Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 354 Reforming the Jurchens, Aiming at the Ming Dynasty!
At this time, the people of the Jurchen tribe gathered together to repair the road.

At this point, organizing and managing them is the most convenient and logical thing to do.

The Ming Dynasty would certainly not miss such a golden opportunity.

With ample food as an incentive, and even a small amount of other labor remuneration, the Jurchen people naturally accepted the rule of the Ming Dynasty and began to consciously obey the arrangements of the Ming officials.

With this foundation, governing the three Jurchen tribes will be much easier in the future.

After all, the Jurchen people have already quietly come to accept the Ming Dynasty's "officials"!
As road construction progressed rapidly, the Jurchen lands attracted many traveling merchants from the Ming Dynasty.

They arrived with their bags on their backs, weary from their journey, and filled with dreams of getting rich.

At the bustling market, they displayed a dazzling array of exquisite handicrafts made during the Ming Dynasty.

The porcelain, silk, and wood carvings were exquisitely crafted and ingenious, drawing gasps of wonder from the Jurchen people who stopped to admire them.

The Ming Dynasty merchants, on the other hand, set their sights on the animal pelts obtained by the Jurchen tribes through hunting: sable, fox, and tiger skins, which were soft, smooth, and extremely valuable.

There are also various precious medicinal herbs gathered from deep mountains and forests, such as ginseng, lingzhi, and deer antler, which are rare treasures.

These things were worthless in the Jurchen Three Kingdoms period.

They could buy them up and then sell them to the Ming Dynasty for a considerable profit.

Of course, people will be willing to do things that offer substantial profits.

Especially now that cement roads have been built, mountain bandits and thieves have been wiped out by the Ming army, or have disappeared on their own initiative.

Along the way, there were also many rest stops for merchants.

Traveling merchants can travel safely between the three Jurchen tribes.

As they went back and forth, their trade became more and more frequent, like intertwined threads, with each side giving and receiving, and their interactions becoming increasingly close.

After Ming officials took over management through a combination of kindness and severity, the Jurchen tribes quickly broke free from the ignorant and backward era of slavery and stepped into a new and hopeful era.

Initially, the Ming Dynasty had to use a large amount of manpower and resources to transport cartloads of grain to the Jurchens to relieve their urgent needs.

After all, the Jurchens were still too backward.

Most of them still live in the hunting era, and many tribes rely on fishing and hunting for a living.

However, due to its location in a cold region, the hunting rewards were not substantial.

Now that the road construction is underway, the necessary food supplies can only be provided by the Ming Dynasty.

However, as the road construction army cleared away patches of wasteland, food supplies quickly sprang up like mushrooms after rain and became plentiful.

Because the three Jurchen tribes actually possessed a large amount of fertile black soil.

In addition, the area is sparsely populated, so developing even a small amount of black soil would be enough to meet the needs of the people of the three Jurchen tribes, and there would even be a large surplus.

Moreover, the Jurchens began to continuously supply medicinal herbs, timber, and various rare animal furs to the Ming Dynasty.

Thus, the war launched by the Ming Dynasty against the three Jurchen tribes unexpectedly but naturally turned into a massive expansion of the Jurchen population.

The three Jurchen tribes were officially incorporated into the Ming Dynasty's territory, becoming three provinces of the Ming Dynasty.

The territory of the Ming Dynasty expanded significantly.

This once barren and backward land is now thriving with vitality thanks to the support of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty's investment in the Jurchens gradually yielded rich returns.

The Jurchens gradually became the granary of the Ming Dynasty.

……

The Ming Dynasty adopted a strategy of winning over the former Jurchen tribal leaders.

A large number of exquisitely crafted and valuable "treasures" were solemnly placed in front of them.

These items were all produced in factories in Nanjing, and their actual manufacturing cost was not high.

But for the Jurchen tribal chief, who had never seen such things before, these exquisite handicrafts were undoubtedly extremely rare treasures, priceless.

Officials from the Ming Dynasty told them that as long as they cooperated with the Ming Dynasty's administration, they would be given a large number of such "treasures," and they would enjoy endless wealth and honor in the future.

Zhu Yunwen had long ago given Lan Yu an order: under no circumstances should those tribal leaders be wantonly killed in order to establish authority.

Because once the killing begins, the news can easily be embellished and spread by those with ulterior motives, who can then elevate the murdered person to a "godlike" status.

Those deceased tribal chiefs may very well have been transformed into symbols of "gods" in the minds of some Jurchen people who were unaware of the truth.

They are worshipped and remembered!

This is undoubtedly planting a series of dangerous hidden mines for the Ming Dynasty.

On the contrary, what the Ming Dynasty needed to do was to give these people generous sums of money and then cleverly bring them down from their "pedestals".

This allowed the lower-class people of the Jurchen tribe to witness firsthand that their once revered and worshipped tribal chief, once stripped of his glory, was nothing more than an ordinary person who loved money more than life itself.

This "de-deification" approach aims to awaken the Jurchen people from the lower classes who had been brainwashed and blindly worshipped their leader.

This completely cuts off any possibility for these Jurchen tribal leaders to rise again in the future.

If we do not act in this way, perhaps one day, a tribal leader who has now surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, or their descendants, will become dissatisfied and resentful, and once again call on their former followers to rise up and rebel against the Ming Dynasty.

By "de-deifying" them now, even if someone harbors ill intentions and intends to rebel in the future, they will be unlikely to cause much trouble or harm due to the loss of the public's blind support.

However, not killing them doesn't mean we won't take any "measures" against them!
In order to completely win over the hearts of the people of the three Jurchen tribes and consolidate his rule, Zhu Yunwen specifically instructed Lan Yu to carry out a systematic "criticism and education" campaign against the original tribal leaders in the Jurchen tribes.

To put it bluntly, it was about patiently persuading and skillfully doing "ideological work" to encourage those slaves who had been silently enduring at the bottom of the Jurchen tribes to bravely stand up and expose the dark rule of the tribal leaders in the past, as well as the heinous "crimes" they had committed.

Although most of the lower-level slaves of the three Jurchen tribes had been brainwashed and domesticated for a long time, they held in awe of the lords who had once ridden over them and ruled them from above, and even felt that everything was the will of God, so they never dared to have any thoughts of rebellion.

But as the saying goes, where there is oppression, there is resistance.

There is always a small group of people who harbor deep hatred for the tribal chief.

After all, these leaders usually act arrogantly and domineeringly, trampling on their dignity and plundering the fruits of their labor. The conflict between the two sides is like fire and water, and is inherently irreconcilable.

However, in the past, under the oppression of power, everyone dared not speak out against it.

Now, the situation is completely different. With the powerful Ming Dynasty backing them up, these slaves who were usually timid and cowering suddenly straightened their backs and naturally had the confidence to stand up and speak out.

They ascended the high platform, their emotions running high, and began to speak in public, recounting how the tribal chief had cruelly oppressed them and persecuted their families in the past. Their grief and indignation echoed through the tribe, drawing the attention of everyone present.

With the protection of the Ming Dynasty's new army, the once arrogant Jurchen tribal leaders, though filled with resentment and burning with anger, were powerless to do anything about it.

They could only watch helplessly as it all happened, powerless to stop it, let alone retaliate.

With a few brave and fearless "vanguards" leading the charge, those who had endured for years and were full of grievances suddenly found an outlet for their frustrations and joined the ranks of those exposing and criticizing the tribal leaders.

Immediately, the crowd was outraged, shouting for the tribal chief to be imprisoned and punished, and even beheaded and displayed to the public.

The overwhelming public opinion terrified many tribal leaders, leaving them pale, disoriented, and filled with anxiety.

Just as tensions were about to rise, Lan Yu acted according to plan, sending someone to mediate the conflict.

He dispatched elite troops to surround the tribal chief's residence, ostensibly for "protection," but in reality, it was also a form of intimidation.

These tribal leaders have cultivated deep roots in their tribes for many years, possessing extensive networks and profound influence. Keeping them around can also help win over the hearts of the old followers.

This high-profile public criticism is enough to pull them down from their "pedestal" in the public's mind.

Those who stood up to criticize the tribal leaders were filled with gratitude for the Ming Dynasty after this battle.

From then on, he was completely devoted and loyal, obeying all orders from Ming Dynasty officials.

For the Ming officials who were new to the area and unfamiliar with Jurchen affairs, this was undoubtedly a golden opportunity.

They were able to select capable assistants familiar with the local situation from among these people to help them govern the Jurchens, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Those who once blindly worshipped tribal leaders gradually lost their reverence like bubbles after hearing criticisms of the leaders and witnessing their ugly behavior of greed and fear of death at crucial moments.

Even if a little bit of goodwill still lingers in my heart occasionally, I am no longer as fanatical and blind as before.

Then, seeing that the time was ripe, Lan Yu personally stepped forward and, with a serious yet earnest expression, told the tribal leaders: "Now that you have abandoned darkness and embraced the light, the Ming Dynasty is magnanimous and will not pursue the past."

"But as you have seen, deep-seated grievances exist within the tribe, and too many people harbor hatred towards you."

"You may not be able to hold onto your positions as tribal chiefs."

"It would be better to hand over the power in our hands to the officials of the Ming Dynasty."

"You can take the money given by the imperial court and live a good life as wealthy men."

"Or perhaps you could follow the court's arrangements and go to serve as officials in other places. What do you all think?"

The tribal leaders were already trembling with fear from the recent storm of "exposure and criticism," like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow.

Upon hearing this, he felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly expressed his "voluntary" relinquishment of the leadership position.

His words were full of flattery and ingratiation, and he solemnly declared that he would resolutely obey any arrangement made by the Ming Dynasty.

Now, they are fully aware that they have completely lost their foundation of rule among the Jurchens.

His former prestige has vanished, leaving him like a rootless duckweed, adrift and helpless, with no choice but to obediently entrust his life and fortune to the Ming Dynasty in search of "protection".

Seeing that these people were so sensible, Lan Yu stopped making things difficult for them.

For those who only sought wealth and wanted to live a life of luxury and comfort, he arranged for carriages and horses to escort them and their families, along with the "treasures" previously bestowed upon them by the court, to Beiping City.

The prosperity of Beiping was enough to intoxicate them, allowing them to live out the rest of their lives in peace and tranquility.

For those who were still unwilling to give up and wanted to become officials, Lan Yu ordered them to be sent to Jinling City to study at the Imperial Academy of the Ming Dynasty.

The Imperial College (Guozijian) provided these special students from the Jurchen people with a comprehensive "re-education".

Wash away old ideas and rebuild loyalty to the Ming Dynasty.

Once enough time has passed, the Ministry of Personnel will conduct a rigorous assessment to confirm that their thoughts are pure and that they have no intention of rebelling against the Ming Dynasty. Only then will it be possible to send them back to serve in the three Jurchen tribes.

After all, they grew up on this land and knew the mountains, rivers, landforms, customs and traditions of the three Jurchen tribes like the back of their hand. They also had a wealth of management experience. If they could be put to use by the Ming Dynasty, it would be a wonderful thing.

Of course, even if they were to return to the Jurchens in the future, they would never allow them to return to their original tribes, in order to prevent the old tribes from banding together and causing trouble again.

Those who were deemed to still have problems after rigorous examination by the Ministry of Personnel could only remain in Jinling City forever.

In name, they were supposed to be given "official positions," but in reality, the court only gave them empty titles and would never grant them "real power."

In this way, the court could keep these restless elements firmly under its control while also demonstrating its magnanimity to the outside world.

In this way, the Ming Dynasty used both kindness and severity, employing multiple methods, and in a short period of time, its rule over this land spread rapidly and deeply to every corner, like spring rain nourishing the earth.

However, things are unpredictable. As the Jurchen people’s process of “de-deifying” their former tribal leaders was in full swing, the Jurchen people, who suddenly lost their “faith”, were plunged into a state of confusion and emptiness.

Ultimately, people need spiritual support.

Especially these simple and honest people from the lower classes, deep down they stubbornly demand that they find a "god" to worship in order to obtain peace of mind.

At that time, the soldiers of the new army would often casually mention the legendary deeds of the Ming emperors during their daily conversations.

After all, the soldiers of the new army were the group that admired Zhu Yunwen the most.

Those stories, as if possessing a magical power, spread rapidly throughout the Jurchen tribes through word of mouth.

In addition, the three Jurchen tribes were geographically close to and had close ties with the grassland tribes. The grassland tribes' worship of the Ming emperor also spread here like a strong wind.

Soon, the worship of Emperor Zhu Yunwen of the Ming Dynasty spread like wildfire throughout the three Jurchen tribes.

Zhu Yunwen, the Ming emperor who was far away yet controlled the world, thus became the supreme "god" in the eyes of the three Jurchen tribes.

After learning about this, Lan Yu adopted a strategy of ignoring it.

Since it is the will of the people and is beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, we might as well let nature take its course.

With their worship of the Ming emperor, the Jurchen people's sense of belonging to the Ming Dynasty grew stronger.

Most of them firmly believed that they were citizens of the Ming Dynasty, subjects of the "Supreme Holy Emperor, who was the Grand Master of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Mystery Sect, the Supreme Ruler of Yin and Yang, whose wisdom and light illuminated the primordial spirit, whose benevolence and virtue spread far and wide, who subdued demons and protected the Way."

At this time, Lan Yu began to carry out another crucial and far-reaching task in accordance with Zhu Yunwen's instructions—implementing land reform in the three Jurchen tribes!

This is the real "bomb"!
The real intention behind the land reform was not the Jurchens, but rather to target the Ming Dynasty itself!

……

(End of this chapter)