The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"Dong dong dong."

There was a knock on the study door, and the third brother's voice came from outside the door: "Brother, brother, are you in there?"

The shouting woke Xian Gui, who came to his senses and pretended to be calm: "Come in."

After finishing speaking, Xian Gui looked around and saw the letter paper falling on the ground. He hurriedly bent down to pick it up, folded it and put it into the envelope.

At this time, Xian Laosan had already opened the door and entered the house. Seeing his elder brother sitting on the chair, Xian Laosan said cheerfully: "Brother, why are you shutting yourself in the room alone? I thought it was inconvenient to come in, haha. ."

"Is something wrong?"

At this time, Xian Gui was in a state of confusion and was naturally not in the mood to chat with his brothers.

"Brother, I checked the warehouses of several businesses in the city today and found a lot."

Xian Laosan opened his mouth to report the great achievements of today's inspection to his elder brother. However, although Xian Gui tried to keep calm at this time, his eyes were a little wandering, and he obviously did not listen to his words attentively.

This is not normal.

Xian Laosan is very familiar with his eldest brother. Apart from women, he is gold and silver. Shouldn't he be excited if he brings him good news?

"Brother, what's wrong with you?"

Xian Laosan stopped talking and asked in surprise.

"Have you packed everything for the past three days?"

Xian Gui didn't answer, but asked.

"We are packing. I was just going to tell you that there are a lot of things. Should I transport a batch of packed goods across the river first to avoid a hasty shipment?

I heard that Mang Yinglong is coming in two days, so we have to make preparations early, at least to send all the things we have been busy with in the past few days to be safe. "

Xian Laosan had already noticed something was wrong, but he still answered the elder brother's question first.

Xian Gui glanced at his third brother and thought about it before saying, "Third brother, do you still remember the batch of goods we sent to Baojing three years ago?"

"Three years ago, Baojing?"

At first, Xian Laosan was indifferent, but when he heard the elder brother say the name of Baojing, his eyes narrowed.

Of course he knew about Baojing and had been to it several times, but it was not in the Ming Dynasty, but in Mengmi.

"Brother, why did you talk about this?"

Xian Laosan walked up to Xian Gui in two steps and asked in a low voice.

It was a sensitive time at this time. No matter how unreliable he was, he knew that anything involving Myanmar at this time was not a trivial matter. If it was spread, the court would be held accountable.

Moreover, now that Myanmar has rebelled, the bosses in Kunming should also be looking for officials who can take the blame.

If it were rumored that they had business dealings with Myanmar, this iron pot of collaborating with the enemy would be directly blamed on them.

"What you do in the beginning is what you do. When people pass by you leave your name, and when the geese pass by you leave your voice."

Xian Guiyin said with a sullen face.

"Why, brother, is it over there?"

Xian Laosan said anxiously.

At this time, he really couldn't afford to be impatient. This was a serious crime that would bring harm to the family. How could they dare to bear it? They couldn't afford it.

"Take a look."

Xian Gui handed the envelope he had collected directly to Xian Laosan and asked him to read it himself.

After taking the envelope and just reading the words on it, Xian Laosan's hands began to tremble.

Shivering, he pulled out the letter paper inside and read it word by word. Soon the letter slipped from his hand and he had close contact with the earth again.

"What should I do, brother, I don't want to die."

At this time, Xian Laosan was just like Xian Gui just now. His legs softened in despair, and he knelt down directly on the ground. His lips moved and he didn't know what he was muttering.

"Why panic? It all depends on people. We have to make a careful calculation this time and we must not make any mistakes."

Xian Gui had wiped away the previous gaffe, he had calmed down, and began to search for a way to deal with it in his mind.

After hearing the elder brother's words, Xian Laosan also came to his senses.

"What to do, brother, I'm very confused right now and don't know what to do."

Xian Laosan was also sincere and directly expressed his inner situation.

In fact, Xian Gui was like this before. If his third brother hadn't knocked on the door, he didn't know how long he would have stayed in the house.

"Ming Dynasty or Myanmar, how do you choose?"

Gritting his teeth, Xian Gui asked.

"this"

Xian Laosan's mouth moved, and then he lowered his head to think.

"Da Ming, I'm afraid there is no way for us to survive. Kunming is hoping that someone will jump out and take the blame. When the time comes, they will directly accuse us of having foreign affairs, saying that we brought the Burmese people here.

No matter how much money you give, I'm afraid it won't be as valuable as our heads. "

Xian Gui said fiercely.

"Yes, the faces of those people are such that even if they can let us go, they are afraid they will break our bones and suck out our marrow and eat us clean. They may not really let me go."

Xian Laosan suddenly raised his head and said to his elder brother.

Most of Xian Gui's contacts with the outside world are handled by Xian Laosan, because he is proficient in eating, drinking, prostitution, and gambling, which makes him suitable for dealing with those officials.

He has no official status, so he can do anything easily, and no censor will keep an eye on him.

Because of this, Xian Laosan knew a lot about the habits of the officials in Kunming.

He was still thinking about the eldest brother's question just now, but the eldest brother's words were like a hook, which immediately drew out his judgment on Kunming officials.

They can't be trusted.

“But brother, you know that the imperial court has been preparing for Burma since early in the morning. If this war breaks out, Burma will definitely lose.

They were able to get here because they took advantage of the unexpected situation, and the court did not trust the chieftains on the border, so they did not send reinforcements to the border. "

Xian Lao San continued with a slightly trembling voice.

"Do we have a choice?"

Xian Gui said without hesitation.

Hearing this, Xian Lao San lowered his head and said nothing.

They had no choice.

"Even if the court wins, as long as we run into Myanmar first, Myanmar will still be the Three Xuans and Six Weis in the future. As long as we don't return to the Ming Dynasty, how can they find us?"

Xian Gui said again.

"Yes, yes, brother, you are absolutely right. We can hide in Myanmar and nothing will happen. "

The third brother echoed.

The eldest brother's words hit the nail on the head. According to the court's attitude towards Myanmar, as long as Myanmar admits defeat and becomes a vassal, everything will seem to be back to square one.

Yes, the Ming Dynasty never seemed to have the intention to continue expanding beyond Yunnan. They always rewarded the chieftains and let them govern themselves. They only needed to send a piece of paper to Kunming every year to express their loyalty and tribute.

Before the Yuan Dynasty, the Central Plains dynasty's border management policy was mainly "control".

The core concepts of control include "control" and "tie", where "control" refers to control with military and political pressure, and "tie" refers to appeasement through economic and material benefits.

This policy allows ethnic minority areas to maintain their original social organization and management institutions, recognizes the political ruling status of their chiefs and leaders in their own ethnic groups and regions, and appoints minority leaders to rule the border. The local leaders of several ethnic groups are local officials.

Except for being politically subordinate to the central dynasty and having the obligation to pay tribute economically, all other affairs are managed by the leaders of ethnic minorities themselves.

Due to the limitations of the times, the "control of the rule" is still in the early stage of effective management. The arbitrariness and irregular implementation in its implementation are more obvious. At the same time, there are few changes based on the differences between the north and the south and the characteristics of different periods.

For example, the border counties of the Han Dynasty and the control of the prefectures and states of the Tang Dynasty were generally applied to the borders of various places. There were no changes and specific and clear regulations based on local conditions. Emphasis on defense and light development are the common characteristics of the border management of the two dynasties. In terms of system construction and supervision and guarantee, there is also a lack of due attention.

Faced with a new world pattern, the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty rarely have the concept of "internal Chinese and external barbarians" and "guarding the four barbarians". They advocate simplicity and ease in doing things.

More than 20 years before the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongolian army traveled a long distance to pacify the Dali Kingdom and implemented the Wanhu system that was common in the northern grasslands, but the Yunnan region was in turmoil.

Sayyid Ajjal, a minister with rich ruling experience, was ordered to establish a province in Yunnan. After investigation, he decided to abolish the Wanhu system and try out the system of appointing local barbarians as court officials. After implementation, it was widely promoted in the southern border areas due to significant results.

Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and subsequent emperors abandoned the Yuan Dynasty's practice of expanding outward by relying on the border, and inherited the Han and Tang Dynasty's policy of "guarding the four barbarians".

In the 22nd year of Jiajing, Emperor Jiajing said: The emperor's policy is to guard the four barbarians. Now I want to seek a long-term and peaceful strategy, and there is no other way than the strategy of guarding, which roughly represents the views of the rulers of the Ming Dynasty.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang did not try to continue to expand outward, but the Ming army marched into Yunnan Although the remnants of the Yuan army were easily defeated, they were fiercely resisted by the local barbarians. The native officials of the Yuan Dynasty in Dali, Baoshan, Dehong and other places, as well as some native officials who had already submitted to the Ming Dynasty, rose up one after another, and it took more than ten years to finally quell the rebellion.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang made a judgment that the barbarians in Yunnan and other places were strong and difficult to rule, and they must be suppressed by heavy troops, so he made it a rule to guard Yunnan with heavy troops.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty designated Yunnan as the southwestern border and no longer tried to expand outward.

For most of the time after the Ming Dynasty, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty neglected politics, the government was sluggish and the officials were corrupt, which had an extremely adverse impact on the implementation of the ruling system.

This shows that the repeated mistakes in the border governance of the Ming Dynasty were not due to the imperfect system, but mainly due to the corruption of the government and the poor execution. This was particularly evident in the fact that the chieftains often procrastinated and shirked their responsibilities in handling the succession procedures, or the chieftains who applied for succession rebelled in anger.

The frequent unrest in the southwestern border in the middle of the Ming Dynasty was also related to the weaknesses of the chieftain system itself.

"Ming History·Tusi Biography" said that Tusi "must borrow our titles and favor them with names, so that they are easy to control, so they run around and obey orders." If the court dispatches too many people, "they will change in a hurry, rely on their merits and mistakes, and invade more deeply."

In addition to the resistance caused by the court's conscription, Tusi gained the protection of the court and gradually mastered the way to deal with the government. Usually, they enriched themselves by collecting more taxes. When conditions were met, they gradually became stronger and even split and separated with the local army they controlled.

There is a popular folk song: "The government only loves a piece of paper, and it has lost two thousand miles of land."

This is not only a folk song, but also a true portrayal of the court's governance of the border.

Giving Tusi a letter of appointment will exchange for annual tributes and congratulations, and then whitewashing the peace and prosperity of the country.

As for who is in charge of those places and what their surnames are, it doesn't matter.

However, Wei Guangde did not consider following the old system when he used troops against Myanmar this time, but planned to change the locals to officials.

Let Li Chengliang deal with the Tusi in the southwest as much as possible, and change the people under the Tusi's management to the management of officials appointed by the court, so as to fundamentally prevent such incidents from happening.

As for the Tusi in the Ming Dynasty, before a large-scale rebellion occurs, the court cannot deal with them directly, and can only take it slowly.

Li Chengliang actually only has a vague understanding of Wei Guangde's intention, but he understands the meaning of eliminating Tusi.

It's just that the meaning behind this operation is not fully understood.

But it will be soon. When the war is over and the Ming Dynasty appoints officials to take over, the effect will gradually emerge.

This is actually some inspiration that Wei Guangde got from "Yongzheng Dynasty". Emperor Yongzheng did more than just return the embezzlement to the public and distribute the tax to the land, there are many other practices.

However, the TV series focuses more on these two reform measures with huge impact.

Changing the natives to the official system is a major reform of the chieftain system in southern Xinjiang by Emperor Yongzheng.

In the second year of Yongzheng, he felt deeply about the drawbacks of the chieftain system and the evil deeds of the chieftains. In the imperial edict to the governors of Sichuan and other places, he said:

"I heard that the chieftains in various places rarely know the law and discipline, and the local people under their jurisdiction are subject to the annual tax, which is more than double the official tax collected by the officials. They even take their cattle and horses, seize their children, and kill them at will. The local people are bullied by them, and dare to be angry but dare not speak out." He asked them to strengthen the management of the chieftains, but he did not have an effective method, and it didn't work.

In September of the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign, Ortai, the governor-general of Yunnan and Guizhou, submitted a memorial to the emperor, suggesting that the aboriginals should be converted to civilians, and formulated an implementation policy:

"Capturing by trickery is the best strategy, while suppressing by force is the worst strategy. Forcing them to surrender is the best strategy, while forcing them to surrender is the worst strategy."

For those who surrender, "only their land tax will be collected, their household registration will be checked, and they will still be supported according to their conditions, and they will be granted titles and robes for life as encouragement."

That is to say, the strategy of converting to civilians should involve the use of military force, but not rely solely on force, so as to minimize the impact and reduce resistance as much as possible, so as to achieve stability quickly.

Emperor Yongzheng had long admired Ortai's talents. According to his idea of ​​"governing people without governing methods", he believed that Ortai could do a good job of this matter, so he read the memorial and commented "good" on learning, and finally commented:

"I am so pleased that I am moved! What can I say? Try your best!"

All his suggestions were approved, and he was encouraged to implement them.

Under the guidance of Emperor Yongzheng, governors and governors-general such as Ortai, Zhang Guangsi, and Ha Yuansheng worked hard to implement the policy of reforming the local officials. By the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign, the Yunnan-Guizhou region had basically completed the reform of the local officials.

The reform of the local officials in Hunan, Hubei, and Sichuan was well prepared, and was completed by the end of Yongzheng's reign and the beginning of Qianlong's reign.

Guizhou was the most extensive region in the reform, and the newly established prefectures and counties were equivalent to the area of ​​the original prefectures and counties.

The content of the reform included: abolishing hereditary local officials, setting up prefectures, prefectures, counties, dispatching officials, adding towns and camps, reforming the tax and service system, and establishing schools.

The local officials were naturally unwilling to accept Yongzheng's measures, so they also rebelled many times.

In response, the Qing court directly sent heavy troops to suppress it by force.

In fact, even if the local officials were not reformed, the contradiction between the court and the local officials could not be eradicated, and such a result would have occurred sooner or later.

If Xian Gui knew the purpose of the court's action, he would not have considered fleeing to Burma as his final goal, but would have used it as a springboard to escape to the Southeast Asian countries through Burma.

Unfortunately, in the Yunnan officialdom, except for Li Chengliang and Li Rusong, no one else knew about these follow-up arrangements.

"Brother, shall I contact Hanba?"

Xian Lao San had already made up his mind to survive and surrender.

"Be careful, I should also clean up those people in the city."

Xian Gui said in a low voice.