Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 424: Lifanyuan and Foreign Policy
After the meeting, Zhu Youjian asked the Navy Department to compile a ten-year plan for naval development and left Huang Liji behind.

Huang Liji, the Prime Minister, was appointed by him to be responsible for the establishment of the Lifanyuan. Zhu Youjian paid attention to the progress of the establishment of the Lifanyuan and determined the strategy for Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and other countries.

Huang Liji hadn’t been left alone for a long time and was a little excited. He replied:

"According to your majesty's instructions, the Lifanyuan is responsible for the affairs of the imperial clan, internal vassal states, external vassal states, and foreign affairs."

"I intend to establish three departments in the Lifanyuan: the Internal Department, the External Department, and the Foreign Department."

"The inner vassal states are the vassal states that Your Majesty has granted fiefs to. There are vassal states opened up by the royal family, fiefdoms opened up by the nobles who were granted fiefdoms, and vassal states that have submitted to the Ming Dynasty."

"The imperial clan and vassal ministers are governed by the Zongzheng Temple of the Zongrenfu. I request that the Zongzheng Temple be transferred to the Lifanyuan."

This is as it should be, and it can even be said that we have been prepared for it.

After all, Zhu Youjian placed the Lifanyuan Yamen in the Zongrenfu.

So he ordered:
"The Imperial Clan Court and the Lifanyuan are of the same rank, both are first-class government offices."

"The affairs of the Zongzheng Temple, which is under the Zongrenfu, will be under the jurisdiction of the Lifanyuan, and supervised by the Neifanbu and the Ministry of Rites."

"Each clan vassal can send representatives to the Zongrenfu to form a clan representative conference to supervise the affairs of the Zongzheng Temple."

"If the representatives of the imperial clan and vassal states have any objections, the Lifanyuan must respond."

This was the power given to the Zongrenfu, which had long since become a mere shell, to supervise the Zongzheng Temple.

Zhu Youjian treated the Imperial Clan Court in the same way as he treated the Five Military Commissions, turning these two first-rank government offices into clubs for safeguarding the rights and interests of the royal family and hereditary officials.

Huang Liji had no objection to this, because he knew that the influence of the royal family would inevitably increase after they established their own fiefdoms.

Rather than letting them cause trouble due to their dissatisfaction, it is better to let them send representatives to the clan affairs office so that they have some say.

He skipped this point and asked:

"The vassal states opened up by the meritorious officials who founded the country and the meritorious officials who pacified the country were set up with the Chief Secretary Office and the Military Affairs Office, just like the vassal states of the royal family, to be responsible for the military and political affairs of the fiefdoms. More than half of the officials in the fiefdoms were appointed by the imperial court."

"Only the Shuntian nobles and other vassal states have surrendered to the country. I don't know how to treat them."

This was a problem left over from Zhu Youjian's previous enthronement of Shuntian nobles.

Although Shunli King, Shunyi King and other Shuntian nobles were said to be inner vassals, the Ming Dynasty did not send a single minister to reside there permanently.

The Ming Dynasty had basically no control over their internal affairs.

Even in the Lifanyuan, some officials suggested that these Shuntian nobles on the grassland should not be classified as inner vassal states.

Zhu Youjian also had a headache about this, because with the current strength of the Ming Dynasty, it was not enough to have a profound impact on the grassland.

If he dared to send his subjects to serve as officials on the grassland, the Shuntian nobles would probably send "horse bandits" to kill them. If the Ming court wanted to seek justice, it would have to send troops there.

However, if people say that the Shuntian nobles were foreign vassals, Zhu Youjian would be the first to disagree.

He also wanted to strengthen his control over the grassland, so how could he take the initiative to designate the grassland nobles as foreign vassals?

So after thinking about it, Zhu Youjian decided to postpone it:

"The Shuntian nobles can be considered as inner vassal states and outer vassal states, somewhere between the inner vassal states and the outer vassal states."

"They voluntarily submitted to the Ming Dynasty and should be given greater autonomy than ordinary vassal states."

"Their management will be determined after the rituals and music are remade. For now, keep it as it is."

Thinking of Kong Zhenyun who had made contributions in this matter, Zhu Youjian said:
"The head of the Internal Affairs Department is a third-rank official, just like the Privy Council's three-character department."

"I intend to let Kong Zhenyun take on the role of the first minister. Let him also join the Etiquette and Law Research Center to participate in the formulation of vassal etiquette and autonomous laws."

"Appointed as the second-rank minister of state, to assist the Lifanyuan in its affairs."

Zhu Youjian did not mention these appointments as acting officials, because the Lifanyuan was his own private territory, and he could directly appoint officials with imperial edicts.

It was only natural for Zhu Youjian to promote Kong Zhenyun, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, because of his contributions in presiding over the tribute last year and his mission to the grassland this year.

After the Inner Vassal States came the Outer Vassal States. The concept of the Outer Vassal States defined by Zhu Youjian was tributary states and tribes.

For example, those tribes on the grassland that were not canonized as Shuntian nobles but paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty, as well as tributary countries such as Korea, Ryukyu, and Annan, were all classified as foreign vassals.

The Ming Dynasty did not have such strong control over these vassal states. The affairs of the Foreign Vassal Department were mainly responsible for conferring titles on the monarchs of these countries and for paying tribute to them.

Thinking that the Ming Dynasty's control over Korea was stronger than that over the Shunyi Kingdom, the Mo family of Annan was even granted the title of Annan General, which was almost equivalent to a chieftain. After thinking about it, Zhu Youjian made another arrangement for the outer vassal tribe, which was to turn some outer vassal tribes into inner vassal tribes under certain conditions:
"Countries like Korea and Ryukyu have always been quite submissive."

"Officials from the Outer Vassal Department can try to confer Shuntian titles on the monarchs of these vassal states, and then they can become Inner Vassal States in the future."

"As for Tusi affairs, the Internal Department must also participate together with the Ministry of War. We should try our best to convert Tusi in the territory of Ming Dynasty into officials, and at the same time confer titles on obedient Tusi leaders, so that they can go overseas to establish fiefdoms."

"These Lifanyuan must be well planned and kept confidential to prevent the spread of rumors and cause unrest among the chieftains in the country."

The policy of reforming the chieftains into officials was something that the Ming Dynasty had been promoting, but it could not be publicized in a big way to avoid large-scale rebellion by the chieftains in the territory and to prevent loyal chieftains from becoming disloyal.

However, as the founder of the Lifanyuan, Huang Liji had to be aware of what he was doing. After hearing the emperor's order, he thought:

"Your Majesty, Shiqian Tusi is loyal to the court and has made many military achievements."

"I think we can confer titles on them and let them establish fiefdoms in the future."

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval, and was very satisfied with Huang Liji's reaction. He said:
"That's right. Qin Liangyu should be given a title."

"In the future, how will these chieftains establish fiefdoms and how will the tribesmen who stay and do not want to migrate be resettled? The Lifanyuan should make good plans."

"My basic opinion is that all Xuanweishisi in Ming Dynasty should be relocated, and the establishment of Xuanweishisi should be cautious."

"It is best that the remaining chieftains' jurisdiction does not exceed one county, to prevent some chieftains from becoming ambitious and causing major chaos like the Bozhou Rebellion and the She'an Rebellion."

"Huang Qing needs to understand these things."

"In the next few years, I intend to let Huang Qing take charge of the Lifanyuan."

Huang Liji was shocked when he heard this, and knew that this was the emperor's arrangement for him after he stepped down as prime minister.

He will definitely retire from his position as Prime Minister next year. This was a promise he made last year, in exchange for peace and tranquility this year.

However, as the next year approaches, his three-year term as Prime Minister will soon come to an end. Some officials are already worried that he will not step down, and more and more impeachment petitions are being filed.

In order to avoid large-scale impeachment by his ministers, Huang Liji has planned to find a time to make a clear statement that he has no intention of clinging to power so that he can step down gracefully next year.

Unexpectedly, the emperor had already arranged his future plans for the next few years, which was to be in charge of the Lifanyuan.

This decision made him feel happy and disappointed at the same time. He was happy that the emperor still remembered his contribution and planned to let him continue to work in the court.

What made him disappointed was that the emperor had no intention of retaining him as the prime minister. In the emperor's heart, his status was not that high.

He will have to retire next year and serve as the director of the Lifanyuan.

In fact, Huang Liji was not thinking correctly. In Zhu Youjian's heart, his status was not that low, but that he had no status at all.

If it were not for the purpose of determining the term of office of the Prime Minister and establishing his dominance over the Lifanyuan, Zhu Youjian would not have continued to employ Huang Liji and let him return to his hometown.

The reason why Huang Liji was appointed as the director of the Lifanyuan was to make it easier for the Grand Secretary to transfer to other positions so that people would not feel that it was a demotion.

This is also the reason why he designated the Lifanyuan as a first-class government office.

Whether it is a first-rank assistant minister or a second-rank assistant minister, they can retain their ranks and serve in the Lifanyuan. When the position of the Grand Secretary is adjusted in the future, there will be more room for maneuver.

If he was dissatisfied with a certain Grand Secretary in the future but it was not convenient to dismiss him directly, he could use his power to appoint officials of the Lifanyuan to transfer the Grand Secretary to the Lifanyuan.

As long as Huang Liji accepts the appointment as the head of the Lifanyuan, and it becomes a routine in the future, civil officials will not be able to say that transferring to the Lifanyuan position is a demotion.

After all, if even the Prime Minister can be transferred, what is an ordinary Grand Secretary?
Zhu Youjian could use his power of dismissal and appointment of officials in the Lifanyuan to adjust officials more conveniently.

Huang Li Ji has always been on Rou Mei's side. Although he was somewhat unhappy about his transfer from Prime Minister to Director of the Lifan Yuan, he did not object and silently accepted the arrangement.

Zhu Youjian was very satisfied with his tact and assigned him another task:
"The most important responsibility of the Lifanyuan in the future will be to handle exchanges with other countries."

"In the past, when the Ming Dynasty was strong, all the surrounding areas were vassal states that paid tribute. Even countries farther away had to pay tribute if they wanted to interact with them."

"But things are different now. After more than a hundred years of great voyages, the Western countries have gradually become stronger. From the distant West to the Southeast Asia, they have even destroyed the vassal states of the Ming Dynasty such as Malacca."

"These countries are arrogant and want to trade with the Ming Dynasty but are unwilling to pay tribute. They want to use their powerful ships and cannons to invade the Ming Dynasty's coast."

"How to handle relations with these countries is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lifanyuan."

"The foreign minister must be someone who understands overseas affairs."

Huang Liji was even more shocked when he heard this, because the emperor's words implicitly placed the Western countries on the same level as the Ming Dynasty.

If these words were spread in the court, it would probably cause an uproar, because it would have a huge impact on the concept of "All land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people are his subjects."

So he tried:
"Your Majesty, I think that for those countries that are unwilling to pay tribute, we can cut off their trade."

"They come for profit, and will certainly pay tribute in the future."

Zhu Youjian shook his head and said:
"This will lead to merchants pretending to be envoys to pay tribute, which will not benefit the Ming Dynasty."

"Foreign countries are foreign countries. There is no need to force them to be included. We need to determine the etiquette of communication to facilitate alliances."

"I will hand over the Lifanyuan to you. Discuss with Xu Guangqi, Kong Zhenyun and others how to interact with foreign countries."

"We must not lose the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, nor can we allow those countries to have disputes with the Ming Dynasty over etiquette issues."

This is a difficult matter. No matter how it is decided, there will always be Confucian scholars who are dissatisfied.

Because in their view, there is no such thing as foreign countries. The monarchs of other countries are all subjects of the emperor and should be vassal states that pay tribute.

In order to maintain the status of the Celestial Empire, the Qing Dynasty later designated the Netherlands, England and other countries as foreign vassal states and treated them as tributary states.

However, these countries naturally did not recognize it. Zhu Youjian did not have the idea of ​​pretending to be rich, and directly classified these countries that did not pay tribute as foreign countries.

However, the Ming Dynasty had been established for 260 years and had no experience in dealing with countries of equal status. When Huang Liji heard about this task, he could only look for experience in this regard from the history of the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties.

He only hoped that he would not be criticized too much after the diplomatic etiquette was formulated. As the first director of the Lifanyuan, he would have to bear the blame in the future.

Even Zhu Youjian made him the head of the Lifanyuan, one of his intentions was also for this -

He used Huang Liji, a minister with a bad reputation, to help him take the blame.

Today is an era of great contention. The distances between countries are far apart. The Ming Dynasty does not have the ability to make all countries submit and pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, the policy of foreign relations must change. It is impossible to seek allies only when they are made vassal states.

Zhu Youjian had already decided to view the current world as an era of great contention like the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and to engage in relatively equal exchanges with some powerful countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs therefore had a heavy responsibility. It needed to sort out the relationship between Ming and various countries, and to make alliances with some countries as needed.

The first task that Zhu Youjian gave to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was to sign a secret alliance with the Portuguese nobles who were seeking independence, hoping to take over some of Portugal's colonies in a relatively peaceful way.

When they were robbed by the Netherlands and other countries, they could annex the Ming Dynasty like Malacca did and become a free trade zone of the Ming Dynasty:

"The free trade zone is a good system. The willingness of Malacca merchants to join it has already proved this point."

"For the annexed free trade zones, we can grant them autonomy and treat them as inner vassal states without lords, similar to the free cities in the West."

"In the future, the Lifanyuan will also be responsible for the management of the free trade zone."

This was Zhu Youjian's attempt to expand overseas. He hoped to establish multiple free trade zones around the world to facilitate trade for Ming Dynasty merchants.

Today, Ming Dynasty's handicraft technology and output are far ahead of other countries. Free trade is most beneficial to Ming Dynasty merchants.

Zhu Youjian hoped that markets could be opened up around the world to promote the industrialization of the Ming Dynasty.

So in addition to enfeoffment of lords, he tried to establish a free trade zone without lords.

Such a free trade zone setting would be freer and could attract people who do not want to be subjects of a lord.

People of different races and religious beliefs, such as Thais and Muslims, can also live in the free trade zone.

Apart from Portugal, Zhu Youjian's policy towards Spain is currently mainly to maintain friendly relations.

First, the Ming Dynasty did not have the power to drive out Spain and the Netherlands at the same time; second, the current Ming Dynasty needed the silver transported by the Spaniards.

Zhu Youjian planned to send someone to talk to the Governor-General of the Philippines appointed by the Governor-General of New Spain, asking him to send more silver from the Viceroyalty of New Spain to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty could also accept guano, saltpeter and copper mines from the Viceroyalty of Peru.

Use trade ties to temporarily win over Spain.

Then they concentrated their forces to expel the Dutch who were attacking from all sides in Southeast Asia and the English who had just entered Southeast Asia.

He hoped to control the passage to Oceania in the south and enfeoff the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty to Oceania.

This was the private land chosen by Zhu Youjian for the royal family of the Ming Dynasty. He planned to leave the entire Oceania to the Zhu family.

In this way, even if there are changes in the future, the Zhu family can survive in Oceania, and will not be almost wiped out by the Qing Dynasty as in history.

(End of this chapter)