Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 590 Finally Granted the Title of King, Three Rules Established

On April 23, Zhu Liangzu escorted the entire captured Duan clan of Dali back to the capital, Jiankang. The Ministry of Rites originally planned to hold a high-profile ceremony to present the captives, which would not only demonstrate the court's achievements in recovering Yunnan to the people, but also serve as a warning to the Guizhou chieftains who were accompanying him on his wedding journey, letting them know that this is the consequence of opposing the Ming Dynasty.

Lu Jin, however, expressed no interest in this. When they captured the Yuan emperor Xiao Tieguo during the Northern Expedition, they didn't make such a big fuss. Now that they've captured a member of the Duan family, they're making a big deal out of it. Are they giving them face? Does the Duan family of Dali have a more illustrious status than the Yuan emperor?
As for intimidating those chieftain envoys, that was even more unnecessary. They had come to the capital with the entourage escorting the Duan family, and they had already witnessed the Duan family's miserable state along the way. Didn't they know the consequences of resisting the imperial court? It was completely redundant.

So in the end, only a simple ceremony to present the prisoners was held at the Meridian Gate. Although the decision to deal with the entire Duan family was made by Gao Yao, the chief instructor of the Second Army, Lu Jin acquiesced to it.

All adult males of the Duan clan were executed, and women of childbearing age were ordered to remarry immigrants from Southeast Asia. Underage children were spared, but would be exiled to Chengzhou to serve in the army the following year. All of them were thrown into Hokkaido.

In this way, the adult female relatives and minor children of the Duan family were thrown onto the islands in the south and north respectively, and they were unlikely to cause any trouble.

Although the presentation of captives to the emperor was not a grand affair, Lu Jinxin took five new concubines, bestowed official titles upon the envoys sent by the five Guizhou chieftains, and conferred the title of king upon Zhu Liangzu. These events were all done in a grand manner, mainly to make the Guizhou chieftains feel the emperor's attention and the majesty of the court.

At the grand court assembly on Monday of the last week of April, Qian Yongren, the Minister of Rites, read out the imperial edict on the spot. Because the five chieftains had submitted to the court in accordance with the will of Heaven and had contributed manpower and effort to assist the Heavenly Army in conquering Yunnan and made great contributions, the Tian family of Sizhou, the Tian family of Sinan, the Yang family of Bozhou, the Song family of Shuidong, and Ahua, the Yi chieftain of Shuixi, were appointed as advisors to the Guizhou Provincial Government. At the same time, they were also given several positions as assistant prefects and county clerks.

Representatives from the five families stepped forward to express their gratitude. In addition, Lu Jin bestowed upon them some gold and silver brocade, as well as seeds of sweet potatoes, potatoes, chili peppers, corn, and tobacco. He also instructed them to cooperate with the provincial government at all levels to promote the improved varieties.

The representatives of the five families immediately agreed, especially Ahua, the Yi chieftain of Shuixi. What he cared about most was the high-yield crops promised by the court. If they could bring these seeds back, the lives of the Yi mountain people would be better. For this reason, Ahua even sent his youngest son, Aicui, over.

Thus, Guizhou was temporarily governed by the imperial court and the five chieftains. The imperial court dispatched officials to serve as the chief officials at all levels in Guizhou, while the chieftains served as deputy officials with little real power, in order to temporarily appease them.

As for completely abolishing the native chieftain system in Guizhou, this is something that can't be rushed. If they rely on military force to suppress the rebellion, given Guizhou's fragmented, mountainous terrain and the fact that the Ming army was unfamiliar with the area and couldn't even speak the local language, they would be trapped in a deep-seated counterinsurgency war. Don't forget, Guizhou is the perfect place for guerrilla warfare.
Now, as long as we maintain a stable situation for the time being, we can continue to relocate Han people there, build cities and roads at the same time, and keep the sons of the five chieftains in the capital to study. This will not only allow them to be held hostage, but also accelerate the Sinicization of these chieftains.

Twenty or thirty years later, the cities in Guizhou will be built, the imperial court will have a stable foothold in Guizhou, the Han people who have migrated there will be familiar with each other's languages, and the roads for advancing will be open. At that time, we can easily find a reason to abolish these chieftains. There is really no need to rush.

In the original history, Zhu Di abolished the native chieftain system in Guizhou and formally established Guizhou Province. This was based on the foundation laid by his father, Zhu Yuanzhang, over a generation. Otherwise, Zhu Di would not have been able to successfully establish the province.

What was Zhu Di's reason for abolishing the Tusi system? It sounds ridiculous, but it was because two Tusi were fighting over a cinnabar mine in Guizhou. Zhu Di beat both of them up and took the opportunity to expand the imperial court's presence in Guizhou. He then established a province. What Lu Jin needs to do now is lay the foundation.

After the bestowals upon the five chieftains were announced, it was Zhu Liangzu's turn. However, as soon as he returned, Lu Jin took away his seal as commander of the Second Army. Although he had expected this, it still made Zhu Liangzu feel quite uneasy. He secretly complained, "It's like putting away a good bow after the birds are all gone." He had just finished fighting in Yunnan when Lu Jin took away his military power.

However, when he heard Qian Yongren read aloud in court, "Zhu Liangzu, Duke of Qi, has fought countless battles and recovered the five provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Guizhou, and Yunnan. He has killed and captured countless prisoners. He has accumulated merits and been promoted to Prince of Changshan, given the title of Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and bestowed with a python robe. His father has been granted the title of Grand Master of the First Rank (a title of honorary official), his mother has been granted the title of Lady of the First Rank, and his wife has also been granted the title of Lady of the First Rank. In addition, he has been awarded 10,000 silver dollars," Zhu Liangzu instantly felt that everything was worth it.

A true man spends his life on the battlefield, beheading enemy chieftains and presenting them to the emperor, achieving merit and being ennobled as a king, with his wife and children receiving titles and privileges—such a life would be without regret!
That night, a grand banquet was held in the palace, and Zhu Liangzu got completely drunk. He was only summoned to the palace the next day after he sobered up.

Lu Jin was working in the Yunxiang Hall when he saw this fellow being brought in wearing a brand-new python robe. Without even looking up, he asked, "Are you sober now?"

"I'm awake, I'm awake. Hehe, Your Majesty, please don't be offended. I was just happy yesterday, and in my happiness I drank a few too many cups. Did Your Majesty send someone to summon me because you have something to say?"

"There is something to discuss, mainly concerning your reward. Some things are best left unsaid in public, so I'll explain them to you privately." Lu Jin then put down his pen and looked up at him.

"Oh, about my reward? Your Majesty, please speak." Zhu Liangzu immediately perked up when he heard that it was related to a reward.

Lu Jin pointed to the side and said, "Get yourself a stool and sit down before we talk."

"Thank you for offering me a seat, Your Majesty."

Zhu Liangzu quickly agreed and pulled up a stool to sit down next to him. Only then did Lu Jin speak.

"Your title of Prince of the County cannot be inherited. In the future, your eldest son Zhu Xian can only inherit your title of Duke of Qi at most. Moreover, if he wants to join the army, he must first attend a military academy and then at most start as a lieutenant officer, which is a company commander. If he wants to become a general, he must be promoted based on his military achievements. At most, he will be given priority when there are vacancies. Do you understand?"

"I understand now." Zhu Liangzu immediately deflated upon hearing that the title of king could not be inherited. It turned out that the title of king was just an honorary title and could not be inherited. However, it would be alright if his son could inherit the title of duke, but he was still slightly disappointed.

As for his son not being able to inherit the military post and having to start from the bottom in the army, he didn't care too much about that, because he himself was a general who led troops into battle. He knew that if a young man rashly took command of a large army, he might suffer defeat and lose his life. Not only would he die, but he would also bury the imperial army.

After all, not everyone is suited to be a commander of an army. Perhaps even a battalion commander is a position that an ordinary person can manage with some training and learning. But a general is a position that really depends on both luck and talent. However, he believed that with his son's connections and background, even if he started from the bottom, he would definitely climb the ranks faster than others.

Seeing that he nodded and understood, Lu Jin then said, "Don't think about any special cases regarding the land in your hometown of Lu'an. Even princes are not exempt. You have to pay taxes according to the tiered tax system of the imperial court, no matter how much land you own. If you really don't want to pay heavy taxes, you should donate it to the government as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Liangzu immediately wanted to say something, but Lu Jin immediately raised his hand to interrupt him, and then said, "I'll tell you again, never think about taking over the land in the country. I can grant you the title of Prince, but I can also take it back!"
"However, I am not an unfeeling person. As compensation, I can grant you some land overseas. You will still have to pay taxes, but I will allow you to pay only one-tenth of the tax. As for where to grant it, you can choose for yourself."

Zhu Liangzu calmed down a bit after hearing this and quickly asked, "But I don't understand matters overseas either. Where did Your Majesty originally intend to enfeoff me, and how many acres would you grant me?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin immediately picked up the globe from the table and pointed at it, saying, "Chengzhou is close to Japan, and its climate is similar to Liaodong, with four distinct seasons. It is full of excellent paddy fields suitable for growing rice, yielding one harvest a year. However, you have to cultivate the land yourself. If you are granted a fief here, I will give you 20,000 mu of land with a low tax rate of one-tenth of the harvest. You can hire tenant farmers to cultivate it."

"Or Zhongquan Prefecture or Xinjin Prefecture in Southeast Asia. The climate here is hot and humid, and rice can be harvested three times a year. It is also 20,000 mu. You can recruit tenants to cultivate the land yourself, or you can not grow rice, but grow rubber trees, or other spices such as pepper. You can choose."

Zhu Liangzu stared at the globe, his eyes darting around, and immediately asked, "The climate in Southeast Asia is hot and humid, and rice can be harvested three times a year. But if there's too much grain, the price of grain will definitely hurt farmers. We can't just harvest the grain in Southeast Asia and then transport it back to China to sell, can we?"

"I've heard that pepper is valuable overseas. Growing that should be more profitable than growing grain, right? Does Your Majesty have any suggestions?"

"So you're going to choose Southeast Asia, right?" Lu Jin glanced at him before saying, "Pepper and spices are ultimately food. They may be expensive now, but that's because they're relatively rare in China. After all, scarcity drives up prices. There will only be more and more maritime merchants in the future, and pepper and the like will become cheaper and cheaper. So if you're looking to make money, I still suggest you set up a rubber plantation."

"Rubber is something the imperial court urgently needs. The court will buy as much as it can produce. Although the initial planting period is relatively long, and it will take six to ten years before the rubber can be tapped, once production begins, you will not have to worry about sales. Moreover, there are few rubber trees planted now, so you can sell them at a good price."

Zhu Liangzu hesitated only slightly before nodding in agreement, "Alright, I'll listen to Your Majesty. Your Majesty certainly won't cheat me, hehe."

Seeing this, Lu Jin nodded, and then said, "You've been with me for so long, you should know my rules. As long as you follow the rules, I won't be stingy with rewards. I'll say it again: if you want money, you can. If you're short of money, just ask me. I have plenty of ways to make money. I can teach you a couple of tricks and you'll be set for life. But you absolutely mustn't harm the people of the country, understand?"

Zhu Liangzu immediately nodded and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I guarantee I will not cause any trouble within the country."

"Well, and your palace, I won't build it for you here in Jiankang. The court is destined to move the capital to Yanjing in the future. You see, even I am living in this old palace of the Song Dynasty now, and no new palace has been built."

"When we move the capital to Yanjing and build a new palace, your royal residence will be built at the same time. I will bestow upon you a grand royal residence in the new capital. How about that? Don't be in a hurry now."

Zhu Liangzu was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your reward."

"Well, that's all for now. If you have nothing to do these days, you can take care of the land in your hometown. Then you can send a reliable person to Southeast Asia to have the local government arrange for you to be allocated land. I will also have the Ministry of Rites make a special iron certificate for you, which will be considered as a land deed written by me personally." Lu Jin said again after seeing that he agreed.

Zhu Liangzu was overjoyed, but hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Does Your Majesty have any other tasks for me to do? There are also those 20,000 mu of land in Nanyang. If we plant rubber trees there, wouldn't it take nearly ten years to harvest them? Without the land in my hometown, how am I supposed to make a living these next few years?"

"Living? You can't possibly live without money?" Lu Jin glanced at him immediately.

"Leaving aside the 25,000 silver dollars I gave you as a reward, you, your wife, and your parents are all first-rank officials with salaries. How could you possibly go hungry?"

Upon seeing this, Zhu Liangzu chuckled awkwardly, "Hehe, that's not what I meant. It's just that Your Majesty just said there are plenty of ways to make money. I heard Your Majesty encourages setting up factories to make money, but I don't know anything about business, so that's why I wanted to ask Your Majesty for a way to make a living."

"The more than 20,000 taels of silver that His Majesty bestowed upon me can probably be used as capital."

Lu Jin glared at him upon hearing this, and then said, "Next time, just say what you want to say. As for the factory, there aren't any good projects for you right now. Wait a few months. Before the end of this year, I'll help you open a glass factory, and I guarantee you'll make money."

Zhu Liangzu was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately bowed shamelessly, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace, hehe."

"Is there anything else?" Lu Jin asked again.

“There are still official duties to attend to. Your Majesty has just stripped me of my military power, but I’m only forty years old this year. I’m afraid I can’t stay home and retire so early,” Zhu Liangzu said aggrievedly.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Would you like to be the supervisor?"

"Supervise the construction? Supervise what construction? The construction of the new capital?" Zhu Liangzu was taken aback and immediately asked.

“Building a new capital isn’t urgent, but road construction is. Well, road construction isn’t something that can be done overnight. Go back and take care of your family matters first. I will arrange your position in due time. I don’t agree to you retiring so early,” Lu Jin immediately comforted him.

Zhu Liangzu was overjoyed upon hearing this, as long as there was still work to be done, he was fine. He quickly cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I will take my leave now and go back to my hometown to make some arrangements in the next few days."

"Well, go ahead. Now that you've been granted the title of king, as the saying goes, 'Wealth and honor should not be returned to one's hometown, for it is like wearing fine clothes at night.' Would you like me to send some imperial guards to accompany you and give you some face?" Lu Jin joked.

"No need for that. How could I dare to use Your Majesty's guards? I have my own arrangements for returning to my hometown to pay respects to my ancestors. I will absolutely not disturb the people. Your Majesty can rest assured," Zhu Liangzu quickly assured him.

"Well, that's pretty much it."

(End of this chapter)