Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The Privy Council had more than one thing to do, especially after Huang Taiji fled to the northern desert, the continued pursuit of him and the governance of Jinning also needed to be decided.

The position of Governor of Jinning had not been previously filled. Now, after a competition, it has been decided that Li Zunzu, the Earl of Ningyuan, will be appointed to the post.

This Earl of Ningyuan longed to be ennobled. Unfortunately, he lacked luck and failed to achieve any decisive merit.

However, given his merits, there was no doubt that he would be promoted to First-Class Earl. Moreover, his title was changed to Zhongxing Yiyun, confirming that he was a meritorious official in the restoration.

This was undoubtedly a joyous occasion for Li Zunzu, as it meant that the new title of Earl of Ningyuan was earned through his merits. The other branches of the Li family had no further objection.

However, he was not in the mood for joy at this moment. The death of Li Ruzhen, who was pursuing Li Ruwu, plunged the entire Li family into grief.

As Li Chengliang's last surviving son, Li Ruzhen's death signifies the near extinction of the older generation of the Li family.

Especially since his death was caused by Li Ruwu, it brought utter disgrace to the Li family.
"Li Ruwu, how could such a scoundrel emerge from my Li family?"

"Where is he now? Find him!"

Dressed in mourning clothes, Li Zunzu spoke hatefully to the Li family generals.

Li Ruzhen's son, Li Yuanzhong, wept uncontrollably as he said:

"My father had only been out for a few days when he was brutally murdered by that traitor Li Ruwu."

"I swear I will never share the same sky with him, and I vow never to belong to the same clan!"

He demanded that Li Zunzu remove him from the family genealogy and not consider him a member of the Li family.

Li Zunzu naturally agreed, because he also needed to distance himself from Li Ruwu, and even said to everyone:

"Send someone to Tieling to see if any of those families have still surrendered to the Jurchens."

“If so, they shall be regarded as traitors and expelled like Li Ruwu.”

“My Li family are upright Han Chinese, and we swear we will never recognize those who have shaved their heads and changed their clothes as relatives.”

The Li family members shouted their support and used the most drastic measures to sever all ties with their clansmen who had surrendered to the Jurchens.

Moreover, in order to demonstrate his loyalty to the court and the public, he also ordered a manhunt and issued a bounty.

Their immediate family members will also not receive any care; they will all be driven out of the Li family's ancestral home.

The Li family wanted to use this to show their loyalty to the emperor and demonstrate that they were not hedging their bets.
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Then, after the clansmen left, Li Zunzu pulled Li Yuanzhong aside and said:

"Sixth Uncle, how did Third Great Uncle die?"

"You wouldn't be keeping this from me too, would you?"

Li Yuanzhong said through tears:
"Father...Father didn't catch that traitor Li Ruwu."

"The only way to cut ties with him is to take the arrow he shot and kill myself."

"Father did it... for us!"

These words made Li Zunzu beat his chest and stamp his feet in anguish, feeling utterly heartbroken.

He sensed something was amiss when Li Ruzhen pursued Li Ruwu, never imagining he was determined to die. He intended to use this method to regain the Li family's trust.

He said, with a mixture of emotion and resentment:
"Third Grand Uncle...why do this?"

"Aren't the achievements of my ancestor Li Zunzu enough to wash away the stain on my reputation?"

"He He……"

Some people hate themselves for their own incompetence, to the point that they have to use their great-uncle's life to prove their innocence.

If he had killed Huang Taiji, Li Ruzhen would never have needed to take this step.

At the same time, he hated Li Ruwu even more for refusing to sacrifice for his family and surrendering to the Jurchens to save his own life. He vowed to find this person and search every inch of the three rivers.

He said to Li Yuanzhong:

"Sixth Uncle, Li Ruwu has fled eastward and should be in the Sanjiang area."

"I appoint you as the garrison commander of Sanjiang, responsible for clearing out this area."

"Remember to choose a good place to use as your fiefdom in the future."

Filled with hatred, Li Yuanzhong accepted the order, yet somewhat bewildered, and said:
“Where does the territory come from? I don’t have a title.”

“My father’s former command was hereditary, and it has been stripped of that title.”

Li Zunzu calmly said:

“My third great-uncle sacrificed himself for the Li family, and as the clan leader, I certainly cannot stand idly by.”

"Don't worry, I will arrange for people to help you fight the barbarians and try to accumulate enough merit to be granted a title."

“The Sanjiang region is a wonderful place; even the Emperor is reluctant to grant it to other areas.”

"From now on, your branch will live in Sanjiang and be known as the Sanjiang Li Clan."

This excited Li Yuanzhong, but he also asked with some doubt:
"Isn't the price too high? Clearing out the barbarians is no easy task."

"Didn't His Majesty say that areas that are temporarily beyond his jurisdiction can be granted the title of Tusi (chieftain) and then divided and governed in the future?"

Li Zunzu grinned and lowered his voice, saying:

"Do you think the ministers in the court supported my appointment as the Governor of Jinning without making any demands?"

“Some of them intend to choose fiefdoms in Jinning.”

“This area must be cleaned up before they send their people over.”

"You can take advantage of this opportunity to gain merit by fighting the barbarians, and you can even sell the captured barbarians to them."

These demands from the imperial court were naturally passed down from his elder brother, Li Shunzu.

If it weren't for Li Shunzu's efforts, he wouldn't have been able to become the governor of Jinning so easily.

Li Yuanzhong understood and went to fight and capture the barbarians with full confidence, determined not to waste the opportunity his father had fought for. Li Zunzu, after his departure, considered the possibility of the Li family members seeking their own way out, but that proved unworkable. All the clansmen, whether in Korea or among the Jurchens, had to be either recalled or expelled.

From now on, no one in the Li family should be associated with barbarians, so as to avoid being suspected of loyalty by the court and the public.

At the same time, he decided to further divide the Li family, just as Li Ruzhen's descendants separated into the Sanjiang Li clan, and to similarly separate the others—

To prevent problems in one branch from affecting other branches in the future.

Li Zunzu must become a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty in order to have a chance to be promoted to a marquisate in the future.

"Golden Horn Peninsula is a wonderful place!"

"It's a pity that it's too close to the capital."

"His Majesty doesn't even want to establish a vassal state in Jinning, let alone here?"

"If it hadn't been set up beforehand, I'm afraid it would have had to be revoked!"

"It's not easy to be promoted to a marquisate here."

From the emperor's attitude toward the enfeoffment of Jin Ning, he could clearly sense that the emperor had some regrets about enfeoffing the Jinjiao Peninsula.

It wasn't worth breaking my promise, so I let him stay there.

If Li Zunzu were sensible, he should take the initiative to relocate his fiefdom and hand over this place to the direct administration of the Andong Protectorate.

Unfortunately, he was very fond of this place and did not want to give it up.

Therefore, he would have to work hard to make contributions and strive to be promoted to the rank of marquis.
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Taking into account the situation in the Jinning area, Li Zunzu planned the military and civilian prefectures such as Huining Prefecture and Nenjiang Prefecture, and established several garrison areas with only one guard each, while other places awaited to be enfeoffed.

Hong Chengchou, who was also concerned with the governance of Andong, planned military and civilian prefectures such as Huanglong Prefecture, Jilin Prefecture, and Ning'an Prefecture, and named the Andong Protectorate headquarters in the Jingcheng area Longyuan Prefecture.

This is Tokyo, formerly the capital of the Bohai Kingdom.

He intends to use this as a base to rule the entire northeastern coastal region.

Man Gui, who served as the governor of Liaoning, also planned two prefectures, Linhuang Prefecture and Taining Prefecture, to control this region from the south and the north respectively.

However, the Liaohetao area was taken away by Bi Zisu, the governor of western Liaoning.

He incorporated the entire area south of the Huanghe River and west of the Liaohe River into Liaoxi Province.

The plan is to develop this area and establish Tongliao Prefecture and Liaohe Prefecture.

Together with the seven prefectures planned by the imperial court, they formed the Nine Prefectures of Western Liaoning. This was more in line with the size of a province and could rival the Ten Prefectures of Eastern Liaoning.

He also brought up the construction of the Liaodong border wall once again.
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"Wasn't the plan to build the Liaodong border wall already rejected?"

"Is there anything else we can discuss?"

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhu Youjian asked in confusion.

I wonder why the Privy Council has brought up this issue again.

Border Defense Minister Liu Zunxian said:

"It was previously rejected due to insufficient funds and provisions, but now Governor Bi has proposed a solution that has resolved the issue of funds and provisions."

"I believe that if we can repair it, we should do so, as it will better protect us from the Mongols."

Zhu Youjian was rather dismissive, not believing that the Ming Dynasty would need a border wall in the future.

However, Liu Zunxian's words made him hesitate:

“Building the border wall was not only to defend against Mongol invasions, but also to prevent them from sneaking over into the pass and affecting the immigrants inside the wall.”

"In this way, the land inside the border wall can be sold and used to exchange for Liaodong land vouchers."

"The four million taels of war bonds previously issued by the imperial court can be repaid in one lump sum with land."

"After inspecting the area, Governor Bi concluded that the marshes of the Liaohe River be cultivated, yielding approximately eight million mu of land. At a rate of one tael per mu, this would generate eight million taels of silver."

“The actual value of the land will be higher, and it can be sold by the square meter, allowing large plots of land to be auctioned off as a whole, so that the buyers can repair the roads and ditches themselves.”

"The harvested silver can be used not only for the reclamation of the Liaohe River bend, but also for the repair of the Liaohe River bend border wall, and even for the reconstruction of other sections, and the construction of post roads connecting western and eastern Liaoning."

Such high returns greatly tempted Zhu Youjian, who inquired:

"Is it impossible to not repair the side wall?"

"Does the Liaohetao region mean that without a border wall, the land can't be sold?"

Liu Zunxian was somewhat speechless, and Yuan Keli explained:

"Whether there are city walls or not, the people's mentality is different."

“If we don’t build a border wall, I’m afraid no one will be willing to migrate there.”

"Moreover, with this section of the border wall repaired, Liaodong and Liaoxi can still be defended according to the border wall layout in the future."

"Otherwise, with the notch in the Liaohetao area, the rest of the Liaodong border wall would basically have to be abandoned. We can't deploy defenses around such a large defect."

This explanation made Zhu Youjian understand why the border defense department was so determined to build the border wall, and the same was true for Liaoxi Province.

If they really don't build the border wall, their defense system will have no foundation and no lower limit.

Considering the need to sell land, and the need to use the border wall for defense to maintain a minimum level of security, which might also be used to stop illegal immigration in the future, Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement:
"If the land in the Liaohetao region can be sold, then we will build the border wall as requested by Liaoxi Province."

"The Academy of Military Sciences provided technical support for the construction of a new fortress and city wall system."

"However, the cost of the border wall must be borne by Liaoxi itself; the imperial court will not contribute a single penny."

They agreed to Liaoxi Province's request and allowed them to build the city walls themselves.

However, Liu Zunxian's resolute refusal to contribute financially prevented him from raising the request again, even though he wanted to rebuild other sections of the Great Wall and level out the entire defensive system.

It was clear that the emperor was unwilling to invest heavily in building the Great Wall and did not approve of such a defensive system. (End of Chapter)