Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Burned?"

"Well done!"

"Perfect for burning away all the filth!"

Upon learning that Shenyang had been burned, Zhu Youjian was initially shocked, but then expressed complete indifference.

When asked about the situation, Yuan Keli, who had come to report, said:
"Is everything alright at the front?"

"Were there any troop losses?"

Yuan Keli didn't know whether to be happy or angry, and replied:
"The first to attack were the Japanese auxiliary troops used as a probe."

"Apart from the Ming officer in charge, no soldiers were injured."

"But almost all of the more than three thousand Japanese soldiers and their officers who stormed the city died inside."

"Of the Han and Korean slaves in Shenyang, very few survived!"

This horrific tragedy infuriated Zhu Youjian, who then sighed:
"This is all the fault of the Jurchens!"

"What you cannot have, you must destroy completely."

"Let the soldiers at the front erect a monument to commemorate this event."

"The list of the dead should be compiled as comprehensively as possible."

"We must provide more compensation and benefits to the soldiers who died in the siege."

"For this battle to capture the capital of the Jurchens, the reward will be tripled, the highest possible reward."

The intention was to use generous rewards to cover up the fact that Man Gui and others had failed to come to the rescue, so as to prevent the Japanese and other vassal armies from becoming disloyal.

Yuan Keli understood the emperor's meaning, but he still said:

"With the vanguard suffering a loss and the rest of the army remaining unmoved, I believe they should be severely reprimanded."

"Such behavior is strictly prohibited by the new army, even if the Japanese are auxiliary troops."

"If everyone were like them, who would be willing to serve the Ming Dynasty?"

If the prime minister said this during wartime, there was no way to fool him. However, Zhu Youjian still tried to argue:
"Did any of the other Japanese come to the rescue?"

"They have rendered meritorious service in conquering the city; should I punish them?"

Yuan Keli was speechless for a moment, because those Japanese came from different domains and belonged to different samurai. How could those samurai be willing to send their men to save strangers?

Therefore, very few Japanese soldiers went to the rescue, which is why Man Gui and others stood by and watched.

If they themselves won't save them, why should the Ming army risk their lives to go forward?

Seeing Yuan Keli remain silent, Zhu Youjian had already guessed the answer and decided to say:

"Floods and fires are beyond human control, so this is understandable."

"The soldiers who died in battle should be given more compensation, and those who made meritorious contributions should be treated as meritorious officials."

"Man Gui underestimated the enemy's traps, watched as Shenyang was burned down, and failed to provide timely assistance to friendly forces."

"He was punished by being sent back to Daning to relocate the Halashen tribe and assist in the establishment of Liaoxi Province."

Man Gui was given a mild punishment, but he was made to take full responsibility.

However, the merits that deserved to be rewarded should still be rewarded. Zhu Youjian granted a hereditary viscount title to one of his sons for Man Gui's achievements in capturing Shenyang and completely pacifying Liaodong.

He ordered Hong Chengchou to select a fiefdom for him in the Andong Protectorate, separate from Man Gui's Dongping Marquisate.
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This reward and punishment pleased Yuan Keli greatly.

The rewards bestowed upon Man Gui essentially set the tone for the rewards for meritorious service in the Battle of Shenyang, with the highest rank being viscount.

As the capital of the Jurchens and a symbol of the pacification of Liaodong, Yuan Keli was genuinely worried that the emperor, in his delight, might elevate Man Gui's rank by another level.

The previous conferment of titles of earl and marquis was already somewhat forced; if they were to be forced to confer a title of duke, it is estimated that the existing dukes and marquises of the Ming Dynasty would not be satisfied.

The current situation is quite good; granting Man Gui an additional viscount title is appropriate. Regardless of the value of this title, its most important purpose is to demonstrate that Man Gui's achievements have surpassed those of an ordinary marquis, thus justifying granting him this honor.

The previous doubts about Man Gui's title naturally vanished in the face of the reward of capturing the enemy capital and being granted the title of Viscount.

At the same time, it was indicated to the other marquises and earls:
Don’t give up just because it’s hard to become a duke. You have to think about your other sons!

The role of the newly appointed viscount is the same as that of the newly appointed hereditary commander, and Yuan Keli was very pleased with the emperor's skill.

Then he asked:

"With the burning of Shenyang, none of the Jurchen's registers and maps were seized. How should Liaodong be governed next?"

This was his biggest regret: he couldn't quickly stabilize Liaodong based on the map.

Zhu Youjian, however, felt that the absence of an illustrated book was just right, and said:

"What use are the maps and records of the Jurchens? Does the court intend to recognize the lands that the Jurchens have distributed?"

"I have said before that the land outside the Great Wall should be nationalized and all the land that has been conquered should be redistributed."

Yuan Keli responded to this by saying:

"After Liaodong was recovered, some soldiers wanted to reclaim their fields and houses."

"Some of them have made meritorious contributions, what should be done about these people?"

Some land and houses remain as they were. The former soldiers of Liaodong, seeing this, naturally felt homesick and wanted to reclaim them.

Zhu Youjian, however, was unwilling to indulge this behavior and, after some thought, said:
"Liaodong used to be a military region, and all the land was theoretically government-owned; there was no private land."

"But in addition to the law, there is also human sentiment. For land and houses that were once owned, meritorious soldiers are allowed to exchange them in advance based on their merits."

"If you have no achievements, then wait and pay to redeem yourself if no one else is available to choose you."

The system remains the same: those who have made meritorious contributions receive the money, while those who haven't are paid out.

As for whether it's reasonable to pay to redeem the original house, one can only say that the imperial court helped you take it back, so naturally a fee is required.

Yuan Keli approved of this method, as it satisfied the demands of the meritorious soldiers without letting them run wild.

If someone has made great contributions, they can point to many properties and claim them as their own, and they can be exchanged for them first.

Without merit, one can only watch helplessly, unless concrete evidence can be provided to prove that those fields and houses belong to one's own and that one must redeem them.

The difference likely lies in the difference between cultivated land and wasteland. Thinking of this, Yuan Keli said:
"His Majesty says that the land in Liaodong will be allocated according to the well-field system, based on the square-shaped area."

“However, the previous migration of Shaanxi disaster victims was modeled after the measures taken in Dongning, where they were allocated fifty or one hundred mu of land.”

"Moreover, some soldiers' achievements are not enough to qualify them for hereditary military service. How can we allocate them to a territories?"

“There are also great differences between cultivated land, wasteland, forests, and swamps within the same area.”

"If the distribution is unfair, I fear the soldiers will resent it."

This matter also gave Zhu Youjian a headache.

Because the area is quite large according to the square plan.

After careful consideration, he finally proposed:

"One li is 500 meters long and 500 meters wide, which is 250,000 square meters."

“Shrinking it to 100 meters in length and width, that’s 1 square meters, and the name we decided on is ‘a field’.”

“This plot of land is fifteen mu, roughly equivalent to one hectare in Liaodong. It can be called a small well field, which is one twenty-fifth the size of a large well field.”

“The cultivated land was allocated by the unit of 'wan', and the mountains, swamps, and wastelands were allocated by the unit of 'fangli'.”

"As for how to combine cultivated land with wasteland, forests, and swamps, let Sun Chengzong and others come up with a solution. In any case, we cannot let meritorious soldiers suffer losses; we must make them satisfied."

"Have the Five Armed Forces Command and the National Assembly's Military Committee send people to supervise and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the soldiers!" (End of Chapter)