Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 850 Toast Ruoyu
"So, what do you think?" Zhu Su asked Xie Jin.

"I think... it is better to be still than to move. If the chieftains are motivated by profit, they will become more profit-seeking. Moreover, the power in the southwest is mostly in the hands of the chieftains."

"Your Highness, the ones who benefit the most from the trade are still the chieftains, aren't they?"

"If we allow the chieftains to profit, we don't know whether this is cutting off the chieftains or benefiting them. If it backfires in the end, wouldn't that ruin everything?"

Xie Jin's face was very serious. He had forgotten to be reserved and instead gave advice in a very serious tone.

Zhu Su also hesitated. What Xie Jin said was actually not without reason. However, after thinking about it, he decided to stick to his own idea. "Although the Tusi and their ilk have their own land, govern their people, command their troops, inherit their positions, govern their places, and receive their titles, to a certain extent, they are independent of the imperial court."

"However, since they are willing to admit that they are Chinese, we should not regard them as barbarians. What's wrong with giving benefits to the people?"

To be honest, the Tusi system is not entirely more harmful than beneficial. The main purpose of establishing the Tusi system was to "use barbarians to control barbarians" and reduce the management costs of the southwestern border. This certainly does not mean that in the era of the policy of control, tribes could not be effectively used to check each other and make them work for the country. In the early Tang Dynasty, Feng Ang, the leader of the Feng family in Lingnan, repeatedly quelled the rebellion in Lingnan for the Tang Dynasty, which is a good example; in addition, Pang Xiaotai, the leader of the Lingnan barbarians who rebelled against the Tang Dynasty during the Wude period, and the governor of Nanzhou, later also remained loyal to the Tang court. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, he followed Su Dingfang to pacify Baekje and participated in the Battle of Sheshui against Goguryeo, and died on the battlefield with his thirteen sons. Later in the Ming Dynasty, there was also the Sichuan Tusi Qin Liangyu, who led the Tusi wolf soldiers under his command to rush to the national crisis and made great contributions to the survival of the Ming Dynasty.

Using local troops to guard the border instead of government troops greatly reduced the expenditure of the national treasury. Later, Zhou Shuoxun, the prefect of Lianzhou in the Qing Dynasty, highly praised the role of the local chieftains. He believed that the use of wolf soldiers and Yao soldiers did not use any public funds. They could manage the existing fields, cultivate them when there was no trouble, and mobilize them when there was trouble. "The government did not have to spend money on maintaining the troops, and the local government had the merit of defending the country."

However, the Tusi system, which was generally implemented in various dynasties, was a further systematization and improvement of the management system in the southern minority areas. The imperial court appointed the leaders of the southern barbarians as state officials and promised to protect their land and govern their people for generations, thus enabling the Tusi officials to obtain the legitimacy of occupying resources and possessing power for a long time.

This also led to the fact that under the jurisdiction of the chieftains, most people only knew the chieftains, but not the imperial court or the emperor. Moreover, the imperial court's control over the areas under the jurisdiction of the chieftains could only rely on the loyalty of the local chieftains to the imperial court. If the chieftains were loyal, the local area would be loyal; if the chieftains were brave, the local area would be brave. If the chieftains had other intentions... then local rebellions would inevitably occur one after another, and the imperial court's army would be exhausted and there would be no peace.

"Tusi are also common people, how can we regard them as enemies? We should enlighten them with the great principles. Mencius once said, 'If the monarch regards his subjects as his own hands and feet, then the subjects will regard the monarch as their own heart and soul; if the monarch regards his subjects as dogs and horses, then the subjects will regard the monarch as their fellow countrymen; if the monarch regards his subjects as dirt, then the subjects will regard the monarch as their enemy.' We want to subdue the Tusi, but not force them to rebel. If we regard them as outsiders and only guard against them, won't it make the distinction between the Tusi and the Ming Dynasty court even clearer?" Zhu Su said.

Xie Jin was stunned, not understanding why His Royal Highness the King of Zhou suddenly said such pedantic words. According to that, does it require gentleness and humility to influence these chieftains?

He was about to retort, but saw that His Royal Highness Prince Zhou's eyes were full of cunning, and he continued to add: "Besides, everything has two sides, and the word profit is no exception... The gentry only think that letting the chieftains profit may help boost their power and arrogance, but have they ever thought that this profit can also become a yoke around their necks?"

"Hmm?" Xie Jin's eyes lit up, and after a brief thought, he realized something. "Your Highness is saying that this so-called benefit is actually just a bait to lure the chieftains?"

"Yes." Zhu Su said. He opened the window and saw a fish pond outside. A maid in the mansion was throwing food into the pond. Under the water, a group of fish were moving, which was quite spectacular.

"The chieftains are scattered among the mountains, forests, lakes and seas. Without bait, how can we gather them together and bring them under the jurisdiction of the state? This word 'profit' is the best bait to lure them to gather together."

"Human beings are actually similar to fish... If they live in lakes and seas, big fish will chase small fish for food, while small fish will do everything they can to survive, rising early and sleeping late, never daring to slack off, and their vitality is often far greater than that of fish in deep ponds."

"The fish in the pond deep in the house are fed by people, and they are fed once a day without worrying about being hungry. Then they become fat and dull, and no longer as lively as they used to be..."

As Zhu Su spoke, his face looked mysterious. Xie Jin listened with his eyes brightening.

"This may really be a good idea."

……

A cat that can catch mice is a good cat, whether it is black or white. As for whether it is a good cat, you have to take it out for a walk to know.

In Lianzhou City, a piece of news spread like wildfire. After inspecting the land and water conditions of Lianzhou, His Royal Highness Zhu Su, the King of Zhou, decided to build a port in Lianzhou to transport goods by sea. This news immediately caused the stagnant Lianzhou City to explode. Because Lianzhou was exhausted, all merchants on the Maritime Silk Road avoided Lianzhou and landed in Guangzhou, Quanzhou and other places. Even Leizhou next door was more or less benefited from the Maritime Silk Road and took off.

This is a route full of gold! Gold is flowing right in front of Lianzhou, but they can only watch it, without any way to get the gold back home... Lianzhou is too exhausted. There are neither goods with enough profits to be exported overseas, nor sufficient manpower, material resources and financial resources to build large ships for long voyages and join this ocean prosperity.

As for the sea trade permit... it would not be granted to these chieftains who were becoming too powerful to be removed. Seeing that other coastal prefectures and counties were starting to take off one by one, how could the chieftains of Lianzhou not be anxious? But with the conditions in Lianzhou, it was really unprofitable for the imperial court to set up a port here to attract merchants. They could only sigh helplessly.

But now, this Prince Zhou, who came to quell the rebellion and was not doing his job, actually intended to set up a port in Lianzhou? How could the landlords not be surprised? Everyone knew that other matters might have to be heard by the emperor, the prince, and the six ministers of the cabinet. But when it comes to business... Which businessman would not treat this Prince Zhou as a rich man?

If His Royal Highness Prince Zhou sneezes, the business community of the Ming Dynasty will tremble! If His Royal Highness Prince Zhou says something, are you still afraid that those businessmen will flock to Lianzhou?

(End of this chapter)