Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 574 Pacifying Guizhou (Part 1)

In the autumn of the third year of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, 4053 AD (1356 AD), more than 300,000 Ming troops gathered in Hunan, and a major battle was about to break out.

Lu Jinding's departure date for the campaign to attack Yunnan and Guizhou was the first day of the ninth month, but preparations for the campaign had actually begun much earlier.

In April, the Second Army stationed in Fujian received orders to immediately march to Changsha, Hunan to assemble. Feng Sheng led the main force and arrived in early July, while Zhu Liangzu and Liao Yongzhong returned to Beijing to receive their missions. Miao Daheng's troops stationed in Sichuan were closer to Hunan, so they moved even faster.

After receiving the troop mobilization order, Miao Daheng immediately dispatched Hua Yunlong's 42nd Army, which consisted of the 118th and 123rd Divisions, to assemble in Hunan. They arrived in Hunan in June.

After the two armies met in Hunan, they immediately began the preliminary work of clearing the surrounding area.

Because Lu Jin had previously ordered that the strategy for pacifying Guizhou this time was to focus on the small and let go of the big. The court only agreed to pacify the few large chieftains, while the local small chieftains had to accept the "reform of chieftains and the return of officials to central government," give up their hereditary chieftain power, and be governed by officials dispatched by the court. The local people were to be registered as citizens, and the chieftains were not allowed to obstruct this.

Following the usual approach of "courtesy before force," the imperial court could first send envoys to appease the local chieftains. If they agreed to the court's conditions, their entire families would be relocated to the Jianghuai or Jiangnan regions. The court would not only provide them with land but also reward them with gold and silver. Furthermore, it could recommend their children to the Imperial Academy, granting them the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). They could then serve as county clerks in the Central Plains or Jianghuai provinces, or they could choose to join the army and be directly granted the rank of lieutenant-level officer.

In short, there are many benefits and the conditions are very generous, but one must give up the power of the chieftain and leave the original territory.

If they refuse, then it's simple: just wash your neck and wait to die.
Therefore, as soon as the army arrived in July, the mopping-up operation on the outskirts began. The first to be eliminated were not the chieftains of Guizhou, but several small chieftains in eastern Sichuan and the outskirts of northern Guizhou.

For example, the "Yanbianxidong Pacification Commission" south of Enshi was directly abolished, and the imperial court established Xuan'en County there. The "Rongmeidong Pacification Commission" east of Xuan'en was also directly abolished, and a new Hefeng County (Hefeng Tujia Autonomous County) was established there.

In addition, there was Shangsangzhisi, which was close to Cili, and after it was eliminated, Sangzhi County was newly established; Sanmaodong Anfusi, which was next to it, was eliminated and Laifeng County (Laifeng Tujia Autonomous County) was newly established; and Yongshun Anfusi, which was eliminated and Yongshun County was newly established.

In addition, the Youyang Pacification Commission on the outskirts of Guizhou was forcibly pacified and Youyang County was established; the Baojing Prefecture Pacification Commission was abolished and Baojing County was established; and the Pingchadong Commission was forcibly pacified and Xiushan County was established.

This series of forceful military strikes completely stunned the chieftains of Guizhou. They realized that if they didn't obey, the Ming Dynasty would truly kill them.

The surrounding chieftains, except for the hereditary governor of Baojing Prefecture, saw the tragic scene at Youyang Pacification Commissioner's office. Hua Yunlong had slaughtered the entire family of the deceased, beheaded them, and spread the word about the power of the Ming Dynasty to intimidate the local people. The hereditary governor of Baojing Prefecture was terrified and was eventually forced to surrender.

Moreover, being forced to surrender was not the end of the matter. The Ming Dynasty also forcibly relocated their entire family to Jiangsu, completely removing them from their hereditary territory.

Except for Baojing County, all the other chieftains were massacred. Afterwards, the Ming army made a threatening statement, claiming that the imperial army of 800,000 was about to sweep through Yunnan and Guizhou (in reality, there were only more than 300,000 troops, half of whom were laborers sent to relocate people). If they did not want to die, they had better accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty. Otherwise, if they continued to resist, they would suffer the same fate.

The process of pacifying and appeasing the major chieftains of Guizhou unfolded against this backdrop.

Before the troops moved, the envoys went first. Li Yinbing, who was appointed as the Right Provincial Administration Commissioner of Guizhou, personally went to negotiate. If he didn't take down these chieftains first, what would be the point of his position as Provincial Administration Commissioner? His orders probably wouldn't even be able to leave the city. Therefore, Li Yinbing directly led several prefects appointed by the court to act as envoys and went to pacify the various chieftains. He himself went to the territory of the Tian family in Sizhou first.

The Tian family of Sizhou—you can tell from this surname that they are of Han Chinese origin, or rather, three of the four major chieftains of Guizhou were Han Chinese from elsewhere.

For example, the Tian family of Sizhou originated from Tian Zongxian of the Sui Dynasty. He was appointed by the Sui Dynasty to govern the Qian region and served as the Prefect of Qianzhong. After the fall of the Sui Dynasty, the Tian family stayed there and became a hereditary force. During the Tang Dynasty, Tian Kechang, the head of the Tian family, first established Sizhou (Fenggang). During the Song Dynasty, Tian Yougong, the head of the Tian family, was appointed as the Prefect of Sizhou by the Song Dynasty.

At its peak, the Tian family of Sizhou even occupied one-third of the eastern part of Guizhou Province, surpassing the Yang family of Bozhou.

However, the Tian family now is not comparable to the one before, because during the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty, when Xiao Tieguo was emperor, the Tian family of Sizhou split internally into two forces: Sizhou and Sinan.

The current head of the Sizhou family is named Tian Renhou, who is still serving as the Sizhou Pacification Commissioner appointed by the Yuan Dynasty. The core territory is located in Fenggang in later generations, which is Sizhou during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties.

The current head of the Sinan family is named Tian Renzhi, who is of the same generation as the one in the north. Although he has no official appointment or position from the imperial court, he actually controls a considerable territory. He controls about one-sixth of the southeastern part of Guizhou Province. In later generations, the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province was roughly within his territory.

The core of Sinan's rule was located in Zhenyuan Prefecture, which later became Zhenyuan County. There is still an ancient town called Zhenyuan there today.

Although the Ming army has not yet officially entered Guizhou, news of the previous mopping-up operations on the outskirts of Guizhou has reached Tian Renhou's ears, especially the fact that the Ming army deliberately killed Pingchadong Si and established Xiushan County there.

The surrounding areas of Youyang, Baojing, and Yongshun were not Tian's territory. Although the Ming army's elimination of those three minor chieftains was noticed by the Tian family, it did not actually harm their interests. However, Pingchadongsi was indeed a subordinate of the Tian family, albeit a very peripheral collateral branch. The fact that the Ming army specifically eliminated Pingchadongsi suggests that there was an intention to send a warning to the Tian family.

After Zhu Liangzu and Liao Yongzhong arrived, the army immediately split into three routes. Zhu Liangzu personally led an army group from Youyang to the border of Yanhe County. Yanhe was Tian's territory, which meant that they had already stepped into Tian's territory. If Li Yinbing did not reach an agreement, he would immediately launch an attack.

Meanwhile, Liao Yongzhong led another army group upstream along the Yuan River, and the army advanced to the east of Pingxi (Yuping) County, ready to attack the territory of the Tian family in Sinan from the east at any time.

The third route was led by Hua Yunlong, who had only the 42nd Army, with a total of two divisions. However, he also brought two divisions of civilian laborers. Although they were not very useful in battle, they could still bolster morale and guard the cities captured by the main force. Hua Yunlong's route came from the direction of Sichuan and temporarily followed behind Zhu Liangzu. Later, they were to enter the territories of the Yang family of Bozhou (Zunyi) and the Luo family of Shuixi (Bijie).

The three armies entered Guizhou from three directions. Hua Yunlong would stay in Guizhou to guard the rear, while Zhu Liangzu and Liao Yongzhong would meet up in Puding (Anshun) and then lead the army to continue advancing into Yunnan.

When Li Yinbing arrived in Sizhou and met Tian Renhou, he immediately stated his purpose: "Now that the Yuan dynasty has been destroyed, the Tartar emperor has been captured alive by our emperor and has become a prisoner of the Ming dynasty. All parts of the country have submitted, and the people live in peace and prosperity. At this time, the world has changed, and the Ming dynasty's mandate has been given to us."

"Now that His Majesty wishes to pacify Yunnan and Guizhou, he has specially sent me to pacify them. The Tian family of Sizhou is of Han ethnicity and Han official descent. They were appointed by the Sui Emperor as the Prefect of Qianzhong, established Sizhou in the Tang Dynasty, and served as the Governor in the Song Dynasty. At the turn of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the Tian family even sent troops to help the Song resist the Yuan. They only surrendered to the Yuan after the fall of the Song Dynasty. They are truly outstanding among Han officials."

"Now that the Yuan dynasty has been destroyed and the Han dynasty has been restored, the Tian family should naturally be loyal to the Ming dynasty as their ancestors have always been."

Upon hearing this, Tian Renhou readily agreed. This was tantamount to defining the Tian family as Han Chinese officials for generations, who assisted the Song Dynasty in resisting the Yuan Dynasty until the fall of the Song Dynasty when they were forced to surrender to the Yuan Dynasty. In other words, they would no longer be held accountable for their mistake of accepting official positions from the Yuan Dynasty. How could Tian Renhou possibly refuse? He quickly handed over the official seal of the Yuan Dynasty's Sizhou Pacification Commission, indicating his willingness to submit to the Ming Dynasty.

Upon receiving the old official seal from the Yuan Dynasty, Li Yinbing immediately smiled and then offered the Ming Dynasty terms for pacification.

First, the emperor was willing to take a woman from the Tian family as a concubine and establish a close family relationship with her.

Tian Renhou readily agreed and even offered to provide more dowry. The fact that the Tian family of Sizhou could become imperial relatives was unprecedented in the Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties. In comparison, the Ming emperor truly valued them.

Before Tian Renhou could be happy for long, Li Yinbing's next words immediately changed Tian Renhou's expression.

Secondly, the Ming Dynasty should abolish the Sizhou Pacification Commission established by the Yuan Dynasty and formally establish the Guizhou Province. The original territory of the Tian family in Sizhou should be divided into four prefectures: Sinan, Sizhou, Tongren, and Shiqian. The court should send officials to serve as prefects, and the Tian family of Sizhou could send four sons to serve as hereditary prefectural assistant prefects in these four prefectures.

The same principle applies to the county magistrates of each prefecture. They are appointed by the Ming Dynasty and their sons can serve as registrars. However, the registrars must be assessed by the Provincial Administration Commission and cannot serve consecutive terms in the same county, thus forming a system of appointed officials within the province.

At the same time, one member of the Tian family could serve as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Guizhou, a hereditary position, but this required the approval of the imperial court. Each generation of the Tian family could also send three members to study at the Imperial Academy.

This change was essentially equivalent to replacing local chieftains with appointed officials, but it was only half done. Were the Pacification Commissions abolished? Yes. Was the prefectural and county system established? Yes, and the court also used appointed officials to govern, but at the same time, the Tian family retained hereditary deputy positions, allowing them to serve as hereditary prefectural assistant prefects and provincial councilors. It was indeed a change to appointed officials, but only half done.
Upon hearing these conditions, Tian Renhou's face immediately stiffened. He pondered for a long time before asking Li Yinbing, "May I ask Your Majesty, if the court abolishes the Pacification Commission and establishes provinces, and appoints members of the Tian family as hereditary prefectural assistant prefects and provincial councilors, will the annual tribute be paid by the Tian family, or will the court collect taxes directly in Sizhou?"

This is a direct issue of profit distribution. Previously, there was only the Pacification Commission, not the province. Naturally, the Pacification Commission had to pay tribute to the court every year. However, after the commission was abolished and the province was established, the court dispatched officials, with the Tian family serving as deputy officials. So, would the court collect taxes directly in Sizhou, or would the Tian family continue to pay tribute?
Upon hearing this, Li Yinbing immediately replied, "Naturally, the tribute and taxes should be paid together, or the Tian family can choose not to pay tribute, but that depends on the Tian family's choice."

Tian Renhou frowned and immediately asked, "What does the angel mean by that? Could you explain it more clearly?"

Li Yinbing immediately said again, "After the abolition of the prefectures and the establishment of the county government, the court will relocate some immigrants and station troops in various prefectures and counties. The Tian family will need to give up some land and people in various prefectures and counties for the court to settle immigrants and station troops, and will also register some people as commoners."

"At that time, the land and population of the registered common people will be taxed by the government. The land and population retained by the Tian family will naturally have to pay tribute to the government. Of course, if the Tian family does not want to pay tribute, they can hand over all their land and population and let the government register them as common people. In this way, the government can collect taxes itself and the Tian family will not have to pay tribute."

Tian Renhou's face immediately turned ugly. If they handed over all their land and people, what would the Tian family have left? An official position? What use is an official position? Without land and people, they would be nothing, and would be at the mercy of the imperial court.

Tian Renhou's expression shifted between light and dark, and he hesitated for a long time. Li Yinbing didn't urge him, letting him think it over. In any case, the hundreds of thousands of troops were only two hundred miles to the north. As long as the Tian family didn't want to die, they would eventually have to agree.

After a long pause, he took a deep breath before asking again, "May I ask Your Excellency, if the offices are abolished and new prefectures are established, how many immigrants and troops will the court need to relocate? How much land and how many people will the Tian family need to give up? How much tribute will they need to pay each year?"

Li Yinbing immediately said, "The imperial court will not reduce the number of immigrants and garrison troops in each county to no less than two thousand households. The Tian family must hand over at least four thousand households in each county for the imperial court to register. In other words, each county must have at least six thousand households. As for the land that the Tian family needs to give up, it should be fifty mu of land per household, and it must be arable land. The imperial court will not accept unarable mountainous land."

Upon hearing this, Tian Renhou's face darkened. Each county had 4,000 households and they were to give up 300,000 mu of land. Guizhou was already mountainous with little land. Where was he going to get 300,000 mu of land for each county? Moreover, the Tian family's territory in Sizhou consisted of ten counties, which added up to 40,000 households and 3 million mu of land. What was the difference between this and directly confiscating their property?

He was about to explode, but after thinking about the hundreds of thousands of troops behind Li Yinbing, he held back and pleaded instead, "The angels have come all the way from the river and should have seen that Sizhou is full of mountains and there are very few flat areas. The fields of the local people are mostly on the mountains. Even if the Tian family is willing to give up land and people to the court, I'm afraid they can't gather as many as the court needs."

"Please convey this message to His Majesty the Emperor, and we hope the court will grant him leniency."

"Hmm~" Li Yinbing pretended to ponder for a moment before asking, "How much can the Tian family offer?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Renhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that there was still room for discussion, so he immediately probed and said...

"Similar to the imperial court's immigration policy, each county will have two thousand households, which the court will register as registered citizens. Each household will have twenty mu of land, and it will be land around the county seat. What do you think?"

“No, twenty mu is too little.” Li Yinbing immediately refused. “Mountainous land is inherently barren, and each household has at least three to five people. How can twenty mu of land support so many people? Moreover, this land also has to support the imperial army. The people are already struggling to feed themselves, so how can they pay taxes?”

To everyone's surprise, Tian Renhou was delighted upon hearing this, because he had just mentioned two thousand households, with each household having twenty mu of land. Li Yinbing only concerned himself with the twenty mu of land, but did not insist on the number of people, which meant that he had tacitly agreed to the condition of two thousand households per county.

So he said, "How about thirty mu per household?"

“No, at least forty mu.” Li Yinbing refused again.

After thinking for a moment, Tian Renhou did not make a definitive statement, but said, "Your Excellency, please forgive me, the terrain of Sizhou is indeed different from that of the Central Plains. It is full of mountains and arable land is scarce. This is something that you can see. Even if the Tian family is willing to give up more land, there is really no land left to give up."

"How about we do it this way, assuming each county has 4000 households, with each household having at least 30 mu of land, that would be 12 mu per county. If each household has 50 mu, then that would be 20 mu in total."

“When we clear the land, we will start measuring from the area near the county town. If there is too little arable land, then the Tian family will only contribute 30 mu per person to the imperial court. If the surrounding land is flat or there is a lot of arable land on the mountains, then the Tian family will give up more to the imperial court, up to 50 mu per household. We will adapt to local conditions. How about that?”

Upon hearing this, Li Yinbing thought for a moment and then smiled, "Well said, adapting to local conditions. You truly deserve to be the head of the Tian family. You have some skill in governing the people. Let's settle on this then. The amount of land will depend on the situation in each county."

Whew—Tian Renhou breathed a sigh of relief, then asked with a smile, "Since the Tian family has already ceded so much land and people, may I ask Your Majesty, how much tribute will the Tian family still need to pay to the court in the future?"

Li Yinbing immediately said, "That depends on how much land and population the Tian family has retained, and how much tax the imperial court collects from each county. The Tian family must pay at least twice the amount of tax to each county as tribute every year."

"So much?!" Tian Renhou exclaimed in surprise. If the imperial court's tax rate was four thousand households per county, wouldn't that mean the Tian family would have to pay taxes to eight thousand households per county as tribute?
"Heh, as for whether it is many or not, you should know in your own heart how many people and how much land there are in such a large area as the four prefectures of Sizhou."

"I'll say it again: if the Tian family relinquishes all their land and population, I guarantee you won't have to pay a single penny in tribute. The court can collect the taxes themselves. Since the Tian family is still holding back, I can only guess. Or, if the Tian family is willing to let me investigate how many people you're hiding, and if each county really has less than eight thousand households, then I'll let you pay tribute based on the actual population." Li Yinbing immediately said again.

Upon hearing this, Tian Renhou's expression became uncertain. Looking at Li Yinbing's expressionless and fearless demeanor, and considering the hundreds of thousands of troops behind him, Tian Renhou finally gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, then let's do as the angel says."

"Hahaha, I guessed that Your Excellency was a sensible person. In that case, I will first present the betrothal gift invitation on behalf of His Majesty. The betrothal gift will be sent with the army in a few days. As for the marriage of your daughter, please make preparations as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Tian Renhou immediately accepted the betrothal gift invitation. He discovered that it not only listed items such as cotton cloth, silk, brocade, and iron pots, but most importantly, it also included 10,000 catties of salt and 2,000 taels of silver. His eyes widened in surprise, and he immediately rose with great joy to bow and say, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your generous reward!"

It's no wonder he was so agitated. Guizhou is the only province in the country that doesn't produce any salt. Other provinces, whether they produce pond salt, mine salt, well salt, or sea salt, can produce some, but Guizhou really doesn't have any salt at all.

In addition, the area is mountainous and transportation is inconvenient. Salt purchased from Yunnan, Sichuan and Hunan is very expensive, and the people can't afford to eat it. However, salt is a necessity of life, and they can't do without it. This has really made life difficult for the people of Guizhou.

Now that Lu Jin is marrying a woman from the Tian family, not to mention other dowries, the 10,000 catties of salt alone is no small amount in Guizhou. The Tian family only needs to sell this salt to the people slowly to earn a lot of money. The emperor's dowry is really generous.

This is Lu Jin's carrot and stick approach: he can give the Tian family more personal rewards and gifts, but when it comes to the reform of the native chieftain system and the establishment of prefectures, he must be very careful and make them know that the emperor is generous, but he is not easy to fool.

As for the subsequent governance of Guizhou, Lu Jin also had his own plans. First, he would arrange marriages to strengthen relations and temporarily appease the people. Second, he would issue an edict of grace to weaken the Tian family's power.

For example, this time the territory of the Tian family in Sizhou was divided into four prefectures, and four hereditary prefectural assistant prefects were also appointed. In this way, the Tian family had to split up. Once the family split up, who the hell would listen to you? At that time, the court could divide and rule and gradually carry out the reform of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials.

Finally, there was the practice of sending members of the Tian family to study at the Imperial Academy in each generation. Firstly, this could be used as a form of hostage-taking to prevent the Tian family from causing trouble. Secondly, it allowed them to start by cultivating these members of the Tian family. Once they had broadened their horizons in Nanjing, seen the world, and learned advanced culture, the rest would be easier.

By then, they will have broadened their horizons and learned how vast the world is. They will know that there are many ways to make money, and that they should stop focusing solely on the remote mountains of Guizhou. The income from a single voyage by maritime merchants is more than what you can collect in a year in the mountains.

When that time comes, it will be easy for the imperial court to use other benefits, such as company shares, or overseas land and minerals, as an exchange to get the Tian family to give up all the land and people in Sizhou.

The old-fashioned stubbornness of the older generation has been abandoned by Lu Jin. For now, it's best to just win over and suppress this generation of chieftains and start working on their next generation. In two or three generations at most, the imperial court will be able to completely abolish the chieftain system in Guizhou.

(End of this chapter)