My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 483 The Kingdom's Fortune Increases by Three Times
The "Memorial on the Administration of the Western Regions" was passed.

[The imperial court rebuilt Yumen Pass and Yang Pass according to the established strategy, and dug karez wells, leading to the initial restoration of the Dunhuang oasis.]

[The Wushen tribe decisively defeated the Huozhe, and the Ming Dynasty took over the region west of the Hexi Corridor, significantly reducing the pressure on the Shaanxi-Gansu border defenses.]

With the opening of cotton fields in the western regions, steam-powered cotton mills in the north secured a stable supply of raw materials and began full-scale production.

The discovery of Dunhuang manuscripts fostered a consensus on "restoring the Han and Tang dynasties" and strengthened national identity in the northwest frontier.

The discovery of artifacts in Dunhuang led to the emergence of the "Dunhuang School of Textual Research," which focused on examining the texts found within historical artifacts and critiquing previous Confucian schools of thought through textual research.

[National Fortune +3]

[Prestige +1000]

[Remaining Prestige: 7300]

The system actually fostered a school of thought.

Now that the development of the Western Regions has become a national policy, no one will ever again easily give up on the Western Regions.

Su Ze shut down the system; this time, the system had indeed put in a lot of effort.

Upon hearing the news, officials in the Office of Transmission rushed over to demand a copy of "The Ballad of the Qin Woman." The official in charge, Xu Shuli, was so busy that he was dizzy. In the end, he had the clerks in the Office of Transmission copy the entire poem and post it in the inner courtyard of the Office of Transmission. Only then were these officials appeased.

Xu Shuli sighed and arrived at the office of Li Yiyuan, the Director of the Court of State Affairs.

Xu Shuli heard the sound of something being torn, and when he went inside, he almost burst out laughing.

It turned out that Li Yiyuan, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, broke his writing brush, which splashed ink onto Li Yiyuan's face. At that moment, Li Yiyuan was wiping his face with a towel, which made the ink spread even more.

Li Yiyuan's face turned completely black.

Fortunately, Xu Shuli had served in the Ministry of Justice for many years and had received professional training, so he didn't laugh.

Otherwise, Xu Shuli suspected that his official career would come to an end here.

"Have those officials been settled?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, everything has been arranged."

Li Yiyuan casually crumpled up the torn-up words, threw them into the wastepaper basket, then wiped the ink off his face before saying:
"The imperial court has ordered me to go to Dunhuang to escort the Dunhuang manuscripts back to the capital."

Xu Shuli forced himself to suppress his laughter.

Who would have thought that even an official in charge of administration would have to travel on business?

However, the imperial court's order was not wrong. The Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs was in charge of the national post station transportation, and it was only natural that Li Yiyuan was responsible for escorting this batch of cultural treasures back to the capital.

Li Yiyuan, rubbing his head, said:

"The Cabinet has also assigned me a task on this trip: to inspect the post station system for the westward journey, especially the post stations in the Sichuan and Shaanxi regions. I must take a good look at them."

The Six Ministries of the Censorate have been very effective in supervising officials in the capital. Now, officials in the capital no longer dare to arbitrarily encroach on the post station system, and the post stations around the capital can be kept running smoothly.

But that's not necessarily the case in certain local areas.

With the emperor far away and the mountains high, it was impossible to completely stop local gentry from illegally using post stations and encroaching on national post road resources.

Since the goal is to develop the Western Regions, it is only natural to improve the efficiency of the postal routes and to reorganize the postal station system along the Shaanxi-Gansu route.

Then Li Yiyuan said:
"You must come along too."

Xu Shuli was just holding back his laughter, but now he can't laugh anymore.

He stared at Li Yiyuan with wide eyes.

Li Yiyuan said:
"I am on official business for the court and will certainly need to contact the capital many times. As the official in charge, you will naturally be responsible for this."

Xu Shuli almost fainted.

Li Yiyuan meant that he would not only accompany him, but also travel back and forth between the capital and Li Yiyuan when necessary to relay messages.

Xu Shuli opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Li Yiyuan:

"The court has given you limited time. You have one day to go back and rest, and you will set off the day after tomorrow."

Xu Shuli left with a tearful face. Li Yiyuan wiped his face with a towel and said resentfully:

"Laugh, I'll let you laugh!"

After saying all this, Li Yiyuan was almost in tears. What kind of high-ranking official would have to leave the capital on official business? Especially to places like Shaanxi and Gansu.

Oh, Elder Lei went too.

But Minister Lei's hobby is civil engineering!
Li Yiyuan sighed deeply. It was all his fault for not being able to control himself and insisting on writing "nothing happened today," which had brought him such a big trouble.

The following day, the Ming Dynasty court was operating with exceptionally high efficiency.

After Su Ze's memorial was announced as passed, the cabinet took action.

This is where the efficiency of a professional bureaucracy becomes apparent.

The first to act was indeed the Ministry of Revenue, which had initially been the most opposed.

It must be said that Zhang Juzheng had a broad vision.

Even though the Ministry of Revenue was the most opposed to the Western Regions policy, Zhang Juzheng not only did not hold it back, but was the first to provide supporting fiscal policies.

Zhang Juzheng was the first to submit a memorial requesting a reduction or exemption of taxes in Shaanxi and Gansu.

Next, Zhang Juzheng, using the case of "investigating Su" as a pretext, followed the precedent set by the Prince of Chu and requested the court to move the Prince of Su's residence from Lanzhou to Dunhuang.

Then, the land of Guazhou and Shazhou from the Tang Dynasty was allocated to the Su Prince's clan for cultivation.

There was little controversy in the imperial court regarding this matter; the reduction of the power of the princes was a consensus among the civil officials and scholars of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, Zhang Juzheng's reasons were also quite valid.

Back in the time of Emperor Taizu, the Prince of Su's residence was located in Zhangye.

Later, the Ming Dynasty abandoned the territory outside Jiayuguan, and Zhangye was too close to the front line, so it moved to Lanzhou in the rear.

Now that the imperial court wants to expand into the Western Regions and continue to manage them, it is perfectly reasonable for the Prince Su's residence to move to Dunhuang.

Emperor Longqing also feigned some resistance to this matter.

Unlike his father, Emperor Jiajing, he had no historical baggage when dealing with the princes, who were all relatives from several generations away.

Moreover, according to Zhang Juzheng's plan, the land owned by the Prince of Su's mansion actually increased.

Zhang Juzheng then offered three more suggestions: "merchant stockpiling, immigration, and trade."

These are all common policies used in border regions, but Zhang Juzheng's proposal to levy commercial taxes in Dunhuang, Zhangye, and Wuwei still sparked some controversy.

However, all of these were forcefully suppressed by Zhang Juzheng.

Su Ze also marveled at Zhang Juzheng's swift response, which secured control of the Hexi Corridor through the three cities of Dunhuang, Wuwei, and Zhangye, thus controlling the passage to the Western Regions.

Imposing commercial taxes here is tantamount to taxing export merchants from Shaanxi and Gansu.

Moreover, according to Su Ze's plan, the main economic industry in the Western Regions was cotton cultivation.

In the future, taxes on the cotton industry in the Western Regions will also be collected through these three cities.

After the Ministry of Revenue took action, the Ministry of Personnel followed suit.

The Ministry of Personnel first announced that officials in Shaanxi, Gansu, and later the Western Regions could be promoted one grade in their performance evaluations and given priority in promotion and appointment among those with the same qualifications.

In addition, the Ministry of Personnel also granted newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) the same treatment during their observation period. If they voluntarily went to serve in the Hexi region and the Western Regions and their performance evaluation was above average after five years, they could be transferred back to the capital to serve as officials.

Officials and teachers serving in the Hexi and Western Regions received additional subsidies and, at the discretion of the authorities, could be promoted to higher ranks and enjoy better treatment.

The Ministry of Works sent people to Dunhuang to investigate the possibility of building karez wells and to prepare for the reconstruction of Yangguan and Yumenguan.

The General Staff began to formulate a military strategy for the Western Regions. Li Rusong immersed himself in historical materials, began to study the important nodes in the Western Regions during the Han and Tang dynasties, and also had to combine the historical changes in these regions to formulate a new strategy for the Western Regions.

The Ministry of War was the busiest. The Khrushchev army was about to arrive in Lanzhou, and the Ministry of War was responsible for the army's logistics and supplies.

The imperial court agreed with Liu Bing's opinion and decided to increase support for the Wushen people by selling them some of their obsolete weapons.

Initially, the Ministry of War intended to send it.

However, the newly appointed Assistant Director of the Military Selection Department, Li Ji, strongly opposed the gift.

According to Li Ji, "Neither the Wushen people nor the Huozhe people can be tamed."

"Their strength is too great, and the Western Regions are so vast, it would be extremely difficult for the Ming Dynasty to control them."

"Rather than raising a tiger to cause trouble, it's better to let them exchange resources for it."

"Firstly, we can use gunpowder and other supplies to control the Wushen people."

"Secondly, it can deplete the treasures they have plundered and weaken their strength."

"Thirdly, the Ming Dynasty can also generate revenue to develop the Western Regions."

Li Ji's idea quickly gained the support of the Ministry of War, and after being submitted to the emperor, the cabinet agreed with Li Ji's opinion.

Finally, there are two meritorious individuals.

First was Liu Bing.

Grand Secretary Gao Gong submitted a memorial requesting that Liu Bing's elderly mother and wife be granted imperial edicts, and that his son also be granted special favors.

The suggestion was passed without question. This time, Emperor Longqing was very generous, granting Liu Bing's young son the title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The court also promised to arrange for Liu Bing's son to attend school.

However, Liu Bing's position sparked controversy in the imperial court.

Gao Gong's idea was to follow the old practice and give Liu Bing the position of Chief of the Western Regions Administration Office.

However, Zhao Zhenji opposed the position, arguing that it was merely a position in the Office of Transmission and would not allow Liu Bing to fully utilize his abilities.

The Longqing Emperor also felt that Gao Gong's suggestion was not good enough.

Of course, the most difficult part of this problem is how to reward the Wushen people.

The real point of contention is what kind of treatment to give the Wushen people.

Some officials advocated following the old custom of the grasslands and bestowing the title of king upon the leader of the Wushen people.

However, some officials believed that bestowing the title of king upon the Wushen would legitimize the Wushen people, and if they refused to leave the Western Regions, the court would be in a very passive position.

In the end, this debate was resolved by Su Ze submitting a petition.

Memorial Requesting the Establishment of the Anxi Protectorate

The memorial was very simple; it requested the court to follow the old precedent of the Tang Dynasty and establish the Anxi Protectorate in the Western Regions.

The imperial court's investiture of the Wushen people involved incorporating this Wushen army into the Anyi Army under the Anxi Protectorate.

Give the Wushen leader the position of Jiedushi of Anyi Army, and give Liu Bing the position of Xingjun Sima of Anxi Protectorate.

Su Ze's memorial caught the attention of the court officials.

Giving the Wushen leader the position of Jiedushi would indeed be a reward for his merits.

Then, the An Yi Army was under the control of the Anxi Protectorate.

The court did not grant the Wushen people any claim.

Liu Bing's position was Military Commander of the Anxi Protectorate, an institution above the Anyi Army, but Liu Bing's own position was below that of Nalibulai, the leader of the Wushen tribe.

Liu Bing then became an official sent by the Anxi Protectorate to specifically help the An Yi Army resolve political problems.

Then came the Anxi Protectorate.

Su Ze also gave advice.

The same example is taken from the Andong Protectorate.

The position of Grand Protector-General was not established. Instead, the commander of the Khalkha army served as the second-in-command of the Protectorate, while Sun Gao, the former prefect of Lanzhou, served as the third-in-command, the Military Advisor.

At the same time, Sun Gao was given the power to manage the affairs of the Prince Su's residence, and he was responsible for the work of granting land to the Prince Su's lineage in the Hexi region.

This matter was also approved by the emperor and the cabinet.

However, Zhang Juzheng, the "leader of the faction to reduce the power of the princes," was still worried. Sun Gao had served as the prefect of Lanzhou for many years and had a past relationship with the Prince Su's mansion. He was concerned that Sun Gao would grant land indiscriminately in Hexi. So he asked Li Yiyuan, the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs, to represent the court in supervising the relocation and land granting of the Prince Su's mansion.

The Longqing Emperor naturally agreed, and poor Li Yiyuan, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, had yet another task to complete.

Meanwhile, in the Western Regions, in front of Hami City.

Hami is an important town in the Western Regions, serving as a pivotal city in the eastern part of the entire Western Regions.

The trade routes to the Hexi Corridor all pass through Hami City, which is known as the throat of the Western Regions.

During the Han Dynasty, Hami was part of Han territory and was called Yiwu.

During the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty established Yizhou, and Hami became the capital of Yizhou.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty also controlled Hami City, but due to the counterattack of the border forces, the Ming Dynasty eventually gave up Hami.

After suffering a major defeat in Dunhuang, the leader of the Firemen, Ma Mahei, gathered his remaining troops and fled back to Hami City.

Hami City is a city that the Fire People have long managed, and it also serves as a bridgehead for the Fire People's eastward expansion.

Therefore, Ma Mahei put a lot of effort into its construction.

When attacking Jiayuguan, the Fire Army's logistical supplies were also stored in Hami City, so the city was well stockpiled with supplies.

In contrast, the Wushen people had far fewer cards in their hand.

They had only a small amount of supplies, and when they reached the outskirts of Hami, they were met with hostility from the local forces.

Of course, the Wushen people's advocacy of Buddhism also gained the support of many Buddhists in Hami, who came to the Wushen camp to encourage the troops and to denounce the oppression they suffered from the heretical religion.

In the barracks of Nalibulai, he summoned Liu Bing.

The strong-willed man spoke well, and he said to Liu Bing:

"Strategist, I have already made up my mind. I will use the heretics around Hami as a driving force to attack the city of Hami."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bing paled.

The literal meaning of "驱口" is livestock that are driven away.

The meaning is similar: when attacking a city with cold weapons, a large number of cannon fodder are needed.

The army, of course, was unwilling to send its elite soldiers to be cannon fodder, so it would seize civilians from outside the city.

It is cruel to drive civilians to attack a city. The defenders will not care about their compatriots and will definitely defend the city to the death.

If these cavalrymen wanted to escape, they would face the army supervising their battle from the rear.

"Great Khan, the siege gunpowder of our Great Ming is about to arrive, why is it still necessary to mobilize laborers?"

That lazybones said nonchalantly:
“Since the army has been stationed here, these Buddhist enemies have been harassing our camp. If we keep them here, they will continue to be a burden to our army.”

"It would be better to use them as slaves and send them to Hami City to die, so that there would be more land inside and outside Hami City to settle the believers."

Liu Bing was a Confucian scholar, and he felt somewhat reluctant.

However, rationally speaking, he also agreed with that Li Bulai's idea.

He had also seen many fanatical believers, and if they were allowed to remain in the area, it would increase the future cost of ruling the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Bing nodded with difficulty, which was considered his support for the not-so-bad plan.

(End of this chapter)