You have truly caused me great suffering!

When the emperor issues an imperial edict, tens of thousands of people are immediately put to work.

In particular, Haidong has begun to recruit laborers to build beacon towers in the northern desert.

Ma Kuo sent people to make contact and persuade these invading tribes to submit, and in the future, like the various tribes in the northern deserts, to go to the winter camp city in the winter.

When the weather warms up, the government will allocate pastures in a unified manner.

At the same time, there are also troops formed by people of various ethnic groups, ready to sweep away those who do not cooperate or submit.

In fact, Da Jing had always had dealings with them. The sable and black fox that they captured in the far north were extremely valuable.

There's also the Siberian lynx. During the Tang Dynasty, "lynx fur" was already a material used for trimming the fur coats of wealthy families.

Some merchants specialize in collecting these items from them, and if they are successfully brought back to the Central Plains, they fetch astronomical prices.

However, the climate in the area where these people live is too harsh, and they are in a daze all day long, having exhausted their energy just to survive.

It's good enough that we're alive.

They didn't think much or plan much.

They saw that this place was nice and no one was around, so they came to fish and hunt without thinking too much about it.

Even so, it cannot be tolerated unless one is willing to be incorporated into the Great Mirror.

Dajing embraces all rivers and streams, and has always welcomed all who come from within its borders.

The Haidong Garrison Command has newly written peach wood charms pasted on its gate, and there are traces of burning in the courtyard.

Ma Kuo's family was all in Jinling. He himself only brought some guards and servants, all of whom lived with him in the garrison headquarters.

He was sitting in his study at that moment, reading a large newspaper, with a plate of fried beans and a cup of hot tea beside him.

A news item in the Dajing Daily made him frown.

As His Majesty's inspection tour is imminent, first, a large number of northern tribes appeared in the North Sea, and then the Great Jing Daily published an article stating that a fleet sailing from Yunnan into the Red River was ambushed and plundered by the remnants of the Annamite mountain tribes.

More than 30 crew members were killed or wounded, and the ship's silver ingots, copper, jade, rubies, and high-quality tea were looted.

These conquered territories could not possibly have suddenly developed the same high level of cohesion and instinct for obeying the law as the Central Plains.

In the Central Plains, as long as you conquer the land and end the chaos, you can really establish order very quickly.

Because the people of the Central Plains are inherently law-abiding, they were only drawn into conflict due to the chaos of the times.

The general public hopes for peace to return as soon as possible; this is what is meant by the people's desire for stability.

But these barbarians are different. They have no concept of stability or instability. They forget righteousness for small gains, act without considering the consequences, and do not care whether they can withstand the wrath of the Central Plains.

Seeing that Annam was pacified and that the Jing army was no longer killing people, they felt that they could act recklessly again.

Ma Kuo could handle the Beihai matter himself, but this incident made him unusually furious.

"This is outrageous!"

He put down the Great Jing Report, walked to the table, ground ink, picked up his brush, and wrote a memorial to be submitted to Nanjing:

Your subject Kuoyan says that the Great Jing Dynasty governs the eight directions, and the Holy Emperor's virtue is in harmony with Heaven and Earth. The south extends to Jiaozhi, which was formerly under the jurisdiction of Rinan, Jiuzhen, and Jiaozhou. It has long benefited from the Emperor's teachings. The Emperor has granted hereditary titles to its chieftains, facilitated trade, and exempted them from taxes and corvée labor, all in order to win over those far away.

There were barbarian foes and remnants of the Western Mountains of Annam who did not follow the king's rule and engaged in petty theft. They recently raided a large Jingzhou market ship at a key crossing of the Red River, killing and injuring more than thirty people and stealing copper, jade, rubies, fine tea, and other valuables.

The boatmen wept blood as they went to plead their case; I, your humble servant, am outraged upon reading it!

This is not theft, but betrayal!
The imperial court granted these barbarian people the benefits of salt, iron, tea, and silk, treating them all equally and not exploiting their people; this was the greatest virtue.

Today, those who are greedy for petty gains, harm the crew of the Celestial Empire, and plunder the royal tribute brought to the capital are blinded by profit and forget righteousness. They know only how to seize and do not know the law of Heaven; they know only their tribes and do not know the order of the unified Jing Dynasty!
The principle of the Spring and Autumn Annals states: If barbarians advance into China, we should treat them as Chinese; if they retreat and become like beasts, we should punish them. These barbarians have now severed themselves from the rule of the king; we dare not show them mercy or forgiveness.

Your Majesty, I humbly request that Your Majesty dispatch troops to sail up the Red River, strike directly at the stronghold of the Western Mountains, behead the chieftain of the wicked tribe as a warning to the people, burn their village, destroy their tribe, and exterminate their lineage, so that future barbarians may know: the Great Jing can be appeased, not insulted; trade can be conducted, but not stolen!

The army of a wise ruler has campaigns but no battles; the shame of relying on fortifications, what good will regret do then?

The northern border had nothing to do with the Central Plains before. The North Sea was only considered part of the Central Plains in the mouths of poets.

However, now that the Great Jing Dynasty has been established for eleven years, the mentality of the scholars has also changed.

Just over a decade ago, the Song Dynasty was still paying annual tribute to the Liao Dynasty, and the Liao Dynasty didn't seem to care much about it.

In Yongzhou, the Jiaozhi people killed hundreds of thousands of border residents and invaded the border, but they pretended not to see it.

But things are different now. You killed thirty people?
This is absolutely outrageous!

The tolerance of scholars in the Central Plains is inversely proportional to the strength of the nation. Now, the nation's strength has left them with no tolerance whatsoever.

You always find a way to cause trouble, and you even go out of your way to start one.
Both the south and the north seem to be reminding the rulers and ministers of the Great Jing Dynasty that the conquered territories are not as easy to manage as the Central Plains.

Only drastic measures can deter the local natives.

Moreover, we should gradually relocate people to fill the border areas and encourage Han people to marry more barbarian women so that the Han bloodline can improve the barbarian population. If we continue to allow them to live together and reproduce, they will still be the same in a hundred years.

At this moment in Jinling, it wasn't just one or two people who were furious; everyone in Jingzhou who read the newspaper was gritting their teeth.

It has become almost a consensus that the imperial court will send troops; the only question is how far this will affect the situation.

Inside the imperial city, Chen Shao had gradually regained control of his emotions; he was no longer so easily provoked.

Because he has come to realize that there are indeed many fools in the world, and some of them even wield power.

The entire southwest, not just Jiaozhi and Yunnan, will suffer an unprecedented blow because of this robbery of a ship by thirty people.

Preparations for the conversion of native chieftains to centrally appointed officials began at the founding of the People's Republic of China, and now it is time to bring it to a complete conclusion.

Back then, Chen Shao sent his trusted confidant Zhang Shuye, who had just made great contributions in the war to eliminate Guo Yaoshi.

He was the first to breach Liaoyang Prefecture, severing the connection between Ji and Liao, which were controlled by Guo Yaoshi.

Then he was transferred by Chen Shao to Guizhou, and later to Yunnan.

Before embarking on his inspection tour, Chen Shao ordered the ecological transformation of the entire southwest region.

The terms "tribe," "chieftain," "chief," and "leader" must become history.

In the land of Dajing, there are only officials appointed by the imperial court, no local officials are elected by themselves, and no one can inherit a family business and rule a region for a long time.

Is that still the king's land?

What's the point of taking it? Just for nominal control?
Chen Shao would certainly not suffer this loss, and neither would the current civil and military officials of the Great Jing Dynasty.

It should be noted that even in later generations, local officials deeply resented these local officials.

The very existence of these local officials is a great insult to local officials.

Can you control them? Do they listen to you? Are you still the local official in charge?

These local officials also occupied key roads and fertile fields, affecting the revenue of local government offices. They would also condone their subordinates causing trouble, after which they would flee to their own territories and escape unscathed.

Over time, the authority of local government offices was lost.

Following the disruption of trade routes during the western expedition, which led to the subcontracting of these routes, the people and officials of the Great Jing Dynasty are once again united in their hatred of the enemy.

That is to completely abolish the native chieftain system and replace it with direct imperial administration in the southwest.

When Han Shizhong came to meet the emperor, Chen Shao was having a meal in a side room next to the Funing Hall.

There was a plate of steamed abalone on the table. After the abalone was steamed, the meat had been taken out, cut, and placed back in its shell, and then sprinkled with scallions, ginger, and other seasonings, making it very convenient to eat.

Because of Nanjing's geographical location, he could eat a lot of fresh seafood, but Chen Shao usually didn't eat much of it.

After eating, they would go to the inner palace to relax.

Through the screen, Han Shizhong could vaguely see three figures, one sitting and two standing.

In fact, it was Li Wanshu and Cuidie serving Chen Shao his meal.

"This time, when we wage war in the southwest, I only have two words to say: 'eradicate them completely.'" After finishing his meal, Chen Shao wiped his mouth. "Don't complain about the difficult roads. If the barbarians can go there, we can go there too. If there are really mountains that are difficult to conquer, we'll set off cannons, fires, and smoke, cut off their water supply, and poison them. We'll starve them to death."

"I am not in a hurry to see the results. I have long been prepared for a protracted war. In the past few years, I have had Zhang Shuye build more than seventy large warehouses in the southwest to stockpile supplies for today!"

Upon hearing this, Han Shizhong was overjoyed.

This is simply the way military commanders love to fight.

With no worries about supplies and no one urging them on, they can deploy troops entirely from a military perspective.

If he weren't in such a high position of power, he himself would have wanted to take charge.

Such a task cannot be left to outsiders, so Han Shizhong has already begun to think of which of his trusted confidants is suitable to lead this battle.

Chen Shao seemed to have seen through his thoughts and immediately said, "I have decided to appoint Zhang Shuye as commander-in-chief."

Han Shizhong's eyes darted around, and he said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Shuye is a scholar; I'm afraid he won't be able to bring himself to be ruthless."

Chen Shao remained silent for a moment, then realized that what he said made a lot of sense.

The most important thing about this major move in the southwest is to be 'ruthless'!
The more ruthless, the better.

Even the slightest bit of womanly compassion is unacceptable.

To be honest, Qu Duanlai is the most suitable person to handle this matter; he really doesn't hold back.

However, he was currently in the western expeditionary army, and his position was very important, so he could not be easily moved.

Once the western expedition begins, the generals and commanders cannot be changed, especially the third general of the western expedition, such as Qu Duan.

Han Shizhong was overjoyed to see that he had persuaded Chen Shao, and was about to blurt out the names of his subordinates, Jieyuan and Cheng Min.

Unfortunately, they were a step too late; Chen Shao had already asked, "Where is Wu Lin?"

"In Annam," Han Shizhong could only answer truthfully.

He's in a position because he's too privileged. Annam borders Yunnan, and this whole affair was sparked in Annam.

Chen Shao nodded, stepped out from behind the screen, and said, "Have Wu Lin take Wang Wu and Wang Xi with him."

Who were Wang Wu and Wang Xi? They were the real butchers of the Red River Massacre.

Together with Li Shiyan, who is currently in India, they are probably the most prolific killers of their time.
Moreover, they were under Wu Jie's command when they conquered Jiaozhi, and now they are following Wu Lin, so they can be considered to be generals from the same school.

The most crucial point is that these people are all ruthless.

The Wu brothers were not Han Shizhong's direct subordinates, but rather nobles who could rival him.

Han Shizhong naturally wouldn't give up completely. He quickly said, "Your Majesty, these mountainous areas are difficult to traverse, and pacifying them would be time-consuming and laborious. It would be best to divide them into several war zones and launch a joint operation."

Chen Shao nodded and said, "That makes sense. We can divide them into several groups. We can afford to fight, and we can wear these barbarians down."

"I recommend two men, Cheng Min and Jie Yuan, both veterans of the Western Army and extremely brave."

"I know them, so I will do as you say."
-
Spring of the eleventh year of Jianwu.

The emperor's personal guards in Nanjing had already set off ahead of time to Jiangnan, where they were setting up defenses along the way.

The list of accompanying officials is being released one by one, and they are being asked to prepare in advance and pack their bags to accompany the emperor on his inspection tour.

In an instant, some in the court and the public were happy while others were sad.

There weren't many people accompanying the driver this time, and many people were initially quite upset, but seeing that their colleagues didn't have the opportunity to be accompanied either, they immediately felt better.

In this world, the problem is truly not scarcity but inequality.
With the emperor's inspection tour imminent, the court issued an edict to send troops.

Wu Lin was appointed as the Pacification Commissioner of the Southwest, in charge of the military affairs of the three circuits, and concurrently in charge of matters related to the reform of the system of direct administration, land reclamation, taxation, and the abolition and establishment of Tusi (local chieftains).

The three war zones were Yunnan, Guizhou, and Vietnam, each commanded by a general.

All powers of tribes, chieftains, and tribal leaders were abolished, and they were demoted to local prefects or county magistrates (ranks 7-5). They had no military power or final judicial authority, only the power to execute government orders. They were assessed every three years, and their sons were sent to the Imperial Academy as hostages.

Those who defied orders were executed along with their chieftains, their estates confiscated, and replaced with appointed officials as prefects/county magistrates and military colonies.

Some "Tumu (headmen)" were retained as village heads, subject to the control of the county magistrate.

As soon as the imperial edict was issued, more than a hundred tribes, including the former Luo clan ghost kingdom (Shuixi), Luodian kingdom (Puli tribe/Buyi), Shunyuan tribes (present-day central and western Guizhou, Anshun, Zunyi, and Miao and Dong villages in southeastern Guizhou), the upper reaches of Xishan, the Qinghua Mandong, and the remnants of the Champa tribe in the Yi'an mountain area, rebelled.

This was clearly premeditated and orchestrated.

The Great Jing Dynasty had been planning this for nearly ten years, and they weren't stupid; they had already figured it out.

It was an unspoken understanding that both sides would go to war at the same time. One side was a powerful, unified dynasty in the Central Plains; the other was a group of local bullies who had ruled for thousands of years.

Before the top scholar from the provincial examination departed for the capital, Chen Shao told him that he would spare no effort, even if it meant exhausting the resources of the southwest for ten years, to completely eradicate this stubborn disease.

If they don't submit, you have to keep fighting them, and you have to eliminate them completely.

If we compare the main area to a house, then these places in the southwest are like side rooms. If it really can't be cleaned properly, then we should sweep everything out and renovate it.

The Great Jing Dynasty has only been established for a little over a decade, and the skill level of both high-ranking nobles and mid-to-low-ranking military officers is not an issue.

Especially those who fought the war to establish the nation in the north.

The two recommended by Han Shizhong both started their conquests from the northwest, conquering the Xia dynasty.

In this kind of war, where the strength is unequal and supplies are plentiful, they are even allowed to slowly wear down the enemy.

If anything goes wrong here, it's a crime deserving of execution. (End of Chapter)