My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 400 The Great Victory in the Southwest Brings the Rise of the Han Dynasty

"So fast!?"

Su Ze designed so many new equipment for the Annamese army, and with the military reforms over the years, if the Annamese army can't even defeat the rebellion of the three chieftains in the southwest whose names are barely known, then the Ming Dynasty might as well perish.

However, Su Ze did not expect that the rebellion of the three chieftains would be quelled so quickly.

Su Ze stood up. If he wanted to obtain more detailed information, he would have to go to the Ministry of War.

Luo Wanhua also stood up with Su Ze. As the editor-in-chief of Yuefu Xinbao, he naturally had to confirm the situation in the southwest as soon as possible.

When the two arrived at the Ministry of War, it was already very lively.

Reporters from other newspapers in the capital were standing at the entrance. They were naturally not qualified to enter the Ministry of War and could only wait at the entrance for snippets of news.

This is where the advantage of official reports becomes apparent.

The Yuefu Xinbao was an agency under the cabinet. Its first president was the former Grand Secretary Li Chunfang. As a result, it became a common practice for newspapers to have the current president, Gao Gong, as their president.

This level of authority also gave the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper the power to obtain important information from the imperial court at the first opportunity.

Of course, everyone present knew Luo Wanhua. Seeing that the "New Yuefu Daily" had once again gotten there first, the crowd sighed in frustration.

Official newspapers have a natural advantage in this type of reporting, which is something other newspapers cannot match.

Upon seeing Luo Wanhua enter the Ministry of War, He Suxin of the *Xin Yuefu Daily* glanced at the Ministry of War's office and decided to give up waiting for the news in front of it.

He Suxin returned to the newspaper office and saw the editor-in-chief, He Xinyin, still leisurely writing her article. She went up to him and asked:

"Master He, it's really hard to get any news about the war in the Southwest."

He Xinyin remained remarkably calm, and said:
"News from the southwest is scarce in the capital, and battle reports are delivered by express courier. It's normal that we can't get any information from the southwest. We can just reprint the news from the Yuefu Xinbao."

He Suxin said anxiously:

"Master He, we've fallen behind the official reports several times already, why aren't you worried at all!"

He Xinyin calmly said:

"Isn't it normal for the official newspapers to be ahead of us in terms of information?"

"If they can't even hold onto this advantage, why would Su Zilin have appointed Luo Wanhua as editor-in-chief?"

During this period, He Xinyin gradually handed over the newspaper's affairs to He Suxin, while she retreated behind the scenes to focus on writing articles.

He Suxin had only recently taken over the newspaper and was eager to prove herself, so she was very anxious.

He Xinyin looked at this impatient disciple and said:

"The great victory in the southwest is normal. If the imperial court has invested so much and still can't defeat those chieftains in the southwest, then the Ming Dynasty is doomed."

If it were any other scholar, He Xinyin's words would be considered outrageous and treasonous.

However, in their view, this was nothing more than the mildest of countless "treasonous" remarks.

He Xinyin continued:
"What's so great about reporting the great victory in the southwest? Do readers in the capital care about what the southwest is like? Do they care about the rebellious chieftains? They probably don't even know what a chieftain is."

"Furthermore, regarding the great victory, with one victory after another in recent years, do you think the people of the capital will still be excited about it?"

"The great victory in the Northwest was because Anda Khan was truly able to march to the capital. Could the chieftains in the Southwest, who rebelled, really march to the capital?"

"So the good news itself is not important at all."

He Suxin calmed down. Her master was right. The people of the capital didn't really care about the southwest.

Who cares about the great victory in the southwest, which is thousands of miles away?
"So, does Commander He think that all we need to do is follow the crowd and reprint the news about the great victory in the Southwest?"

He Xinyin shook his head and said:

"No, the victory in the Southwest itself is not important, but what happens after the victory in the Southwest is very important."

"After this great victory in the southwest, how the imperial court should treat the local chieftains and how policies should be changed are the kinds of things a thoughtful newspaper should discuss."

He Suxin's ability to take over the newspaper naturally demonstrates a certain degree of political acumen.

He quickly said:
"Is the imperial court going to promote the 'abolition of the native chieftain system and its replacement with direct imperial officials'?"

He Xinyin nodded.

The policy of "replacing hereditary local officials with centrally appointed officials" meant transforming hereditary local officials into centrally appointed officials appointed by the imperial court.

The early Ming Dynasty was the period when the reform of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials was implemented most rapidly.

The reason is simple: the Ming army was extremely capable in the early Ming Dynasty.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the main separatist forces entrenched in Yunnan were the former Prince Liang of the Yuan Dynasty and the local chieftain Duan.

The Prince of Liang established his rule in Kunming, still adhered to the Yuan Dynasty's calendar, and obeyed the orders of the remaining Yuan forces that had retreated to the Mongolian desert region.

The Duan clan, the local chieftains, controlled the Dali area. Although they were directly under the jurisdiction of the Northern Yuan government, they were in a semi-independent state and frequently clashed with the Liang King's regime.

This Duan family is the Dali Duan family, which has been passed down since the Song Dynasty and has a great influence in Southwest China.

The Prince of Liang of Yuan also possessed formidable fighting prowess, commanding the last elite forces of the Yuan army in the southwest region.

And the result?

As a result, in September of the fourteenth year of the Hongwu reign (1389), the Ming army launched an attack, and in February of the fifteenth year of the Hongwu reign (1389), the Ming army captured Dali and completely controlled the southwest.

The Duan family of Dali completely disappeared in the southwest.

At this time, the Ming army was so powerful that many local officials voluntarily changed their hereditary status and became officials of the Ming Dynasty.

However, with the passing of the Wude era in the early Ming Dynasty, the Tusi (local chieftains) in the southwest region began to lose control again.

For example, in the recent rebellion of the Three Chieftains, it wasn't a large tribe that rebelled, but after the Three Chieftains' rebellion, the entire southwest was in turmoil.

Problems also arose during this period with the conversion of native chieftains to imperial officials.

The hereditary system of local officials became chaotic, while the Ming government gradually lost its ability to arbitrate due to corruption and other problems.

Some official positions that should have been held by the government have become a political norm in officialdom, and have been held by certain families for a long time.

The problem of officials being transferred to civilian posts but not actually transferred to civilian posts is a new one for the Ming Dynasty in the southwest.

The fact that the Tusi (local chieftains) absorbed Han Chinese refugees and gradually expanded their power was an even bigger problem.

Why would Han Chinese people give up their Han identity and willingly go to the mountains to become indigenous people?

That was naturally due to the oppressive government, the local exorbitant taxes and endless corvée labor, which caused a large number of Han people to flee, and these people further strengthened the power of the Tusi tribes.

He Suxin asked:
"Master He, do you mean we should focus on the hot topic of 'replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials'?" He Xinyin nodded, and He Suxin immediately rubbed her hands together excitedly.

If the next hot topic is the issue of "replacing local chieftains with centrally appointed officials," then the *Xinlefu Daily* can write several in-depth articles in advance and thus occupy the spotlight.

But what about articles with depth?

He Suxin thought for a moment, but then felt that there was nothing good to write about.

The policy of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials has always been a national policy of the Ming Dynasty. It can only be said that it has been implemented incorrectly in recent years, but there is nothing inherently wrong with it.

Transforming local officials into appointed officials has been a fundamental practice in China since ancient times for assimilating different ethnic groups. Our ancestors used this method for thousands of years, which led to the current territory of the Ming Dynasty.

If the policy itself isn't any better, then what's there to discuss?
What should we discuss to pique the interest of readers in the capital?

He Suxin could only look at He Xinyin. Facing her disciple's expectant gaze, He Xinyin took out a document and handed it to him, saying:
"Let's use this article for the next issue."

He Suxin took the article, and after reading it, her eyes lit up and her hands clasped excitedly!
With this article, the sales of the *Xin Yuefu Daily* are sure to increase!
-
Meanwhile, a similar debate was taking place within the editorial department of The New Gentleman's newspaper.

Chen Yubi looked at the editors with a headache.

The New Gentleman's Daily has been at a disadvantage in the public opinion arena lately.

The New Gentleman's Daily backed down during the last discussion on the Wusong Railway and was boycotted by scholars in Jiangnan. It is said that the editorial department receives long letters of abuse every day.

Chen Yubi became anxious and immediately began publishing "strange tales" of scholars from Jiangnan.

This sector has unexpectedly become incredibly popular.

However, the original base of the New Gentleman's Daily was the gentry in Jiangnan. Now that it has offended its base, it will be at a disadvantage in the competition with the other three major newspapers.

Moreover, constantly publishing these "romantic escapades" would lower the newspaper's standards.

Chen Yubi gave up his official career to start a newspaper, not to turn the "New Gentleman's Daily" into a third-rate tabloid.

Therefore, Chen Yubi has always wanted to write a substantial report to find a new base for the "New Gentleman's Daily".

The scholars of Jiangnan have already abandoned the "New Gentleman's Gazette," and I've heard that they're poaching people everywhere, preparing to establish their own newspaper in the south.

This great victory in the southwest gave Chen Yubi an opportunity.

Chen Yubi gave the "New Gentleman's Daily" a new positioning: "To continue the old traditions of the Han and Tang dynasties!"
Chen Yubi's article is sharp, directly criticizing the local government in the border region:
"A disgrace to the Ming Dynasty! The proud people of China have abandoned their ancestral traditions and fled into remote mountain villages, becoming henchmen of other tribes, fighting each other with swords! This is not the fault of the border people, but rather the result of the government's moral failings, the deterioration of discipline, and the failure to protect the land and its people!"

Immediately afterwards, Chen Yubi began to boast about the martial virtues of the early Ming Dynasty:
"In the early Ming Dynasty, the policy of replacing native chieftains with appointed officials was implemented with overwhelming force. The martial virtue of the Taizu Emperor was brilliant, and all the border regions within the ten thousand miles bowed down!"

"If officials are not transferred to higher positions, they will become a hindrance for generations; if local chieftains become too powerful, they will turn against the Central Plains!"

Then Chen Yubi explained what the "old traditions of the Han and Tang dynasties" meant.

"Take the Han people as the foundation and Han rites as the guiding principle!"

The New Gentleman's Daily further stated, "Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow, all is Han territory."

They opposed the appeasement policy towards the border regions since the mid-Ming Dynasty, and even more so the policy of retaining the rule of these chieftains, which was seen as nurturing a future threat.

The New Gentleman's Daily proposed that the abolition of the native chieftain system and its replacement with centrally appointed officials should be promoted throughout the southwest. If those chieftains who refused to be replaced with centrally appointed officials were to be eliminated, this would be a good opportunity to wipe them all out.

The various preferential treatments of the Tusi (chieftains) were abolished, taxes were reduced for the local Han people, and the pioneering spirit of the Han people during the "Han Imperial" era was restored.

After Chen Yubi finished writing, the editors of the "New Gentleman's Daily" expressed different opinions.

Unfortunately, the New Gentleman's Daily was originally a literary newspaper with a Jiangnan style. Chen Yubi's actions caused a major shift in the newspaper's direction, which the editors naturally couldn't accept.

However, Chen Yubi insisted on publishing the article in the newspaper.

Chen Yubi was eager to give the "New Gentleman's Daily" a new base, and even approved the resignation of several senior editors on the spot before finally deciding to publish this article as an editorial after the news of the great victory in Annam.
-
Ministry of War.

The process by which the Annamite army quelled the rebellion of the three chieftains was quite simple.

After Chen Lin dispatched Zhu Shikun from Fangchenggang into Guangxi, Zhu Shikun quickly ascertained the situation of the rebellion of the three chieftains.

Among the three chieftains, Baimadong was the strongest. Zhao Quanli used his Han identity to register Baimadong as a household and recruited a group of Han refugees who had fled famine. Together with the original warlike natives in the tribe, they formed an army.

At the beginning, the White Horse tribe was unstoppable, attacking down from the mountains and even capturing the county town, and acquiring a bunch of muskets as weapons.

At the end of April, after obtaining sufficient intelligence, Chen Lin met up with two thousand wolf soldiers in Guangzhou. Without resting in Guangzhou, Chen Lin decisively abandoned the plan to advance by road and instead chose to board a ship in Guangzhou, following the route of the reconnaissance regiment, and entered Guangxi from Fangchenggang.

At this time, Zhao Quan, the leader of Baimadong, was still attacking the prefectural city with all his might, preparing to rely on the city's weapons to fight against the Ming Dynasty's government troops.

Zhao Quan was also well-educated, and he knew that the Ming army should be attacking from the direction of Guangdong, so he set up defenses on the east side of his army.

However, the resistance in the prefectural city exceeded his expectations, and the Ming army did not play by the rules. They attacked from the south of his tribe and directly defeated Zhao Quan.

After calming down and realizing the huge gap between himself and the Ming army, Zhao Quan led his men back into the mountains.

This is how rebellions in the southwest region work: once the rebels hide in the mountains, they get bogged down in long mountain battles, and the government troops are quickly worn down by the rebels who are familiar with the terrain.

At this point, the rebels could use their familiarity with the mountainous area to flank and attack the government troops' supply lines, or bypass the government troops to attack undefended cities. Ultimately, by inflicting huge losses on the government, they could force the government to sue for peace.

In this way, Zhao Quan could gain legitimacy through war and solidify his position as a chieftain.

But this time, Zhao Quan miscalculated.

The Annamese army seemed to be more adapted to fighting in the mountains and forests than the indigenous army, and they also had a large number of weapons that could be used in mountainous and forest warfare.

Whether it's a powerful hand grenade or a terrifying mountain gun, the wooden mountain fortifications are utterly vulnerable to these weapons.

Flamethrowers and various other sharp firearms allowed the Ming army to traverse thorny thickets and rainforests more flexibly than the native armies.

In less than half a month, the mountain stronghold of Baimadong was captured, and the two chieftains who followed Zhao Quan in the rebellion surrendered.

Zhao Quan was planning to flee further southwest to the border, but he was betrayed by his subordinates and ended up with his head on Chen Lin's desk.

The rebellion of the three chieftains was quickly quelled.

To outsiders, the Ming Dynasty's series of victories over the years were not particularly significant, given the great distance between the southwest and the capital.

However, the officials in the Ministry of War were knowledgeable in the matter.

In the past, when the Ming Dynasty fought in the southwest region, it had to rely on recruiting local troops.

However, this has a major drawback: these trained locals could easily become the source of soldiers for the next rebellion.

Such incidents had occurred several times with wolf soldiers, so the Ming Dynasty court was very cautious in using them.

This is not just good news, but also proof that specially trained soldiers can fight in the southwestern mountainous areas, and even achieve brilliant victories.

In this way, the initiative regarding the issues in the southwest region returned to the hands of the imperial court.

(End of this chapter)