The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 642: Return to the country
As early as the Warring States Period, the State of Chu began to manage Yunnan and Guizhou.

For various reasons, the central government had not yet achieved real control over this area until the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty adopted the policy of chieftains to administer Yunnan, Guizhou and other places, which was actually a temporary measure.

During the Ming Dynasty, the southwest was in a semi-independent state.

As long as there was something unusual in the central dynasty, these chieftains would become restless and even rebel directly. Yang Yinglong and She Chongming were representatives of this group.

The drawbacks of the chieftain management system are too numerous to list.

One of them is that during the Ming Dynasty, the Ming army was never able to use Yunnan and Guizhou as a springboard to expand its colonization into Southeast Asia.

The failure of the Ming Dynasty's management of Annan in the early years was largely due to the failure to achieve full control over the southwest region.

As a result, in the subsequent suppression of the Annan rebellion, the Ming army's logistics, troop supplies, personnel quality... all failed in all aspects.

In short, for the Ming Dynasty, the cost of maintaining Annan's rule was far greater than the benefits, so it had to give up in the end.

If you can't get out of here yourself, don't blame others for hitting you.

In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the Toungoo Dynasty of Myanmar rose strongly and the surrounding chieftains came to submit to it one after another.

In the middle and late Wanli period, the Ming Dynasty not only failed to expand its territory to the south, but also lost chieftains such as Mengyang, Mubang, and Manmu (Manmo).

Zhu Yuanzhang's descendants took more than two hundred years to digest only Guizhou and most of Yunnan.

During the Qing Dynasty, several emperors vigorously promoted the policy of converting native tribes into Han Chinese, and finally Yunnan and Guizhou were incorporated into the core ruling area of the empire.

However, after digesting the southwest, Old Man Shiquan had freed up his hands and prepared to deal with his Southeast Asian brothers.

But I ran into big trouble.

Qianlong thought that the "small barbarians in the southern wilderness" were no match for the Celestial Empire, but he did not know that the Konbaung Dynasty of Myanmar was already a new and powerful empire at that time.

The younger brother swept across Southeast Asia, destroyed Siam, annexed Laos, and became a powerful army.

The performance of the Qing army in the Qing-Myanmar War is hard to describe...
Going back to reality.

After the She'an Rebellion was put down, the southwestern regions did not usher in the peace they had imagined.

After the Wanggongchang explosion, Zhang Zicheng led the Dashi Army to wander around Shu.

In the following years, the bandits, the Ming army, and the Tusi soldiers fought endlessly until Zhang Zicheng was driven out of Sichuan and fled back to his hometown in Shaanxi.

In Shaanxi, Zhang Zicheng was ravaged by various military groups and suffered a lot of misfortunes.

The chieftains in various parts of the southwest had been watching and waiting for their chance, hoping to become the next She Chongming. Of course, that would be the She Chongming who successfully rebelled.

At this point in history, Da Qi was needed to achieve complete control over the southwest.

Thus Liu Zhaosun's policy of "reform of the native tribes into common people" came into being.

If we can successfully occupy the southwest, then expanding to the southeast peninsula, recovering the "Han and Tang homeland", or crossing the Himalayas and marching into the South Asian continent will be much smoother than it is now.

The financial and human resources of several southwestern provinces are more than enough to support Da Qi in launching one or two wars of annihilation on the southeastern peninsula.

You must know that in history, the reason why King Jin Li Dingguo was able to defeat two famous kings, shock the world, and resist the Qing Dynasty for sixteen years in a corner of the country was because of the abundant material and human resources in the southwest!

Later, Wu Sangui used Yunnan as a base for the Northern Expedition. His army once reached Dongting Lake, nearly bringing the Qing Dynasty to its knees. Kang Mazi wept bitterly and demanded to return to Hetuala to make wild boar skins again. This explains the situation to some extent.

Of course, just like the immediate conquest of Japan and Fuso, the retired emperor's reform of the southwest was only at the planning stage and he was temporarily unable to implement it.

Liu Zhaosun certainly understood the importance of incorporating Guizhou, Sichuan and other places to the Great Qi.

However, the new policy has just been implemented, and the canal transportation system is to be abolished.

If the three lines were to be operated at the same time, it would be impossible to cope with the situation.

In the third year of Guangde, the top priority of the empire was still the large-scale land survey.

The abolition of the canal transport system is just a decoration.

As more new recruits are trained and the corps continue to expand, the resistance encountered in land surveying will only become smaller and smaller.

Last year, the land survey in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was successfully completed, and this year, the land survey in Fujian and Guangdong is underway.

The retired emperor also assigned Zhang Yunxiu a new task, asking him to liquidate smuggling merchants along the coast of Guangdong and Fujian.

With the experience in Suzhou and Taicang, the surveying work has become much simpler and familiar. The standard process is as follows:

1. The soldiers entered the scene and blocked the city gates with lightning speed. Under the pretext of arresting Japanese pirates and spies, they arrested the bandits, gangsters, and thieves in the city and killed their leaders.

2. Send troops to guard the main assets (gold and silver mines, banknotes, fruit and tea plantations) to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to cause damage.

3. The instructors created momentum in the city, posted official documents, and promised to distribute land. At the same time, they organized young tenants who were exploited and oppressed by the gentry to hold a grievance meeting in front of the provincial government office or the Confucian Temple and the Medicine King Temple.

4. Survey the land and conduct trials in the hall of the provincial government office according to the severity of the crimes committed by the gentry (mainly based on their wealth). Those with lighter crimes will be fined 10,000 taels of silver (starting from 10,000 taels of silver). Those who cause great harm to the local people and arouse great public outrage will be beheaded and their property will be confiscated.

5. Establish a farmers’ association.

6. The land obtained from the survey will be registered and taken over by the farmers' association; the confiscated gold will be sealed and sent back to the national treasury; those with a history of bad deeds will be escorted to the Songjiangfu wharf, from where they will board ships and go to Liaodong to work as miners.

Taicang, Suzhou, Songjiang and other places that were most opposed to the new policy have been dealt with, and it is difficult for the remaining prefectures and counties to make any progress.

The emperor's salami-slicing tactics, step by step, carefully breaking the other party's bottom line (except for the direct abolition of private property, the new policy and the land system have become more and more similar), caused headaches for the gentry and wealthy families in various places, and they had no way to fight back.

~~~~~
After measuring the land, we can abolish the grain transport tax.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, Emperor Guangde and his entourage arrived in Yangzhou.

As soon as he got off the car, the young emperor immediately got busy.

He first worked out a plan to abolish the grain transport system with several ministers, and sent someone to deliver it back to Nanjing overnight to present it to his father for review.

It was the twelfth day of the first lunar month when the emperor received the memorial.

Liu Zhaosun sat in the main hall of Wenhua Palace, holding the detailed plan in his hand, and could not help but read in a low voice:

"Gradually abolish the banknote offices in all prefectures from Huai'an to Hangzhou, dismiss 120,000 grain transport troops (a figure on paper), ban the Luojiao grain transport gang, comprehensively reform the economic structure of cities along the canal (gradually get rid of these cities' unhealthy dependence on canal commerce), improve crop varieties such as sweet potatoes and corn, and promote their cultivation along the canal..."

The Emperor folded the newspaper carefully and muttered to himself:

"A small section of canal can lead to so many problems."

I wonder what Liu Kan will make of the canal in a year.

One thing is certain: the implementation of each measure required immense manpower, material resources, and financial resources from the Empire, and it was by no means a simple matter of sending in troops. To paraphrase later times, the Empire was in, and would remain in, the initial stages of polarization, with developing the people's livelihood and economy being its top priority.

Money matters.

~~~~
On the 20th day of the first lunar month in the third year of Guangde, the emperor summoned Qin Jianxun to return to Nanjing from Huguang.

On the 25th, Qin Jianxun arrived at the Forbidden City.

Two years have passed since we last met, and time has left its mark on the white-robed general.

Qin Jianxun has gained a little weight, and wrinkles have appeared on his bronze cheeks.

The Qin Jianxun in front of him is no longer the young man he used to be. He has been changing.

The change in the political situation was just a test, and his belief remained unchanged.

During the turbulent Guangde years, Lao Qin remained unscathed and was not implicated in any way - Jin Yinghe and Yang Tong, who were more prestigious than him, lost their lives inexplicably because of this.

In any case, Liu Zhaosun was so happy to see this old subordinate that he couldn't stop smiling.

On that day, the emperor held a banquet in Wenhua Hall to personally welcome Qin Jianxun.

A table of exquisite Sichuan cuisine was placed in front of Qin Jianxun.

The Emperor said with concern:

"Jianxun, have you been doing well in Wuchang these years? Are you used to eating Wuchang fish? It's a very spicy dish."

Qin Jianxun quickly said: "Your Majesty, I am originally from Shu, I am afraid it is not spicy enough."

The emperor nodded and smiled, "Good! What a good one! Old Qin, you haven't changed at all!"

Qin Jianxun looked at Liu Zhaosun and smiled, "Your Majesty hasn't changed either. He seems younger and more majestic."

When Liu Zhaosun heard this, he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Old Qin, you've changed. Well, remember that year when Qiao Yiqi and Yuan Chonghuan went to Shenyang to ask for help? Supervisor Qiao contradicted General Tong, and Yuan Chonghuan was almost beaten to death. You were like that back then, too, with a foul mouth."

Qin Jianxun clapped his hands and laughed: "I remember we agreed in advance to put on a show with the Zhejiang soldiers for the Tartars to see?"

Liu Zhaosun laughed and said, "I did warn you in advance, but I didn't expect Ding Bi to interfere. In the end, the fake fight turned into a real fight, and he tricked Yuan Shaobao..."

The two laughed.

As Liu Zhaosun laughed, two lines of tears streamed down his cheeks.

Qin Jianxun rubbed his red eyes.

"General Qiao, Chief Inspector Yuan, General Kang, my father-in-law, Wang Erhu, Captain Shen, Mao Yuanyi, Jin Yinghe, Yang Tong... all the heroic spirits are watching us from heaven!"

Liu Zhaosun picked up the wine glass, stood up and looked towards the north.

"This glass of wine is for them! Without them, there would be no such beautiful country and peaceful people!"

The two men spilled their glasses of wine on the ground.

The two of them then began to clink glasses and exchange cups.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Qin Jianxun asked about the current situation of the descendants of General Kang, General Qiao and Mao Yuanyi.

Liu Zhaosun told him in detail about the official positions held by Kang Yingqian's son Kang Guangxu and nephew Kang Jingxiu.

"Neither General Qiao nor Mao Yuanyi has any children. General Qiao has a nephew named Qiao Xinghan. This child is not good at speaking, but I will make him the Supervisor of the Imperial Treasures. He will have no worries about food and clothing in his life."

Qin Jianxun whispered, "Perhaps it's because General Qiao was too outspoken and said too much when he was alive, so this descendant..."

The palace maid Amber standing next to him couldn't help laughing when he heard this, and Liu Zhaosun quickly pointed to a table full of delicacies.

"Jianxun, don't just drink, eat the food, eat the food."

The emperor and his ministers chatted for a while longer, and when they had finished most of the food and wine on the table, the emperor suddenly said:
"Now we have a delicious dish, and we want you, the Fourth Corps, to eat it. Lao Qin, do you dare?"

Qin Jianxun had heard some news about the land reform on his way here, so he was prepared. He quickly put down his chopsticks, stood up suddenly, and said sternly:
"The Fourth Corps is ready in Wuchang, at your command! If you want us to attack Sichuan, we will attack Sichuan. If you want us to attack Guizhou, we will attack Guizhou!"

Liu Zhaosun quickly waved his hand, patted Qin Jianxun on the shoulder, asked him to sit down, picked up the wine pot, and filled a glass:
"Old Qin, I'm not asking you to fight. Although Da Qi is strong, it can't fight on four battlefields at the same time."

"Four battlefields?" Qin Jianxun looked confused.

"Yes, the Grand Canal was one battlefield, the New Deal was one battlefield, Shanxi was one battlefield, and adding the southwest, that makes four battlefields, right?"

Liu Zhaosun handed over the empty wine glass, motioned for him to fill it up, and continued:

"The Fourth Corps will advance westward on a chosen date and relocate its base westward, either to the Three Gorges or Badong. Wuchang will be garrisoned by new recruits. You will first go to Badong to acclimate yourself to the terrain. By the end of next year at the latest, I will confront the Tusi masters."

Qin Jianxun poured wine for the emperor while listening carefully, and the glass had already overflowed.

"Your Majesty, are you saying that Old Deng and his men have started fighting in Shanxi?"

"The Second Corps crossed the Yellow River at the beginning of the month and is sweeping across northern Shaanxi. Deng Changxiong and the 12th Corps are attacking from both east and west. Zhang Zicheng is doomed, and Shaanxi and Gansu will soon be annexed by the Great Qi."

Seeing Qin Jianxun rubbing his hands together and his eyes shining, his mind already flying thousands of miles away, Liu Zhaosun pointed at the wine spilled on the table:

"Lao Qin, this is twenty-year-old Moutai! I couldn't bear to drink it at the New Year's Eve family dinner. How much is left..."

~~~~~
On the second day of the first lunar month in the third year of Guangde, the Second Corps of the Qi Army stationed in northwest Shanxi launched a surprise attack. Under the cover of absolutely superior artillery fire, 8,000 soldiers crossed the Yellow River from Hequ and entered northern Shaanxi.

In the next fifteen days, Deng Changxiong commanded the Second Corps, marching south along Qingshui Town, Gushan Town and other places, and defeated the bandits in northern Shaanxi many times.

The army arrived at Yan'an Prefecture on the 17th day of the first lunar month and immediately set up camp around the city, preparing for a long siege.

While the Second Corps swept across northern Shaanxi, the Imperial Twelfth Corps (Mongolian Corps) advanced from the Wuding River in the oasis of the Maowusu Desert and launched a fierce attack on the flank of the Dashi Army.

Zhang Zicheng and his old brothers have been trapped in Shaanxi for eight years.

For eight years, this blacksmith-born Emperor of the Great Western Region had witnessed his territory shrink from its original sprawl across the four provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Gansu to its current confinement to the confines of Shaanxi. Even retreating to Shaanxi proved to be fraught with uncertainty, as the eleven Qi armies (excluding the navy) used him as a tool to improve their military performance.

After eight years of fighting, the combat effectiveness of the Qi army increased year by year. On the other hand, the Great Western Kingdom had already been severely damaged, its soldiers were short of food, and it was on the verge of collapse.

If the drought in Shaanxi had not eased slightly in recent years, Zhang Zicheng would have been able to catch his breath and the bandits would have collapsed on their own without the Qi army attacking.

On the 20th day of the first lunar month, the 12th Corps and the 2nd Corps met in Mizhi.

Zhang Zicheng, who was attacked from all sides, abandoned northern Shaanxi and retreated to Xi'an Prefecture, where he gathered his remaining troops and fought like a trapped beast.

(End of this chapter)