'e, had the demeanor of gentlemen, they had not been tempered and could hardly be considered capable.

If he were truly a genius, he would have already shown his talent when the Tang Dynasty established its vassal state.

The current evaluation is mediocre; one could only say they are average.

Even if the attempt to re-establish the Tang dynasty by relying on these people succeeded by chance, many people would die in the process.

Zhao Sheng found it hard to believe that the Tang soldiers, who had already experienced massive deaths during the founding of the Tang dynasty, would be willing to continue following them.

He doesn't even know how many soldiers will be willing to follow His Highness when he returns to his fiefdom.

Thinking of this, Zhao Sheng's expression changed, and he said to Bai Wang:

"Return to the military camp first. We must not let the Tang army scatter."

"This is His Highness's and our hope for a comeback; we must stabilize the morale of the troops."

He and Bai Wang hurriedly returned to camp to reassure their troops.

They worried that their subordinates would be won over and defect to other fiefdoms.
-
Zhao Sheng's concerns were not unfounded. After Zhu Yujian surrendered, Sumen Island was free from the risk of war.

Neighboring countries sent people one by one to see if they could take advantage of the Tang Dynasty's crisis.

Especially the Qin vassal state, which was established with the assistance of the Tang vassal state, and they should have been grateful.

However, the methods used by the Tang Dynasty in assisting with the development were somewhat dishonorable.

Eager to prove himself, Zhu Yujian rounded up almost all the elite guards of the Qin vassal state, including Zhao Sheng and Bai Wang.

If the Tang dynasty hadn't sent a prince to take charge when things weren't going well, the Qin dynasty might have been completely drained of its resources.

Currently, the one in charge of the Qin vassal state is Zhu Cunfu, the heir apparent of the King of Qin. He is the fourth son of the current King of Qin and is the most ambitious.

With his brothers unwilling to come to their fiefdoms, he bravely led his men to secure the Qin fiefdom.

He was thus granted the title of heir apparent and became the first successor of the Qin vassal state.

He was worried about the emergence of powerful neighboring states, and he resented the defection of Qin guards such as Zhao Sheng and Bai Wang to the Tang state.

After Zhu Yujian surrendered, he sent people to recruit guards from the Tang vassal states.

Many of these guards originally belonged to the Qin vassal state, and many were from Shaanxi. After receiving promises from the Qin vassal state, some chose to return. Prince Zhu Cunfu of Qin distributed land and fields to these men according to the ranks of soldiers bestowed upon them by the emperor.

Many of the soldiers from the Tang vassal state were recruited and became soldiers of the Qin vassal state.

Zhao Sheng and Bai Wang hadn't paid attention because they were worried about Zhu Yujian, but when they counted the soldiers, they immediately realized something was wrong.

If they are recruited by the Qin vassal state without restraint, perhaps half of their soldiers will desert them.

After all, the two places are too close, and those who can adapt to the climate and soil of the Tang Dynasty can adapt to the Qin Dynasty.

Compared to the uncertain future of relocating the vassal states, it would be better to move them directly to the Qin vassal state.

They received the same treatment when they arrived in Qin.

This discovery made Zhao Sheng and Bai Wang very anxious. Bai Wang said:

"The army cannot be idle. If it is idle, it will either become lax in its military preparations or desert and become negligent."

"We must give them hope and opportunities to earn merit and be ennobled."

"We must lead them into battle and not give them a chance to escape."

Even if Zhao Sheng felt it was inappropriate, there was nothing he could do at this point.

If we don't fight, the morale of the Tang army will collapse.

After careful consideration, he said:

"When the fiefdoms were established, there were no restrictions on the use of military force."

"As long as they are within the fiefdom, they can freely mobilize troops and even recruit local militia for assistance."

"In our fiefdom, there are still some remnants of Aceh's forces in the northwest corner."

"After the Tang vassal state was relocated, the Emperor granted this land to Yuan Shufu. You can suppress the rebellion and cultivate good relations with important officials in the court."

"It might even be useful to Your Highness, and perhaps Yuan Shufu could say a few good words for you."

Bai Wang slapped his thigh in surprise and exclaimed:
"This should have been done a long time ago!"

"We must help His Highness escape punishment if we have the chance."

"This time you stay here and I will lead the troops to plow Yuan Shufu's fiefdom once again."

"I refuse to believe that Yuan Shufu wouldn't feel our sincerity."

He immediately set off with his troops to sweep through Aceh.

Zhao Sheng reminded him:

"Don't kill them all!"

“I heard there are many pagans in India, so we can let them migrate there.”

"The future fiefdom of the Tang Dynasty will most likely be India, and some Acehnese should be left to govern the area."

Bai Wang shouted in agreement and hurriedly mobilized his troops to suppress the bandits.
-
Yuan Shu, who had just arrived in the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area with his newly recruited troops, was completely unaware that someone was already helping him clear out his fiefdom.

He followed the Su-Song Engineering Battalion all the way and witnessed the strength of this army.

Although the engineering battalion is not well-known, it sounds like a logistics unit.

However, the people carefully selected by Gu Yanwu were indeed formidable. They were not only equipped with new firearms, but also trained entirely according to the new military system, making them a truly elite force.

Yuan Shu was very envious of this and asked Gu Yanwu for many training techniques. However, his army was newly formed and could not be trained much in a short time.

Looking at Deng Fan's army, which wasn't even fully equipped with muskets, Gu Yanwu suggested:

"Your troops are equipped with both cold and hot weapons, and you should train them in the same way as Qi Jiguang's army."

"Most of the indigenous people in Southeast Asia are also unorganized, so we can use the same methods as those used to suppress Japanese pirates to suppress the resistance against the indigenous people."

Yuan Shu humbly sought advice:

"I've heard there's a large country in Southeast Asia with 100,000 troops. What should we do if we encounter them?"

Gu Yanwu shook his head and said:

“Those indigenous countries in Southeast Asia simply do not have the capability for large-scale warfare.”

"The so-called 100,000 is just a figure of speech; the farmers transporting the grain can also be included."

"The Mataram Kingdom of Java mobilized 100,000 troops, one-tenth of which were actually deployed, but they quickly collapsed in Batavia."

"If you encounter an army like that, just defend the city and they will collapse without a fight."

This was intelligence from the Battle of Batavia, which brought the Ming Dynasty a clear understanding of the true military strength of the indigenous kingdoms.

They couldn't even capture a single Dutch colonial outpost, let alone a fortress meticulously built by the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming army currently holds the natives in contempt. If it weren't for concerns about the consequences, all native kingdoms would be wiped out.

Gu Yanwu said:

"The Kingdom of Aceh on Sumatra was not convinced and had already been defeated by the Tang Dynasty."

“Your mission now is to suppress the bandits and relocate the local people who do not submit to the king’s rule.”

"Listen to me, train like Qi Jiguang's army, and you don't need to worry about encountering large enemy forces."

"Your combination of cold and hot weapons means you should have practiced the Mandarin Duck Formation of the Qi Family Army."

"The new army will only be needed when encountering the Spanish or the Dutch."

Yuan Shu had fought battles in the Northwest, mostly in suppressing bandits.

He thought he was already very familiar with bandit suppression, but now he realized that he didn't know enough about the South.

Considering Gu Yanwu's formidable reputation in the south, Yuan Shu decided to heed the advice and bowed, saying:
"Then thank you, Captain!"

"I wonder if Commander Gu could recommend a few talented individuals?"

Gu Yanwu laughed heartily and said:

"If you can recruit them, I can process the paperwork right now."

"However, they are all about to obtain citizenship, and they will have the option to choose whether or not to go overseas."

“If they are unwilling, they cannot be forced to go.”

Gu Yanwu, who highly valued the right to choose, gave Yuan Shu a list but did not force the transfer of people. Instead, he gave the people the right to choose themselves.

Yuan Shu was also familiar with this theory and nodded in understanding. He then asked Gu Yanwu for help in recommending several talented individuals from the common people.

Establishing vassal states requires more than just warfare; it also requires talent from all walks of life.

Yuan Shu was open to all comers; as long as someone had a skill, he was willing to take them on.

Gu Yanwu pondered for a moment and then said:
“In the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area, not many people are willing to go overseas to establish themselves.”

"You have no idea how prosperous the new district is. Take food for example. Even ordinary rural landlords don't slaughter pigs and eat meat every day, but here you can buy it anytime you pay your salary."

"As long as they have a skill and can establish themselves in the new district, they can live a life comparable to that of landlords and rich peasants. Very few people are willing to go overseas."

"If you want to recruit them, you can't skimp on the investment."

After introducing the situation of the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area, Yuan Shu fell silent.

Having spent several years in the Northwest, he had assumed that even if no one in the world was starving, everyone should be gradually becoming impoverished.

His hometown, Henan, has become increasingly poor.

Unexpectedly, the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area has become increasingly prosperous and is still a scene of great prosperity.

The lives of ordinary people in these new districts are far better than his life in the countryside.

Getting them to go overseas is truly a difficult task!

From this incident, Yuan Shu clearly felt the unevenness of the world:
There are significant differences between the northwest and the south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty. (End of Chapter)