The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 314 Double Happiness
In Chengdu, the chill of early spring has not yet faded, but the braziers inside the Han Prince's Mansion are burning brightly.

At this moment, Jiang Han was buried in a pile of official documents, his face showing a hint of fatigue.

The mental and physical exertion required to govern a region is almost comparable to that of mobile warfare in the past.

Just as he was rubbing his temples, preparing to rest for a moment, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

"Report——!"

"Your Majesty, good news from Guizhou!"

The guard's voice rang out at the gate, filled with barely suppressed excitement.
"General Shao has pacified the entire Guizhou region a few days ago, and all the local chieftains have submitted!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han looked up, a hint of joy flashing across his face.

He took the battle report from his personal guard and said in surprise:

"Oh? So fast?"

"It's actually much earlier than I expected."

According to Jiang Han's initial estimate, Guizhou has a complex terrain and is home to many chieftains. If Shao Yong and his team could pacify the main areas within a year, it would be considered a rapid progress.

How long has it been? At most, it's only been ten months.

However, after carefully reading the battle report, he was somewhat dumbfounded.

"Good heavens... Marco, he's usually unassuming, but he's ruthless when it matters."

The battle report details how the frontline troops exploited the conflicts among the chieftains, set up a banquet at Longchang Post Station, and wiped out the chieftains of Shuixi and Gulin in one fell swoop, while simultaneously launching a direct attack on Huanglong and sweeping away their strongholds.

With this series of combined measures, the two major chieftain forces that had been entrenched for centuries were essentially uprooted.

The strategy was to first feign surrender, then lure them with benefits, and finally wipe them out in one fell swoop.

"After all, he followed Hong Chengchou and learned about 70-80% of his methods of 'using suppression instead of appeasement and eradicating evil completely'."

Jiang Han lightly tapped the table with his left hand, pondering to himself.

"Hong's method is still effective. After such a thorough military purge, it is estimated that no trouble will arise in Guizhou in the short term."

"If we add the policy of immigration to the border, I believe that disasters like the She'an Rebellion will not be so easily repeated."

First, clear away obstacles by force, then relocate Han Chinese to populate the population, gradually assimilate the Yi people, and consolidate rule...

This approach, while unsuitable for Han-controlled territories, should be effective in dealing with the southwestern regions under the control of the Han government.

With Yunnan and Guizhou integrated, we can learn from Guizhou's successful experience in developing Yunnan in the future.

However, while the idea was good, there was a more realistic and thorny problem at hand: Jiang Han had no one to rely on.

After more than two years of his efforts, Sichuan has resettled displaced people and restored production, so the shortage of manpower is no longer so severe.

However, the shortage of scholars, especially officials capable of managing local affairs, is growing.

The situation in Guizhou is more complicated than in Sichuan. Originally, most areas were under the autonomy of Tusi (chieftains). Now, officials need to be dispatched to establish a prefecture-county system, and each prefecture and county needs an official who can take charge independently.

This further exacerbated his already strained talent pool.

Due to Jiang Han's reforms to the imperial examination system, many students from Sichuan failed the autumn examination this year.

Although a list of reference books was provided, some of the participants were lazy and ignorant scholars who couldn't pass the provincial examination by rote memorization alone.

According to statistics, out of 4,000 candidates, only 324 passed the provincial examination, with an admission rate as low as 8%.

This was the result of Jiang Han specifically ordering the removal of the limit on the number of people.

After the provincial examination, there will be the metropolitan examination to be held in March this year, and it is unknown how many people will fail.

Logically speaking, this batch of newly appointed scholars should be able to alleviate some of the pressure.

However, Jiang Han already had a preliminary plan for where these people would go, and he intended to first set up the framework of the Censorate.

It has been almost two years since he took office in Sichuan, but he has never initiated an internal review or inspection.

Now the territory has expanded to two provinces. With a larger territory, government affairs have become more complicated, and naturally, more and more officials are needed.

Without an effective oversight system, corruption among officials and ineffective implementation of government policies are inevitable over time.

Rather than relying on the personal character of officials, it would be better to establish an early warning mechanism to nip problems in the bud.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty's own supervisory system was already very complete, and it could be described as the most complex and rigorous system.

It consisted of multiple institutions that supervised and checked each other, together forming the emperor's "eyes and ears" to monitor the bureaucratic system.

The core supervisory departments of the Ming Dynasty can be divided into three major systems: the Censorate, the Six Ministries of Censors, and the Imperial Guard system.

However, Jiang Han did not intend to copy it entirely. He planned to retain only the Censorate and divide its functions into three parts.

The traditional inspection position of "Imperial Inspector" was retained, but it was normalized and scaled up, serving as the eyes and ears of the imperial court stationed in the localities, responsible for recording the performance of officials, investigating local customs and conditions, and reporting the information directly to higher authorities.

The newly established "Office of Investigating Merit and Clarifying Officials" is responsible for investigating and verifying the information reported by censors from various regions, especially for the preliminary screening of officials' performance evaluations and accountability. If serious problems such as corruption are found, the case will be transferred to the Court of Judicial Review.

The Court of Judicial Review was originally a supervisory institution established in the Song Dynasty, whose main function was to review cases adjudicated by the Court of Judicial Review.

However, Jiang Han put new wine in old bottles, transforming the Criminal Trial Court into an institution similar to the procuratorate of later times, and incorporated it into the Censorate system.

The Court of Judicial Review was mainly responsible for organizing evidence and conducting supplementary investigations on cases transferred by the Bureau of Investigation and Appraisal, and then filing a "public prosecution" with the Court of Judicial Review.

The core purpose of designing such a painstaking new oversight system is to decentralize power.

In the Ming Dynasty, although the Imperial Inspector was not of high rank, he held extremely important power and was known as the one who inspected the four directions on behalf of the emperor.

If this imperial inspector is an incompetent fool or a corrupt official, then the so-called inspection tour of the four directions will become a joke.

However, if the imperial inspector discovers a problem, he will also face considerable difficulties.

He not only has to visit people's homes to understand their situation, verify evidence, prepare impeachment memorials, and may even participate in the trial.

Having multiple jobs can easily lead to exhaustion and oversights.

Moreover, the power of the Imperial Inspector was too great, as he combined the powers of investigation, impeachment, and trial, which easily led to corruption and even made him a tool for factional struggles.

Taking these factors into consideration, Jiang Han divided it into three parts: the power of investigation belonged to the Imperial Inspector, the power of review belonged to the Bureau of Merit Evaluation, and the power of prosecution belonged to the Court of Criminal Justice.

These three agencies all belonged to the Censorate, but they were independent of each other. Their reports and conclusions could corroborate each other or question each other.

This will create effective checks and balances within the monitoring system, preventing anyone from abusing their power.

As for the candidate for the head of the Censorate, Jiang Han had already decided, but the appointment had not yet been formally made.

He plans to appoint Wu Xi, the top scorer in last year's imperial examination in Baoning Prefecture, and Chen An, the second-place scorer, as the Left and Right Censors-in-Chief of the Censorate, respectively.

Its main responsibility was to lead and establish the personnel teams for the Bureau of Merit Evaluation and the Court of Criminal Justice.

Jiang Han plans to promote the newly appointed imperial inspectors, who will be recruited in large numbers, from among this year's newly appointed scholars.

Let them start as grassroots inspectors, which will also allow them to develop their abilities.

But now, news from the front lines in Guizhou has disrupted Jiang Han's plans.

Numerous vacant positions for prefectural and county magistrates are available, awaiting appointments to govern the region.

While a supervisory system is important, if local areas are left unmanaged, chaos will immediately ensue, which would be putting the cart before the horse.

Unfortunately, we have no choice but to relocate the talent pool originally intended for the oversight system to local governance.

Moreover, Guizhou has been a wild and undeveloped place since ancient times, and it's unknown how many people would give up taking up the post.

"Plans can't keep up with changes!"

Jiang Han shook his head helplessly, and then summoned Wang Chengbi, the head of the academic department.

Regarding the upcoming spring imperial examination, he gave new instructions, requiring the Ministry of Education to appropriately relax the criteria for reviewing the questions.

Now that Guizhou has been newly established, it urgently needs officials, and the most important thing is to select a group of talents who can take office immediately and handle practical matters.

In addition, he instructed Wang Chengbi to release information in advance and to align policy issues with the governance of Guizhou, the reform of the Tusi system, and the development of the frontier.

This was intended to guide students preparing for exams to think about practical matters such as how to govern newly opened areas, appease the Yi and Han people, and promote agricultural education.

Wang Chengbi understood immediately and nodded in agreement:

"Understood, Your Majesty, I will adjust the examination syllabus and evaluation criteria immediately."

After arranging this urgent matter, Jiang Han leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

He was exhausted from reviewing a large number of memorials and handling important military and political affairs every day.

Jiang Han couldn't help but wonder if it was time to put a cabinet-like system of assisting government officials on the agenda as soon as possible.

Find a few capable and loyal ministers to help handle daily government affairs, and you only need to grasp the general direction.

Otherwise, if this continues, the body may really not be able to take it.

The problem was that the regime was newly established and lacked talent, so he had to do everything himself, fearing that something might go wrong.

Thinking of this, Jiang Han couldn't help but admire Old Zhu.

After abolishing the position of prime minister, Zhu Yuanzhang was able to personally handle a massive number of memorials for more than a decade, as if he were made of iron.

A few days ago, Zheng Zhifeng and her entourage returned to Chengdu from the front lines in Guizhou. They even made a special trip to say goodbye to Jiang Han before returning to Fujian.

No one knows what Zheng Zhifeng went through on this trip, but after returning, his attitude was noticeably more friendly and familiar.

Before leaving, Zheng Zhifeng had a long talk with Jiang Han for several days and finalized several new collaborations.

In addition to the previously agreed-upon Shu brocade, raw silk, and precious medicinal herbs, he also proposed a substantial order for military equipment.

This puzzled Jiang Han somewhat. Foshan in Guangdong and Macau were full of craftsmen and ironworks.

The Zheng family had a well-developed maritime trade network, so why did they choose to go to the inland Sichuan province to purchase military equipment?

However, a casual suggestion from Zheng Zhifeng sparked a thought in Jiang Han's mind.

He vaguely mentioned that if Jiang Han could take over Guangxi and enter Qinzhou in the future, gaining access to the sea, the two sides could communicate directly by sea.

Its efficiency is far greater than relying on the Yangtze River waterway and going upstream.

This not only reduces transportation costs but also avoids interference from government troops or bandits along the way.

Jiang Han did not refuse, but said that he would make plans after the southwest was pacified.

He pondered that with convenient sea transport and the Zheng family's powerful maritime influence, perhaps they could bring grain from overseas.

Not long after Zheng Zhifeng left, Gao Yingxiang also came to say goodbye.

After resting in Sichuan for a month or two, the rebel army had basically recovered its strength. Now that spring was approaching, it was the perfect time to go out and make a name for themselves.

Gao Yingxiang was unwilling to remain subservient to others for long, so he planned to return to the Central Plains to continue his rebellion.

Gao Yingxiang was very cautious about Jiang Han's offer to provide military supplies and provisions, and only symbolically accepted a small portion.

For the rest, he insisted on purchasing at market price, keeping clear accounts and not overstepping any boundaries.

When Gao Yingxiang first arrived in Sichuan, he was simply amazed by Jiang Han's ability to govern the region.

In just two years, they not only conquered the entire Sichuan province, but also governed it in an orderly manner.

To Gao Yingxiang and his gang of uprising leaders who were constantly on the run, this was almost unbelievable.

We all came from a rebellious background, so it's understandable that you, Jiang Han, are good at fighting, after all, you're a senior figure.

But where did you learn this ability to govern a local area?
The longer Gao Yingxiang stayed in Sichuan, the more apprehensive he became. Under Jiang Han's rule, government orders were efficient, he was deeply loved by the people, and his army was well-trained and well-supplied, making it a stable rear area.

If they were allowed to operate for a few more years, who knows how many more soldiers they could muster.

Gao Yingxiang was afraid that his soldiers would cause trouble in Sichuan and give Jiang Han an excuse to kill them.

Therefore, he repeatedly ordered everyone in the camp to abide by the law, conduct fair trade, and not to disturb the local area.

Jiang Han was fully aware of Gao Yingxiang's ulterior motives, but he didn't take them to heart.

In his view, Gao Yingxiang's forces had been severely weakened after last year's crushing defeat, losing all their elite troops and their strength was far less than before.

With Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou in charge of the three border regions of Shaanxi, it was almost impossible for Gao Yingxiang to fight back and replenish his troops.

He will most likely be able to fight in places like Hubei and Hunan, just like Zhang Xianzhong.

Having lost his main force and elite troops, Gao Yingxiang was destined to be insignificant and could only serve as a vanguard for the king.

In order to further "support" the uprising army in the Huguang area, Jiang Han and Gao Yingxiang discussed setting up a transit market at the Yangtze River estuary near Kuizhou Prefecture.

The looted goods obtained by the various rebel armies could be converted into cash through market transactions.

Jiang Han was willing to act as an arms dealer, providing the rebel army with much-needed firearms, swords, armor, and other military supplies.

Of course, Jiang Han also put forward his own conditions: the transaction should be mainly in gold and silver, and antiques and calligraphy and paintings should be sold at a discount.

Furthermore, for every thousand taels of silver spent on military supplies, 20% must be exchanged for an equivalent amount of grain; otherwise, the price of military equipment will increase by 20%.

The condition sounded a bit harsh, but after careful consideration, Gao Yingxiang gritted his teeth and agreed.

There was no other way; the fighting strength of his troops was insufficient, and he urgently needed superior equipment to make up for it.

As the war intensifies, local gentry have built high walls and fortresses to protect themselves.

Without the artillery provided by Sichuan, they probably wouldn't have been able to conquer even the landlord's stronghold, let alone the county town.

Unlike Jiang Han, they don't have a stable rear area to produce their own weapons; they have no choice but to buy them at a premium.

And so, not long after the Lantern Festival, Gao Yingxiang hurriedly left Chengdu, preparing to leave Sichuan via the Huguang region.

After seeing off Zheng Zhifeng and Gao Yingxiang's groups, Jiang Han finally felt a little relieved.

Unexpectedly, news of the pacification of Guizhou suddenly arrived, adding even more burden to his shoulders.

Jiang Han rubbed his temples and instructed the guard beside him:
"Go and bring Zhao Sheng back to me."

"The fighting at the front is over; hurry up and bring him back to handle official business."

"I will assign someone else to oversee the transport of grain and fodder."

He paused, then added.

"Furthermore, order all the tribes in Guizhou not to return to the capital in full for the time being."

"Leave 20,000 elite troops to be stationed in key locations."

"Guizhou's prefectures and counties will be temporarily under military control, pending my dispatch of officials to take over."

"Take advantage of this time to have them organize manpower, build fortresses and cities, and recruit local people to train militia, with a ratio of four Han to one Yi, as a long-term defense plan."

After making some arrangements, it was getting late.

Jiang Han was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and did not want to deal with official business anymore, so he instructed the eunuch:

"Prepare the carriage and return to Changchun Palace."

Surrounded by eunuchs, Jiang Han returned to the inner palace of the Prince's mansion as dusk fell.

As they approached the Changchun Palace, they saw that the main hall was brightly lit, and many eunuchs and maids were gathered outside the gate, whispering and discussing something, their expressions showing a hint of anticipation.

Seeing this, Jiang Han immediately stepped forward, coughed lightly, and asked:
What are you all doing gathered here?

"It's getting late, Your Highness, haven't you rested yet?"

Upon hearing his voice, everyone hurriedly knelt down and bowed in unison.

"See you, Your Majesty!"

A leading eunuch stepped forward, knelt twice, and responded:

"Your Majesty, the Queen Consort suddenly felt unwell this afternoon, and several groups of doctors have been summoned to the palace to treat her."

“We servants are worried about you, so we are waiting here for news.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han's heart tightened. Without asking any further questions, he immediately stepped into the hall.

Inside the hall, candlelight shone brightly, and several female officials and physicians were busy with their own tasks. Although their faces showed worry, they did not seem particularly panicked; on the contrary, they seemed to have a hint of joy.

Upon seeing Jiang Han enter, everyone quickly stood up.

"No courtesy at all."

Jiang Han waved his hand and walked straight into the inner room, asking softly through the gauze curtain:

"Yiying, how are you feeling?"

Where do you feel unwell?

The voice of Princess Wang Yiying came from inside the tent; it sounded somewhat weak.

"It is no great concern to Your Majesty."

"We've already consulted a doctor, and he said... he said..."

The person inside the tent seemed somewhat shy and suddenly stopped.

Jiang Han waited for a moment, but heard nothing more. He became even more puzzled and turned to look at the doctors standing outside.

One of them, surnamed Zhang, was a skilled physician in the former Shu King's palace.

Jiang Han immediately leaned forward and asked in a low voice:
"Dr. Zhang, what exactly is wrong with the princess?"

"But it doesn't matter."

Upon hearing this, Doctor Zhang's expression hardened, and he immediately bowed deeply, responding loudly:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"The princess is not ill; she is pregnant!"

"Your Majesty is pregnant!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han was stunned and could hardly believe his ears.

"Are you happy?"

He glanced sharply at the curtain, then at the physician.
Is this true? Are you absolutely certain?

Dr. Zhang nodded solemnly:

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true!"

"I and two other colleagues have examined it. The pulse is smooth and flowing like pearls, a typical slippery pulse, which is undoubtedly a good omen."

At this moment, the female attendant serving nearby also spoke up to confirm:
"Your Majesty, Physician Zhang is a master doctor; he cannot be wrong."

"Moreover, this afternoon, three doctors came to check my pulse, and they all said it was a sign of pregnancy!"

Upon hearing the news, a surge of immense joy welled up within him, sweeping away Jiang Han's days of toil and exhaustion.

He laughed loudly:
"Good! Good! Good!"

“Everyone will be rewarded!”

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall knelt down in unison and shouted:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Jiang Han, beaming with joy, then waved his hand dismissively:
"Happy together! Happy together!"

After speaking, he walked back towards the gauze curtain, his voice becoming exceptionally gentle:
"Yiying, how are you feeling?"

How severe is the morning sickness?

After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply, Jiang Han didn't take it seriously and went to see Doctor Zhang again.

"How far along is the princess in her pregnancy?"

Is everything alright?

Dr. Zhang answered respectfully one by one:

"Your Majesty, judging from the pulse, the pregnancy is stable, and the pregnancy is about one month in advance."

"The princess is just feeling nauseous and vomiting, which is a normal reaction. She will recover after a few days of rest. Your Majesty need not worry."

Jiang Han was relieved to hear this.

He felt a pang of guilt, realizing that he had been preoccupied with state affairs and had neglected the princess.

This is his first child, and very likely the heir to this regime; there is no room for error.

His expression immediately turned serious, and he instructed the chief eunuch beside him:
"The princess is pregnant, which is a blessing for the country and a matter of utmost importance. There must be no carelessness whatsoever."

"Go immediately and invite the former royal physicians from the Shu Prince's Palace, as well as other renowned doctors in the city skilled in this field, to form a team to treat the pregnancy and ensure proper care."

"Secondly, all prescriptions must be reviewed by all doctors together, and the medicine can only be dispensed after they are confirmed to be correct."

"The medicinal herbs in the government storehouse must be inspected in advance, and the decoction process must be strictly controlled to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

The chief eunuch, knowing the gravity of the matter, quickly bowed and replied:
"The slaves obey the orders!"

"We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety and well-being of the Queen and the heir!"

After saying this, he hurriedly apologized and left to arrange various matters.

Soon, the news of the princess's pregnancy spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the entire Chengdu officialdom from the palace, and then throughout the whole city.

Compared to the news of the great victory in Guizhou that came at the same time, this news seemed to ignite the enthusiasm of officials and the people even more.

Officials at all levels were overjoyed upon hearing the news.

The birth of a prince is directly related to the stable succession of the regime.

Their wealth, status, and political ambitions were inextricably linked to this emerging regime.

Ordinary people also talked about it with great interest, and teahouses, taverns, and street gossip were filled with blessings and expectations for the succession of the king.

The reason everyone is living such a good life now is entirely due to the efforts of the King of Han.

Now that the king has an heir, it means their good days can continue, and anyone who hears this news will be overjoyed.

Later on, the people even started to beat drums and gongs in the city to celebrate this happy event.

The temple was constantly filled with the smoke of incense, and the number of people coming to offer incense and make wishes almost wore down the temple's threshold.

Upon learning this news, Jiang Han instructed the official in charge of recording the events to make a note of it.

"On the day of Bingwu in the second month of the tenth year of Chongzhen's reign, the princess was pregnant."

"When the good news from Guizhou arrived, the people alone rejoiced at the arrival of the new news. The streets were filled with gongs and drums, and the temples were filled with incense. This was because the foundation of the country was now solid, and the people's hearts were at peace."

(End of this chapter)