Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 263 Zhu Zhanhe: Deploying Several Important Tasks
"Your Highness, please speak!" Seeing that those remaining in Chengyun Hall were the last remaining key figures in Yunnan, Xia Yuanji knew that his son-in-law was about to discuss something significant. So, after glancing around, he stood up and began to inquire. After all, he was now considered the head of the civil officials in the Prince of Han's residence.

"The first thing is that we have already taken control of Guangdong and Guangxi. The officials of the Guangdong and Guangxi Provincial Administration Commission have basically accepted Yunnan's rule over Guangdong and Guangxi. And they will send over some detailed information about Guangdong and Guangxi in the coming days. Father-in-law, you must take over Guangdong and Guangxi as soon as possible." Zhu Zhanhe arranged the first task for his father-in-law.

"Alright!" Although Xia Yuanji was somewhat surprised that the officials from Guangdong and Guangxi would be so polite in their surrender, he still accepted the job without hesitation.

"The second matter is that the main city of Annam, Da Luo City, has already been occupied by our Yunnan army. Currently, our Yunnan army is making every effort to occupy the entire Annam, so we must also be prepared to take over Annam at any time." After saying that he was accepting the two provinces, Zhu Zhanhe continued to talk about the preparations to take over Annam.

"The two hundred scholars sent by the Prince are just enough to fill the vacancies in Annam." Hearing that there was still something to do in Annam, Xia Yuanji was also a bit overwhelmed. After all, the workload in Annam was terrifying! They had to send people to guard it, and they had to distribute land to everyone. Especially distributing land, that was a super huge project!
"Thirdly, given that Yunnan will be handling a large amount of land-related transactions in the future, I have decided to establish a special oversight agency, directly under the Prince's Palace, to conduct land surveys and supervise local officials. I have decided to expand the functions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to accomplish this task."

The fourth matter concerns land allocation. The military needs to strengthen its management of this. Of the educated individuals this time, how many are willing to join the army? They should be sent directly to serve as clerks or similar positions. I will instruct the military to have them participate in land surveying as military representatives. Of course, each branch of the military should also select some capable and efficient representatives; this requires a set of procedures.

In other words, future land surveying work will be carried out jointly by the Prince's Imperial Guard and military representatives. The father-in-law will need to come up with a plan for this.

"Erniu, you represent the Embroidered Uniform Guard and will fully cooperate with Lord Xia's work." Zhu Zhanhe's words directly threw a hot potato into the hands of his father-in-law, Xia Yuanji.

"Yes!" If Xia Yuanji was full of enthusiasm just now, he was a little deflated now. After all, this was no easy task! It involved two units, the selection of personnel, and most importantly, land! But for the sake of his unborn grandson, Xia Yuanji could only grit his teeth and accept the job.

"The fifth thing, which is also a huge undertaking, is the transformation of the areas we will occupy in the future! The areas we occupy will only grow larger and larger. But their languages, weights and measures, and customs are all different. If we want them to truly accept our rule, we must make them recognize us from the bottom of their hearts."

Therefore, besides the soldiers purging the stubborn elements, we also need to occupy the region ideologically and culturally. Apart from the newly appointed commanders, all other selected local officials who cannot speak or write Chinese will not be hired. This requirement will be gradually tightened over time, until the entire government office is filled with our own talent. Of course, we also need to gradually establish government-run schools in various places to select personnel and stabilize the local areas. I think that within three generations, they will all be Han Chinese of Yunnan!
Furthermore, we will recruit a large number of soldiers from other ethnic groups. We will recruit soldiers wherever we occupy, even forcibly recruiting them. Therefore, we must establish a Taoist temple or Buddhist temple in every prefecture to enshrine the memorial tablets of the soldiers who died participating in our expansion! This will ensure the people truly accept us from the bottom of their hearts!

Teacher, you need to speed things up. You must not only expand and spread the faith, but also integrate it with the customs of various places to form a new and appropriate Taoist culture, so as not to cause popular uprisings.

These matters also need a set of rules and regulations for gradual implementation. I'll have to trouble my father-in-law and teacher to put in a lot of effort.” Zhu Zhanhe’s approach can be described as starting with government administration and folk beliefs, aiming for a complete Sinicization of the occupied territories! Even Xia Yuanji had to marvel at Zhu Zhanhe’s ruthless methods. If implemented in this way, the local language and customs would be completely Sinicized within three generations! This gave Xia Yuanji a deeper understanding of his son-in-law.

"Uh~" After hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, Xia Yuanji was shocked by how terrifying his son-in-law was, but he was speechless and stunned for a moment. He was speechless. Was his son-in-law really trying to work him to death by arranging so much work for him?

"We don't have that many people!" The old Taoist priest, Zhang Zhengheng, was also excited after hearing his student's words, but he quickly calmed down because he didn't have enough men to cover such a large area! "Teacher, the area we've occupied isn't very big yet. You make the arrangements first, and then we'll hurry up and call people from all over. This is a great opportunity!"

"If all else fails, you'll have to recruit some of the smaller sects in the occupied territories, but their quality varies greatly," Zhu Zhanhe continued, trying to persuade the old Taoist to continue searching for talent from the inland Taoist communities. He figured he might find some prodigies among them. Even without prodigies, according to the plan, the expansion of Taoism would be beneficial for controlling future territories. Therefore, Zhu Zhanhe focused on the old Taoist's reputation and the expansion of Taoism. Even though the old Taoist knew it was a trap, for the sake of his grand plan and the development of Taoism, he had no choice but to jump into it himself.

"You little brat, trying to play dirty tricks on me?" The old Taoist priest had lived for decades and had seen far more than Zhu Zhanhe, so he quickly realized that he had been tricked by his student. Instantly, the old Taoist priest couldn't hold back anymore. He pointed at Zhu Zhanhe and rebuked him for his despicable behavior with a face full of resentment.

"What are you saying, teacher? I'm doing this for the development of Taoism. Do you think you're unwilling?" Faced with the old Taoist's rebuke, Zhu Zhanhe, thick-skinned as ever, just smiled and said a few words before staring intently at the old Taoist.

"I won't stoop to your level!" Knowing full well that he had jumped into a pit himself, but unwilling to be unable to climb out, the old Taoist priest could only utter a tough statement to Zhu Zhanhe with a complex mix of melancholy and joy, and then fell silent.

Seeing the old Taoist priest's state, Xia Yuanji shook his head helplessly. Not only had the old Taoist priest gotten on a pirate ship, but he had too. His son, Xia Xuan, had been sent to the navy as a commander by his son-in-law, and his daughter was pregnant with that kid's child, who might even be the eldest son and the future grandson of the king. He was afraid that he had no choice but to risk his life!

Xia Yuanji then pursed his lips, tacitly agreeing to the new work assignment Zhu Zhanhe had given him, but the way he rolled his eyes revealed his speechless feelings.

"The sixth matter concerns the distribution of land to the soldiers. Although I promised to give land to every soldier who went into battle, and those who stayed behind also received some, there still needs to be a difference in the amount given to them, in order to boost their morale."

My initial idea would be to allocate a base amount of land to each soldier participating in the war. For example, all soldiers would be allocated ten acres of land, but the amount of land allocated would be increased for each person beheaded, for each city captured, for each meritorious person killed, and for each poor person murdered.

Or, to put it another way, how many soldiers from other ethnic groups would receive, how many battles they would have to participate in, or how many heads they would have to behead, in order to receive the same treatment as my soldiers from Yunnan.

Or, to put it another way, how should land be categorized? Can a few acres of inferior land be equivalent to a few acres of superior land? Can a few acres of pasture or forest be equivalent to a few acres of land? How can livestock and land be exchanged? Or how much land is appropriate to exchange for with silver?

"There needs to be a proper set of rules so that all the soldiers know them," Zhu Zhanhe rambled on, talking about his thoughts on the land allocation to the soldiers. He spoke with great enthusiasm, but he didn't notice Xia Yuanji's increasingly grim expression.

(End of this chapter)