My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 341 The Mu Family of Yunnan
Finally, Wang Jiaping personally came down, shook Li Wenquan's hand, and said:
"The Crown Prince has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Ming Dynasty! We will certainly report to the court and inform the court of his merits!"

Li Wenquan said with a wry smile:

"I only hope that the censor will not impeach me for colluding with the Japanese."

The next question is: although Japan is a small country compared to the Ming Dynasty, it now has many powerful forces at play. Where should one go in Japan? And which force should one contact?
It was Hu Zhen, the chief of the Penghu Experience Division, who gave the advice:
"In my opinion, we should go to Sakai Port."

"Sakai Port? Not going to Tanegashima?"

Hu Zhen said:

"From Chief Huang's letter, I learned that they are on Tanegashima, and naturally, they are the ones gathering intelligence on Tanegashima."

"Tanegashima is the territory controlled by the traitorous Shimazu clan. This Shimazu clan was just a small lord in the southern region of Japan. They made their fortune by taking advantage of the trade with the Portuguese and selling firearms to other lords."

"If the Crown Prince goes to Tanegashima, wouldn't he be helping the Shimazu family, those middlemen, to source goods?"

"As Mr. Huang said in his letter, Oda Nobunaga now controls the silver mountains. Merchants in Sakai Port have many dealings with Oda Nobunaga and often help him purchase weapons."

"Therefore, Your Highness, why don't you go directly to Sakai Port and sell the firearms to Oda Nobunaga?"

Everyone nodded.

Sakai Port is the largest port in Japan.

Moreover, unlike Tanegashima, which was controlled by the Shimazu family, Sakai Port is a small island off the coast of Osaka and has always been known as a free port.

Merchants from Sakai Port did business with daimyo throughout Japan, and they also did business with merchants from various countries in East Asia.

Hu Zhen's plan was indeed good, and Li Wenquan nodded in agreement.

The shipping routes to Sakai Port were well-established, and many Ryukyu merchants would go to Sakai Port to do business, so nautical charts were easy to obtain.

After the plan was finalized, two hundred discarded muskets were loaded onto the merchant ships, and Li Wenquan's fleet changed course and headed towards Sakai Port.
-
May 9th, the capital city.

Shen Shixing worked tirelessly for more than ten days on the plan to form the new Beijing garrison.

Shen Shixing then realized how difficult it was to implement national policies.

He shuttled between the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions, and also had to persuade the Ministry of Personnel to provide staffing, persuade the Ministry of Revenue to approve the budget, and order military equipment and uniforms from the Ministry of Works. He was extremely busy.

But he found joy in this busyness.

Power is addictive because it can generate the strongest sense of accomplishment.

Looking at the new Beijing garrison that he had gradually shaped with his power, the sense of accomplishment he felt could almost surpass all petty pleasures!
The new Beijing garrison was promoted by Shen Shixing, who coordinated all the plans, which were eventually compiled into a memorial to the throne.

Looking at this memorial that embodied his hard work, Shen Shixing felt a sense of unease and uncertainty.

What if this memorial is blocked in the cabinet?
What if the emperor disagrees with the memorial?
Shen Shixing thought of Su Ze.

Strictly speaking, this "Proposal for the Establishment of the New Beijing Garrison" is Shen Shixing's first memorial that can be considered a national policy document.

Shen Shixing had never thought it was anything special when he saw Su Ze submitting two memorials on national policy in a month. It wasn't until he was drafting his own national policy that he realized how difficult it was.

It's so hard!

However, Shen Shixing cannot be blamed, as ordinary fifth-rank officials are not qualified to draft national policies.

Normally, officials below the fifth rank only need to implement the policies of their superiors.

A fifth-rank official is generally equivalent to a secretary in one of the Six Ministries, who is simply the head of one of the departments within the Six Ministries.

They are like chess pieces on a chessboard, responsible for putting the central government's plans into practice, or handling complicated documents in government offices.

If placed in local positions, they would be completely detached from major matters such as drafting national policies. Their duties would simply involve managing the daily lives of ordinary people, adjudicating legal cases, collecting taxes and grain, and maintaining the daily operation of the massive machine that is the Ming Dynasty.

Once one surpasses the fifth rank, one is promoted to a deputy position in the Minor Nine Ministers' Office, thus entering the ranks of high-ranking officials.

However, at this time there was still little opportunity to draft national policies.

High-ranking positions were extremely scarce in the Ming Dynasty, and the path to promotion was very steep.

The minor nine ministerial offices were generally offices with little real power; the only ones with real power were the heads of the departments.

The deputy position is just a transitional role for officials. At this time, they usually enhance the prestige of the emperor and cabinet ministers, and then wait for the next promotion to the position of vice minister of the six ministries or the head of the nine minor ministers' office.

The position of Vice Minister of the Six Ministries is equivalent to a third-rank official. Only upon reaching this level can one be considered to have entered the core decision-making body of the Ming Dynasty.

It's usually only when officials reach this level that they have the opportunity to draft national policies.

Therefore, Shen Shixing knew that this opportunity was hard-won. As long as he did a good job in the preparation of the new Beijing garrison, he would definitely leave a deep impression on the emperor and the cabinet, and then his future promotion would be unimpeded.

However, when Shen Shixing thought of Su Ze again, he felt somewhat discouraged.

Su Ze would do at least one such thing every month, and sometimes both memorials were important reform memorials related to national policy.

Shen Shixing shook his head, giving up the idea of ​​comparing himself to Su Ze. After all, only one prodigy like Su Ze had appeared in the Ming Dynasty.

After a period of uncertainty, Shen Shixing still went to the newspaper office.

Inside the newspaper office.

After listening to Shen Shixing's concerns, Su Ze smiled and said:
"Brother Rumo is too concerned about gains and losses. There will always be people who are dissatisfied with any national policy. How can everything be perfect?"

"Besides, trying to be thorough in everything often means failing in everything. The total budget for the new army is only so much, how can we possibly cover everything?"

After listening to Su Ze's words, Shen Shixing did not stop worrying, but said:

"Brother Zilin, the main objection in the court is still to the formation of the mountain battalion."

"Many officials in the Five Military Commissions, including the Ministry of War, believe that the focus of border defense should be on the northern border. Even if there is a rebellion in the southwest, it is just a minor ailment."

"Then there is the issue of the wolf soldiers. In the war against the Japanese pirates in the southeast, the wolf soldiers did make contributions, but they also caused trouble in the local areas. Grand Secretary Zhao is also worried about this."

After listening, Su Ze understood the court's concerns.

Wolf soldiers were originally local armed forces organized by the chieftains of Guangxi, also known as "Liang soldiers".

During the war against Japanese pirates, the Ming court also mobilized wolf soldiers to fight against them along the southeast coast, and they achieved good results. Yu Dayou had a wolf soldier unit that fought a bloody battle against Japanese pirates in Suzhou and achieved a great victory with fewer troops.

However, the Wolf Soldiers also had serious disciplinary problems, and there were frequent impeachments from local authorities for harassing local residents.

Su Ze said:

"Brother Rumo, are you aware of the current situation in the Southwest?"

Shen Shixing shook his head. He had only recently been transferred to the Ministry of War and was immediately put in charge of the establishment of the new Beijing garrison. He did not know much about military affairs in the southwest.

Su Ze said:

"The rebel leader Wei Yinbao in Guangxi has been rebelling and surrendering at times. Now he has spread to the vicinity of Guilin. Although these rebels cannot defeat the army of our Great Ming in a head-on battle, they hide in the mountains and forests every time they are about to be defeated, and we have never been able to wipe them out."

“Wei Yinbao started his rebellion in the thirteenth year of Zhengde’s reign and has wreaked havoc on three emperors. To this day, the Guangxi Provincial Surveillance Commissioner is still asking the court to suppress him, all because there is no skilled mountain army to completely wipe him out.”

"As for Yunnan, after the incident at the Duke of Qian's mansion, the chieftains of western Yunnan secretly allied with the Eastern Yu, but the Duke of Qian's mansion was powerless to quell it and could only continue to appease them."

Shen Shixing nodded. He knew about the matter of the Duke of Qian's mansion that Su Ze mentioned. At the time, he was working in the Ministry of Rites and was familiar with the background.

Luo Wanhua asked curiously:

"Brother Zilin, what exactly is going on at the Duke of Qian's mansion?"

Shen Shixing sighed and said:
"In the twenty-sixth year of the late emperor's reign, Duke Mu Chaofu of Qian died, leaving behind a son named Mu Rong. The court appointed Mu Rong as the successor to the title of Duke of Qian. Mu Chaobi, Mu Chaofu's younger brother, was granted the title of Vice Commander-in-Chief and was appointed to guard Yunnan in place of his nephew." "In the twenty-eighth year of the late emperor's reign, Mu Rong also died at the young age of six."

"In the same year, his younger brother Mu Gong inherited the title of Duke of Qian. However, Mu Chaobi was unwilling to relinquish power, and his relationship with his widowed sister-in-law and young nephew was strained,"

"The old lady of the Duke of Qian's mansion, Lady Li, petitioned His Majesty to send Mu Gong and his mother, Lady Chen, to live in the capital. Mu Gong did not set off and died suddenly from an illness."

"At this point, Mu Chaofu's lineage died out, and Mu Chaobi was finally able to inherit the title in the thirty-third year of the late emperor's reign."

Luo Wanhua said with a grim expression:

"With two sons of Mu Chaofu dying young, Mu Chaobi is highly suspicious. Hasn't the court investigated this thoroughly?"

Shen Shixing said:
"How could the court not know? Otherwise, why did Mu Gong die young in the twenty-eighth year of the late emperor's reign, and why did Mu Chaobi only inherit the title in the thirty-third year?"

"Officials in Yunnan have been impeaching Mu Chaobi for being unfilial to his mother and for seizing his widowed sister-in-law. There are also many rumors among the people that Mu Rong and Mu Gong were killed by Mu Chaobi."

Luo Wanhua asked in confusion, "There must be many collateral branches of the Duke of Qian's family, right? Since Mu Chaobi has such a bad record and is suspected of murdering his nephew, why was he allowed to inherit the title?"

Shen Shixing sighed;
"That's because Mu Chaobi is good at fighting."

"In the thirtieth year of the late emperor's reign, Na Jian, the chieftain of Yuanjiang Prefecture, rebelled. Mu Chaobi led troops to suppress the rebellion and defeated Na Jian, who then committed suicide by poisoning himself."

"In the forty-fourth year of the late emperor's reign, the barbarian chieftains Afang and Li Xiangyang rebelled, and Mu Chaobi quelled the rebellion."

"In the first year of this dynasty, Mu Chaobi quelled the rebellion of Feng Jizu in Wuding Prefecture, and became even more arrogant and unruly."

"In the third year of this dynasty, His Majesty abolished Mu Chaobi's title and appointed his son Mu Changzuo to succeed him, granting him half the salary."

"But after this incident, the father and son in the Duke of Qian's mansion fought for power, and the military and political situation became unstable."

Su Ze said again:
“Guizhou had been implementing the policy of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials since the reign of Emperor Chengzu, but the Xuanwei Si of Tongren Prefecture was captured by rebels and the Xuanwei Envoy sent by the court was killed. In the end, they could only continue to appoint native chieftains.”

"Given the situation in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, how can the imperial court maintain peace in the southwestern border regions if it does not have an army skilled in mountain warfare?"

"Mu Chaobi is so arrogant in Yunnan. The late emperor and Your Majesty have repeatedly made concessions, but he still does not know how to restrain himself. It is also because the garrison troops in Yunnan are exhausted and can only rely on the Duke of Qian's mansion to suppress the local area, which is why he has become so arrogant."

"I see," Luo Wanhua said, agreeing with Su Ze's idea of ​​forming a mountain army after hearing his explanation.

Luo Wanhua then asked, "Can't the Grand Secretaries see these problems?"

Shen Shixing sighed:

"They have seen it, but the imperial court still cannot make up its mind to form a special mountain army."

Su Ze also explained:

"The rebellion in the southwest is different from the troubles on the grasslands."

"In the southwest, each Meng is a state. These Mengs have anywhere from a hundred to a thousand people, and they sometimes rebel and sometimes surrender."

"The southwest region is also a place where Yi and Han people live together. Sometimes they can live peacefully for decades, but they may suddenly rebel because of a small matter."

Seeing that Luo Wanhua still didn't understand, Su Ze asked again:
"Brother Yifu, can you name the rebel leader in the southwest region?"

"Or rather, do you know the names of some of the chieftains in the southwest?"

Luo Wanhua was taken aback.

Luo Wanhua had never heard of any of the rebel leaders that Shen Shixing had just mentioned, who had been quelled by Mu Chaobi.

Su Ze then countered with a question:

"Everyone in the capital knows the name Anda, right?"

"Don't even mention Anda, the names of the leaders of several major tribes in the northern frontier are known in the capital, right?"

Luo Wanhua nodded.

The Yuefu Xinbao newspaper has also been reporting on the situation on the grasslands. Nowadays, the leaders of the major tribes in the northern grasslands are indeed much more famous than the chieftains in the southwest.

There were even newspapers like the "Commercial Daily," because merchants often did business with people on the grasslands. The "Commercial Daily" even published lengthy reports on several leaders of major Mongolian tribes, including their likes and dislikes.

This made all the officials in the capital very familiar with the situation in Mongolia.

Su Ze said:

"This is partly due to the fact that the capital is closer to the grasslands, but the situation in the southwest is the same. Although rebellions have occurred frequently in the southwest, there is not even a famous bandit leader."

"Therefore, the imperial court also finds it difficult to pay attention to the southwest issue."

Luo Wanhua understood now, and he nodded repeatedly.

Su Ze said:

"But if this continues, chaos will inevitably break out in the southwest, and the problems in the southwest are definitely not just the problems of the southwestern barbarians."

"In fact, many of the rebellions in the southwestern Yi region involved Han Chinese, and there were frequent cases of Han people usurping the positions of chieftains."

“The military garrisons and military settlements were invaded, local taxes were too heavy, and bandits were rampant. These problems also occurred in the southwest.”

"Isn't the decline of the Duke of Qian's mansion a clue to the problem?"

"Therefore, the Southwest problem is not just a problem of the Yi people."

"If we want to stabilize the southwest, we must first rectify official corruption and develop the economy."

"But to develop the economy, we must wipe out the bandit strongholds in these mountains. If we cannot solve these problems, the situation in the southwest will only deteriorate day by day."

Su Ze's words were certainly not an exaggeration.

In the original timeline, the Bozhou Rebellion during the Wanli era nearly exhausted the military strength of the southern region of the Ming Dynasty, followed by the anti-Japanese war and aid to Korea, which also depleted the military strength in the north.

But it was precisely after this rebellion in Bozhou that the southwest region stabilized.

Even towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, when the Southern Ming court retreated to Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, these regions continued to support the Ming army in its fight until the fall of the Southern Ming.

Su Ze concluded that the problem was the lack of a deterrent military force.

The Ming Dynasty's control over the southwest was in decline compared to the early Ming period.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang appointed the Mu family to govern Yunnan. When the Duke of Qian's government was first established, the situation in the southwest was very stable.

Su Ze said:

"I promised Brother Rumo last time that I would co-sign with him."

Shen Shixing quickly took out the prepared memorial, and after Su Ze signed it, he said:

"Brother Rumo, please allow me to copy it."

Shen Shixing naturally agreed that the joint memorials should also be included in the individual memorial collections, which was a normal request from Su Ze.

After Su Ze finished copying, he said to Shen Shixing:
"Brother Rumo, you should submit your letter as soon as possible."

Shen Shixing nodded and said:
"I'll go to the Ministry of Justice right away."

After walking around Shenshi (3-5 PM), Su Ze stuffed the memorial into the "Portable Ming Dynasty Court" app.

(End of this chapter)