Qianlongzhai is under the jurisdiction of Nanning Prefecture in Guangxi. Just like the southwest, there are many chieftains among the people who are organized into households, forming the characteristics of a small settlement.
It can be said that there is me in you and you in me.
But there is no doubt that compared to Yunnan and Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong are adjacent, and the proportion of Han people is quite large, so its influence is wider.
Even though Nanning Prefecture is the capital of Guangxi, it still has a lot of toasts. Yu Chenglong, who moved from Wuzhou to Nanning, naturally couldn't help but make a tour to understand the deep-seated toast situation.
It is even more difficult to change the situation and enter the deep water area!
It's a pity that he has a good temperament after all, so he was welcomed into Qianlong Village as soon as he arrived and became a guest.
During the dinner, Yu Chenglong asked about the situation in the village and the interactions between Han and Yao people.
From what the village leader said, his family has a long history.
His name is A Xiong, his surname is Liu, and his ancestral name is Sang Lang. As early as the Jianyan period of the Southern Song Dynasty, he had already taken root here and became the hereditary leader of the village.
Because he helped suppress the rebellion of the natives during the Hongwu period, he had military merit and was promoted to a native official.
This is a hereditary official position that has been passed down through generations until today, for seventeen generations.
"This child's nickname is Ahu, and he is my eldest grandson. He is less than fifteen years old this year. Because he has been friends with Han people for a long time, the family also invited a Han person to teach him and teach him the learning of saints. A Yao like him can learn
It is a book of poetry and etiquette, which is of great benefit and can be used for the imperial examination."
"What about Guizhai?" Yu Chenglong stopped eating and asked the leader of Liu Village: "What does it have to do with me?"
"Sir, he is elegant and generous. He is a learned man at first sight. Although my grandson has had some teachers, he is far behind you!"
Yu Chenglong remained silent.
He was not willing to accept a student just for one meal.
In response, Liu Xiong said hurriedly: "Don't look down on our Liu family, my brother-in-law went to Sizhou to know the state!"
Hearing this, Yu Chenglong became interested.
He said that if he could meet the magistrate, he would be willing to accept him as his disciple.
Shangsizhou is also a chieftain, and it is also close to the Qin State. It is currently the most difficult border chieftain between Guangdong and Guangxi.
Once it is not handled properly, the consequences will be endless.
Liu Xiong patted his chest in response.
When he went to Sizhou, Zhao Li was stunned for a long time and ordered his mother to be found. His mother was a Han Chinese. She had read for several days and understood the importance of it. She said to his son:
"Usually, when important things come up, mother always comes forward for you, but this time it can't be the case. You are the magistrate, and you always have to come to see me. Mother is behind the screen, listening to what he wants, and when he speaks, you will
He said he wanted to ask my mother, and I would come forward when the time comes."
"If this person can suppress your sister-in-law, he must be a very important person. Don't wait any longer."
In particular, the mother is a Han Chinese, so the education of her son is completely different from the Yao people's way of raising their children. They pay attention to the family's teachings from childhood, and the parents' words must be regarded as a guideline.
So Zhao Li was very filial to his mother and nodded obediently: "Oh, my son understands."
Yu Chenglong was invited to the hall and introduced by the manager of a workshop in the state. The two of them bowed to each other.
This was already an unusual courtesy for Zhao Li. Usually when people came, he would go to the next stop in the hall, finish the official business in a loud voice, offer some gold sand, and turn around and leave.
But this person looked like an angel delivering decrees from heaven.
"Who are you?"
"The staff of the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi have been established." Yu Chenglong said calmly.
"There are two gold sand smugglers. I heard they are hiding in your yamen. Can you hand them over to me and take them back to me for justice?"
"You have to ask my mother about this." After hearing her son speak like this, the mother turned around from behind the screen.
Unexpectedly, Yu Chenglong had such a skill and hurriedly left his seat to salute, showing some humility to each other.
After sitting down, the old lady said: "Smuggling gold sand is strictly prohibited by imperial law. Today, there is such a bold guy who persists in his evil deeds. He should be handed over to the Yamen. I just don't know if you have brought any of your colleagues with you."
come yet?"
"Oh, that's not true."
"Since you didn't take me with you, I have to let my son's Yamen send someone to escort him." The old lady asked again, "Then shall I go with you? Or shall I be escorted back alone?"
Yu Chenglong thought that this time he condescended to come here and couldn't take the person away. He just went back. He would have to stay here for a few days.
Besides, he didn't do it just to lead a few people to commit crimes.
So he smiled and said: "It would be great if we could directly return to the county government office."
"I don't dare to take it, I don't dare to take it." The old lady said to her son: "Ali, return the master's notebook." Then she asked: "I wonder where you always live?"
"Let's stay at the inn."
"Master, please come back. Everything is easy to discuss." The old lady said to her son: "Ali, open the middle door and send Mr. off the mountain as a gift."
This is what is known in officialdom as ‘soft in, hard out’.
Yu Chenglong had to take care of his identity, so there was no need to be polite. Not long after returning to the inn, someone from the Youzhou Yamen came to present gifts, which were tiger skins, several leopard skins, a bag of gold sand, and ten kilograms of astragalus.
What was left was a Burmese knife made of hundreds of refined steel, yet as soft as cotton, and could be worn around the waist! Finally, there was an invitation, inviting him to a banquet that evening, and stating that he would only wear casual clothes.
Can.
The gifts on the side are nothing more than that, but this Burmese knife comes from Jackie Chan’s heart.
He usually only heard about the name Burmese sword from some travel notes and knight's biographies, but he needed to appreciate it seriously!
He took out the knife and danced back and forth like a silver snake under the lamp. He had no knowledge of martial arts and could not play. He accidentally cut his hand. He quickly and carefully put the knife back into its sheath.
I am ready to return this gift when I see you again.
In the afternoon, Yu Chenglong was still dressed in regular clothes, ordered his servants to bring their coats and bags, and then went to the Xuanweishi Yamen.
Zhao Li and a pacification department below him, and four chief officials came to greet him at the door. Like stars holding the moon, they welcomed him to the main hall and sat down.
At this point, he saw that the old lady was also present - the Yao people did not pay attention to the etiquette of avoiding family members like the Han people, and others looked calm, so it was not easy for him to show disapproval.
After a while, someone came to announce that the dinner was ready and invited the distinguished guests to take their seats.
Yu Chenglong accepted the host's invitation and sat down to the table. It turned out to be a very sumptuous banquet. The old lady said that she was in Yao Township and couldn't eat Yao people's food.
Ali's father loved his wife very much and hired a cook from Guangzhou to serve her all year round.
"I'm in a rush today, so I didn't have time to prepare some dishes, but Mr. Zuo won't be in a hurry because of his official duties, so I'll just stay here for a few more days!"
As she said that, the old lady looked a little strange: "If you have something to tell the truth, you might as well not tell it at this time."
"After all, it is difficult for a distinguished guest like you to come to our city."
"It's a pity that I don't have Shaoxing wine here," the old lady asked, "Do you prefer rice wine or rice wine, sir?"
Yu Chenglong's mind moved. He is from the north, so rice wine is a natural choice.
He chuckled and said, "Just rice wine."
So the old lady ordered someone to bring Maotai, opened the mud seal on the jar, and the room was immediately filled with fragrance. It had a smoky aroma before it even entered the throat.
With wine to cheer you up, conversation becomes much easier.
Yu Chenglong smiled and said: "Now Governor Yu is implementing the reform of native officials in Guangdong and Guangxi. The former Xuan comfort envoys are almost exhausted, and now it is the turn of native officials."
"Whether it's the Tuzhi County or the Tuzhi Prefecture, I'm afraid no one will be spared."
"Of course I know." The old lady sighed: "I, the Zhao family, have lived in Nanning for a long time and have always been respectful to the court. Whether it is money, food or soldiers and horses, I have never been in short supply."
"I'm afraid it's inappropriate for the imperial court to implement it this way! It's too chilling!"
"Old lady, hundreds of years have passed, that's enough."
Yu Chenglong said in a deep voice: "How long can such a local emperor stay in the Ming Dynasty? Besides, there are so many dirty things in private in the state."
"Smuggling gold mines, logs, various specialties, and even directly robbing merchants and imposing tariffs are all illegal businesses. How can the imperial court ever blame them?"
"Now that the Holy Emperor is in power, the situation has changed drastically. For the sake of the local people, the Zhao family should also take advantage of the situation."
"It should be noted that there are ten thousand soldiers and horses under the governor's command. They are all strong soldiers wearing armor. It is easy to attack the city and take out the stronghold."
The old lady was particularly dissatisfied: "Old sir, please note that these tens of thousands of native people are only safe under the control of my Zhao family. If we are not here, chaos will easily occur."
"No matter how you say it, our Zhao family's merits outweigh our faults."
"I wonder what compensation the old lady needs!"
Yu Chenglong understood what he was thinking, and did not make any further detours. He said directly: "As long as the conditions are acceptable, I am willing to speak for you."
"How about a hereditary duke?" the old lady asked tentatively.
"No!" Yu Chenglong hurriedly shook his head, good guy, even if the emperor comes, I won't be able to agree.
"At most a baron."
"Old sir, don't try to fool me. That baron can only be passed down to two generations, but our Zhao family has been passed down for more than ten generations." The old lady immediately became angry.
Zhao Li on the side was so angry that he gasped after hearing this.
How can we give up the wealth and honor of generations?
Yu Chenglong said calmly: "Spyker is no small matter."
"Old lady, please forgive me for being frank. Even if I agree, the Governor cannot agree. If the Governor agrees, His Majesty the Emperor cannot agree."
"There are so many nobles in the army who gained their wealth with one shot and one blow with a stick. How could they give it up to the chieftain so easily?"
"Besides, with thousands of soldiers, it only takes ten days and a half to capture Shangsizhou. Wouldn't it be better to have a few more earls?"
Now everyone in the Zhao family was dumbfounded.
In any case, one of their chieftains would never be able to defeat the imperial court. Otherwise, they should have taken action long ago in the face of the continuous attempts by the governors of Guangdong and Guangxi to repatriate.
It is precisely because of fear that I dare not!
The negotiations were tense.
At night, Yu Chenglong only felt that there was an extra person next to him, who was as warm and fragrant as soft jade. This frightened him, so he lifted up the quilt and took a look.
Although the woman was not sick from the cold, she was much better than those natives. After asking her, she found out that she was the maid beside the old lady.
He knew that the Yao people had the right to deal with the servants at home as they pleased, and their servants were like livestock. Not to mention asking her to serve him, it was not uncommon for her to be beaten to death with a stick.
At this time, he became more determined in his determination to change his ways and return to his hometown.
Under the rule of the government, although there is still talk of killing people, it is not so common and casual.
The natives are like slaves and livestock, and they are driven like running dogs.
If he is not dealt with decisively, rebellion will always be inevitable if he goes against his will in the future.
The next day, he took the Yao girl and left.
This is not to covet some beauty, but to remind myself of my determination to change my soil.
Returning to the Yamen, Yu Chenglong retreated to think, so neatly and effortlessly that he solved the toast problem once and for all.
There is no doubt that a title is the best way to deal with it, but it is inappropriate.
An earl or above is a distinguished title, and it is even more a noble title, which cannot be given easily.
Considering that there are thousands of toasts in the entire Southwest, this is simply impossible.
But otherwise, it would be impossible to solve the huge problem of Guangxi's millions of native people.
"But the title of nobility is not limited to the Ming Dynasty!"
Suddenly, he thought of Guangxi's neighbor Qin.
The title system of Qin was inherited from the Ming Dynasty, but at the same time it was significantly different from the Ming Dynasty.
Although his title and salary are low, he is hereditary and will not be deposed easily.
"In that case, why not let the Qin State grant him a title? Then let the chieftain take some of his native people south to enrich his population and consolidate his foundation. I must be willing to grant him some titles."
Thinking of this, Yu Chenglong immediately brought the secret box and wrote to the court.
At the same time, he asked someone to send a letter to the King of Qin, secretly discussing the matter.
He wanted to resolve the toast issue as soon as possible during his term of office.
In Beijing, after learning about this, Zhu Yixi was silent for a moment, feeling that this was a matter of killing three birds with one stone:
The first is the imperial court, which changes the status of native people to local people, obtains most of the native people and land, and removes the remnants of the former chieftains to avoid disasters.
Next is the vassal state, where a large number of chieftains and native people have poured in, which is an excellent source of labor and soldiers. In the case of a small and large country, more checks and balances are the best choice.
In the end, it was the chieftain who gained hereditary wealth and exempted the court from military disasters.
It's just a pity that some of the native people are going to be displaced and forced to go south.
"Yes!"
As Zhu Yixi said this, he immediately remembered that he had been thinking about border ministers and vassal affairs before. This was a good opportunity.
He added: "It depends on Jackie Chan that he be given the post of Minister of Border Affairs of the State of Qin."
"In the future, some matters in Qin that the court has no time to deal with will be dealt with first to avoid delaying the opportunity."
For example, the establishment of a vassal state will definitely not be smooth sailing. Things such as material supply, suppression of chaos, relief to victims, suppression of bandits, etc. all need to be dealt with in a timely manner.
By the time the minister reaches Beijing, the day lilies may be cold.
Granting border vassals the power to handle emergency affairs is beneficial and harmless to the vassal state, and can even strengthen ties with the vassal state.
Jiaozhou, Hanoi,
After hearing the letters from Beijing and Guangxi, Zhu Cunming agreed without hesitation.
There is still a lot of land in the country, and the Royal Forest Army also needs more soldiers to enrich it. Compared with the local indigenous people, the indigenous people from the country are like rootless ducks and can only serve him, the King of Qin.
Once you come to Qin, won't you be at his mercy?
But he didn't do it at will: "Everyone with less than 100 people will be awarded a baron, with less than 500 people, he will be a viscount, and if there are more than 500 people, he will be a count."
"And they must be young and strong."
Under the coercion of the governors of Guangdong and Guangxi and Qin's overtures, in just one month, thirty-eight families of chieftains decided to go south and come to Qin to live a wealthy life.
The reform of Guangdong and Guangxi has entered a new level.