My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 412 Three things to do when a new official takes office

The opportunity that Tu Zemin had been waiting for soon arrived.

Soon, Chen Lin, the military commander of Annam, led the chieftain's delegation to Fangcheng.

In addition to the group of chieftains, Chen Lin also brought a message from officials in Guilin, the provincial capital, who hoped that Tu Bu, the provincial governor, would go to the provincial capital as soon as possible.

Tu Zemin was even less anxious now!

Since all the officials in Guangxi are hoping I'll go to Guilin, then I'm not going!
Tu Zemin has found a way to threaten Guangxi officials, and the next step is to get Chen Lin on his side.

And that's easy.

Tu Zemin concurrently served as the Commander-in-Chief, thus possessing military command authority over Guangxi.

Although Chen Lin's Annamite army was a newly formed army under the Beijing garrison, it still needed local cooperation in its operations in Guangxi, so he naturally had to maintain a good relationship with Tu Zemin.

Tu Zemin quickly built a closer relationship with Chen Lin:
"I remember before I took office in Dengzhou and Laizhou, I met General Qi at the residence of Hanlin Su. I heard that Commander Chen is a favorite general of General Qi? I wonder how General Qi is doing these days?"

When Qi Jiguang was mentioned, Chen Lin's expression immediately turned serious. He sat up straight and said:

"General Qi is still as formidable as ever on the frontier. It is surprising that Lord Tu is an old acquaintance of General Qi. I have been impolite."

It really works.

Tu Zemin didn't actually have much contact with Qi Jiguang, but Su Ze did!
He then brought up Su Zedao:

"Before setting off for Guangxi, Su Hanlin also talked about Commander Chen."

Upon hearing that Su Ze had talked about him, Chen Lin became somewhat excited.

When he was under Qi Jiguang's command, he often heard Qi Jiguang praise Su Ze, saying that his military strategy was "unparalleled".

Qi Jiguang also commented that Su Ze's military strategy was "the method of commanding ten thousand generals," not their kind of "the method of commanding ten thousand men."

At the time, Chen Lin did not understand, and was even somewhat unconvinced, believing that General Qi was trying to curry favor with the civil officials in the capital.

But now he is gradually understanding.

Isn't the Military Supervisory Commission just a "method for commanding ten thousand generals"?

How can a civil official who has never been on the battlefield be able to train so many outstanding military officers? Isn't this the "method of commanding ten thousand generals"?
Tu Zemin said:
"Su Hanlin said that Commander Chen's suppression of bandits and quelling of rebellions in the southeast was an important part of the victory in the war against Japanese pirates. If Commander Chen had not stabilized the situation in Lingnan, there would have been no great victory in the war against Japanese pirates."

"Su Hanlin said that suppressing bandits was just as important as resisting Japanese pirates."

Hearing this, Chen Lin knew that Su Ze really knew about his achievements.

When Chen Lin was fighting against Japanese pirates in the southeast, he did not fight against the pirates under Qi Jiguang's command, but was mainly responsible for clearing out bandits between Fujian and Guangdong.

These bandits were also accomplices of the Japanese pirates. They fought alongside the pirates and caused great trouble for the local area.

Chen Lin now truly believed that Su Ze and Qi Jiguang had talked about him.

He became even more excited and asked again:

"Lord Tu, what else did Hanlin Su say?"

Tu Zemin hesitated for a moment before saying:

"Su Hanlin said that Commander Chen has made contributions to the country, but as a commander, he should pay more attention to details. The court is generous to military officers and will not skimp on their treatment. He should not lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small things."

After saying all this, Chen Lin broke out in a cold sweat.

Su Ze is right. Chen Lin was indeed a famous general who fought against Japanese pirates, but he also had a problem with being greedy for money.

He was impeached by local officials when he was fighting against Japanese pirates in the southeast.

Qi Jiguang also criticized him for his greed.

He was originally in charge of the horse market in the Nine Borders, and it was because of these issues that Qi Jiguang recommended him to the Beijing Garrison.

Tu Zemin said:
"Su Hanlin also said, why is there always the saying 'the bow is put away after the birds are all gone'? The court may not care about these minor details of a general, but when needed, these minor flaws can become major issues."

"Su Hanlin said that the general is a meritorious official of the Ming Dynasty, and should pay more attention to these small things so as not to leave a stain on the history books."

After Tu Zemin finished speaking, Chen Lin's back was already soaked with cold sweat. He immediately knelt down and said to Tu Zemin:
"Master Su, Lord Tu, I will remember your teachings today!"

Tu Zemin also breathed a sigh of relief.

These were the words Su Ze had taught him in the letter.

Chen Lin did indeed have a problem with being greedy for money.

When he was suppressing bandits in the southeast, he embezzled the bandits' treasures. He was also a devout Buddhist and liked to enslave prisoners to build temples.

When Tu Zemin and the others spoke out, it was naturally to give Chen Lin a warning.

Now that both of them are "Soviet Party members," if Chen Lin commits a crime, it will implicate them and even undermine the achievements of the reform.

The failure of the Qingli Reforms in the Song Dynasty was due to Fan Zhongyan's poor personnel selection, which allowed the conservatives to find fault with the reformist ministers.

After they finished talking, the two became even closer.

Tu Zemin then began to explain his plan:

"To be honest, Commander Chen, the reason I've come here is to change the officialdom in Guangxi. So I won't be going to Guilin for the time being."

Chen Lin didn't understand politics, but he knew Tu Zemin did, so he immediately said, "Lord Tu, please tell me what you want me to do?"

Tu Zemin said with a smile, "You don't need Commander Chen to do anything. You just need to scare those chieftain envoys."

Chen Lin grinned, revealing a smile:
"Don't take it seriously. When it comes to scaring people, I, Chen, am an expert! Back in the day, even the bandits of Lingnan wouldn't dare cry at the mere mention of my name!"
-
The envoys from the local chieftains of Guangxi arrived in Fangcheng but could not see Tu Zemin for several days.

Now the chieftains' envoys were in a panic.

They were already anxious and wanted to return to their tribe as soon as possible. Now they were trapped in Fangcheng, unable to see Tu Zemin and unable to go back. It was truly a torment for them.

But they dared not act rashly.

This time, the chieftains of Guangxi were truly terrified by the Ming army.

The mysterious weapon, which resembled a fire dragon spreading across the plains, led to legends circulating in various villages in the southwest that the Ming army possessed magical powers.

And then there were those terrifying palm-sized grenades, which made a huge bang every time they were thrown, causing large numbers of elite natives to fall.

And then there were those cannons that somehow made their way through the dense forest. These were terrifying weapons that were usually only encountered during sieges, but now the Ming army had managed to bring them into the mountains, making all the wooden fortresses look like they were made of paper.

This time, when they came to Fangcheng with Chen Lin, they saw the disciplined Ming army and the local chieftains dared not act recklessly anymore.

Soon, new rumors began to circulate.

Some say that the newly appointed Guangxi Provincial Governor has no intention of meeting these chieftain envoys and intends to execute them all immediately.

The methods of execution included being thrown into the sea to feed the fish, or being hanged in groups. The most outrageous method was execution by cannon fire!
This rumor is so outrageous that most people only believe the first two rumors.

However, soon after, Chen Lin invited these chieftain envoys to the artillery range outside Fangcheng, where he said he would demonstrate the artillery techniques of the Ming Dynasty. This terrified the chieftain envoys; they were practically crying and screaming as the soldiers shoved them into carriages and dragged them to the artillery range.

The chieftains thought they were doomed, but amidst the wailing and howling, Chen Lin actually tested the cannon!
But soon, these chieftains were no longer happy.

What Chen Lin demonstrated this time was a shotgun for close-range attacks.

These chieftain envoys watched as a group of wild boars charged towards the cannon barrel and were shot to death by the iron slag. Seeing the most recent wild boar's gruesome death, with no bones left, the image of "execution by cannon" was deeply imprinted in their minds.

After this intimidation, the chieftain's envoys returned home and were greeted by the subordinates of Tu Zemin, the provincial governor of Guangxi.

He came to negotiate.

The negotiations went very smoothly, naturally.

Tu Zemin and these chieftains agreed on three rules:

Firstly, the law on the succession of chieftains was strictly enforced. After the death of a chieftain, the new chieftain had to be confirmed by the Guangxi Provincial Administration Office, return the seal of the previous chieftain, and then be issued a new seal by the imperial court before he could be confirmed as the new chieftain.

If anyone claims to be a Tusi (chieftain) without the official seal of the Tusi, the Ming army and the Tusi of various tribes will jointly attack them!

Secondly, each chieftain's tribe is not allowed to set up tax checkpoints privately, and merchants from the Ming Dynasty and the chieftains can freely travel between the countryside and mountain villages.

However, doing business in the city required paying commercial taxes, which could be paid by either Han Chinese merchants or local chieftain merchants, and it was agreed that the taxes would be paid in silver dollars.

Thirdly, in order to enable chieftains in some remote areas to also have silver coins, Tu Zemin also introduced four kinds of crops to these chieftains.

These are potatoes, sweet potatoes, tung trees, and lacquer trees.

Tu Zemin and the chieftains' envoys tasted the delicacies made from potatoes and sweet potatoes. The potatoes were soft, glutinous, and fragrant, while the sweet potatoes were filling and sweet. Both crops could be grown in mountainous areas.

Tu Zemin also recommended sweet potatoes, noting that not only the tubers are edible, but the leaves can also be eaten or used to feed livestock.

The other two types of trees were what the Ministry of Works of the Ming Dynasty needed.

The tung tree is an economic tree that grows in tropical regions.

Tung oil, extracted from tung fruit, can be applied to wood to prevent decay and make it waterproof. It is an essential ingredient for treating ship materials, and the Ming Dynasty navy had a huge demand for tung oil.

In addition to its other uses, tung oil can also be used to make ink and soap. Oiled paper umbrellas are waterproof because tung oil is brushed onto the paper.

In order to obtain a stable supply of tung oil, the imperial court provided subsidies to the people for planting tung trees, but there was still a significant shortfall.

Not to mention lacquer trees.

Before the advent of synthetic paints, lacquer trees produced natural lacquer, which was an important anti-corrosion material.

In addition, lacquerware made using lacquer was also a flagship export product of the Ming Dynasty and a popular luxury item in global trade.

Both of these cash crops happen to be suitable for planting in the mountainous areas of Guangxi.

The imperial court only needed to collect the raw materials, then process them in factories in Guangxi, and transport them to the capital to sell at a high price.

As expected, all four crops aroused the interest of the chieftain's envoys.

Planting trees is actually not difficult. The same applies to lacquer trees and tung trees. All you need to do is harvest them regularly. All you need is manpower, and the technical difficulty is very low.

Potatoes and sweet potatoes are easy to grow, requiring no advanced farming techniques, which is something that the chieftains in the mountains can do.

If all these things can be exchanged for silver dollars, then what's the point of rebelling?!
These tribal chiefs were merely local tyrants in the mountains; they had no idea they could overthrow the Ming Dynasty.

Sometimes, making a fuss is just a way to get better treatment.

If trade can bring good fortune, then why rebel?
Anyway, those who planted trees and farmed were all ordinary people from the Tusi tribe.

Faced with these three conditions, the chieftains present agreed almost instantly.

What other reason could there be to refuse?

After summoning these envoys, the experienced old bureaucrat Tu Zemin began a legal battle with the officials in Guilin, the provincial capital.

Tu Zemin first announced to all officials in Guangxi that the Emperor and the Cabinet had sent him to Fangcheng to oversee the opening of the port, which was a top priority for Guangxi. Therefore, he, Tu Zemin, would not go to the provincial capital until the opening of the port in Fangcheng was completed.

Therefore, Tu Zemin demanded that all documents from the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office be sent to Fangcheng.

In addition, Tu Zemin also froze personnel authority throughout Guangxi.

This really stung the officials throughout Guangxi.

The power to appoint personnel is the greatest power of the provincial-level provincial administration commissioner's office.

Without the approval of the provincial administration office, the office cannot appoint new officials, and the newly appointed officials do not have legitimate status.

In doing so, Tu Zemin effectively strangled all Guangxi officials.

Ye Kecheng, the Guangxi councilor in the provincial capital, was extremely anxious. He wrote to Tu Zemin several times, asking him to come to the provincial capital as soon as possible to take over and handle some urgent official business before going to Fangcheng to supervise the opening of the port.

However, Tu Zemin remained unmoved and insisted on staying in Fangcheng.

For a time, the advisors and staff of these Guangxi officials shuttled between Fangcheng and the provincial capital, trying to find out Tu Zemin's attitude from various sources, and finally understood Tu Zemin's requirements.

Tu Zemin's condition was that commercial taxes be levied in Nanning Prefecture, Fangchenggang, and Wuzhou.

After understanding Tu Zemin's conditions, the officials in Guangxi made some connections, and in the end, Ye Kecheng, the Guangxi Councilor, made the final decision to fully support the Provincial Governor's wishes and ask Provincial Governor Tu to come to the provincial capital to take up his post first!
Although the officials in Nanning Prefecture were the most unwilling, at this time, no one could go against the opinion of the entire province.

Tu Zemin chose Nanning Prefecture because it is an important town in Guangxi, second only to the provincial capital Guiyang.

In Su Zeyuan's timeline, Nanning eventually became the capital of Guangxi province.

In addition, Nanning is located at the junction of the Han Chinese-populated areas of Guangxi and the areas controlled by the Tusi (chieftains), making it the most suitable place for trade.

In Tu Zeming's view, Nanning is even more suitable as a provincial capital than Guilin.

Wuzhou, needless to say, was the most important salt customs post in Guangxi during the Ming Dynasty, and also the main commercial transit hub for several provinces.

Having completed the collection of commercial taxes in every prefecture, state, and port, Tu Zemin, escorted by Chen Lin and other Annamese soldiers, then went to Guilin to assume his post with satisfaction.

On July 27th, Huaiqing Prefecture in Henan, Nanning Prefecture in Guangxi, Wuzhou in Guangxi, and Fangchenggang in Guangxi all submitted petitions requesting the imposition of commercial taxes, which the emperor granted.

At the same time, the emperor issued an imperial edict to implement a tax-sharing system in areas where commercial taxes had already been levied, and to set up commercial tax bureaus in various places to be specifically responsible for tax collection.

After these two events were published in the newspaper, they were then disseminated to the local area through the newspaper.

Local officials also began to get restless.

The prefecture can also apply to levy commercial taxes, and then each prefecture in the province will have its own agenda.

The commercial tax itself has both advantages and disadvantages. At the provincial level, a consensus can be reached, but at the prefecture level, people's opinions will vary.

In terms of the degree of looseness, no place can compare with Southern Zhili.

(End of this chapter)