Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2301: Three Triumphant Returns (Thirteen) Western Regions Protectorate

The spring sun shone through the exquisite glazed tiles of the palace and onto the golden brick floor of the West Warm Pavilion, creating patches of mottled light and shadow. Gao Fusi walked slowly towards them in a bright red silk dragon robe. This top-grade robe, which symbolized nobility and honor, looked particularly solemn on him.

He walked calmly through the corridor of the palace, each step seemed so steady, as if each step was telling of his unparalleled achievements and power. The sunlight shone on his body through the glazed tiles, making his tall figure more majestic in the golden halo.

The West Warm Pavilion has a majestic appearance and is decorated with elaborate decorations. Various famous calligraphy and paintings are hung on the walls, each of which is a rare and precious copy.

Emperor Zhu Yijun sat on the dragon throne with his legs crossed, reading the memorial carefully with a gentle and kind look. From the faint smile on his face, we can see that he is satisfied with the situation and is looking forward to Gao Youshi's arrival.

"The Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace and the Marquis of Nanning Gao Shiwu is here to see you!"

Following Chen Ju's loud announcement, Zhu Yijun moved his eyes away from the memorial and said, "Please let the Prime Minister in." As he spoke, he put down his crossed legs, stood up with a smile.

The emperor naturally did not have to welcome his subjects, but Gao Youshi was not an ordinary subject, and Zhu Yijun was always willing to give him some special treatments that ordinary people would not dare to imagine.

Gao Youshi stepped into the cabinet, bowed respectfully, and said in a firm and clear voice: "I, Gao Youshi, have come to see you, Your Majesty, by imperial decree."

Zhu Yijun walked up to him with a smile, held his arm with one hand, and said, "No need to be polite, come, let's sit down and talk... Chen Ju, quickly serve tea to the prime minister."

Gao Fusi hurriedly said, "How dare I trouble the seal holder with such a trivial matter?"

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and smiled, "You are so busy that you forgot the date. This year's new tea has just arrived in the palace. I just drank it yesterday. It is really good, so I share it with you today."

Gao Youshi suddenly realized: "So early, I guess it's Mingqian tea? I really forgot about this." Mingqian tea means the first batch of new tea picked before Qingming Festival, which is generally of the best quality.

Chen Ju on the side also smiled and said, "Your Majesty has worked hard for the Emperor and solved countless problems. The Emperor asked me to serve you tea. It is my blessing." After saying that, he turned around and left with a smile.

Gao Youshi smiled but thought to himself: Fortunately, Chen Ju and I have a good relationship, otherwise I would have to worry about being hated by the internal minister.

At this moment, Zhu Yijun had already taken his seat and asked Gao Fusi to sit down again. Gao Fusi sat down halfway and waited for Zhu Yijun to ask questions.

"Ri Xin, the battle situation in the Western Region is now clear. Now it's time to deal with the aftermath, right?" Zhu Yijun was not polite and went straight to the point.

Gao Youshi nodded slightly and said, "The Western Regions are too far away, and the war situation cannot be controlled remotely. Even if Liu Jing submits a memorial to ask for advice, I think it is not a good idea to interfere too much... Originally, I had given instructions before the war that if the situation permits, he can consider taking Andijan.

However, since he has come to ask about this, the situation must not be so optimistic. In my opinion, it is because Burihatu has some concerns about personally covering the rear, which is understandable. In this case, let him figure it out himself, so... it is indeed as the emperor said, the court should now consider the post-war settlement. "

"The three of them..." Zhu Yijun pointed westward and said, "Each of them said something. I think these three were recommended by you, and they must have received guidance from you. So instead of reading their memorials, I might as well ask you directly... You told me some things last time, but they were all specific things. Today I want to hear your overall plan."

Gao Youshi smiled and said, "The overall plan is to stabilize the Western Region and ensure long-term peace and stability. But to achieve this, we have to do it one thing at a time."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "Okay, then tell me."

"The Western Regions are too far away, and it is indeed difficult to govern them as a province in the interior. Wang Tingzhuan proposed to establish the Western Regions Protectorate, and I think it is feasible." Gao Youshi said seriously: "However, precisely because it is too far away, the court needs to guard against the emergence of separatist intentions in the local area. Therefore, the situation has become that we must give some autonomy that the interior does not have, but we cannot give too much."

Zhu Yijun asked calmly: "What are you going to do?"

Gao Youshi said: "First, although a Protectorate is to be established, the official system under this Protectorate cannot be too different from that of the inland provinces. For example, the Protectorate will have a Protector General, who will be appointed by the emperor for a five-year term and cannot be re-elected for more than two terms in principle, except with the emperor's special permission. At the same time, there must also be a Deputy Protector General, who will be nominated by the Ordos tribe, which will soon be moving to the Qihe area with its entire clan - this Deputy Protector General does not have to have a term limit."

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "What rank should be given to the Protector-General and the Deputy Protector-General? I mean, if the Protector-General's rank is too high, I'm afraid his authority will be too great, and it will be difficult to get rid of him. If the rank is too low, I'm afraid that the Deputy Protector-General who came from the Ordos tribe will be resentful, which is not good either."

Gao Youshi thought for a moment and said, "The Protector-General should be roughly on par with the Governor-General. He can be given the title of Minister of War and be considered as a second-rank official. As for the Deputy Protector-General, it is enough to be given the title of Vice Minister of War. If he has many military achievements, or has been stationed at the frontier for a long time and is loyal, he can be promoted to Minister of War as appropriate."

Zhu Yijun was surprised and asked, "Isn't this almost the same as the three border areas of Shaanxi?"

Gao Shishi said: "That's true. Otherwise, if it's too special, it will be easy to change."

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and asked, "What about those below the governor?"

"The Military Preparation Department will still be established, and it will have jurisdiction over several prefectures or counties," Gao Youshi replied.

Zhu Yijun then asked: "How should the military preparation department be set up?"

Gao Shishi said: "I think the Western Regions can be divided into five regions from a geographical point of view, the Ili Basin, the area north of the desert, the area south of the desert, the Wala area, and the area around Hami. Among them, the Ili Basin is the core of the Protectorate, and it is also the area that I proposed to focus on construction. Therefore, there is no need to set up a military preparation road, but it can be directly managed by the Protectorate.

To the north of the desert are the cities along the line of Kashgar and Aksu, where the Kashgar Military Road can be set up; to the south of the desert are the cities along the line of Khotan, where the Khotan Military Road can be set up; the areas of the Oirat are the old areas of the Oirat, where there are few cities, where the Beshbalik Military Road can be set up, or another suitable area can be found to build a city for governance; the areas along the line of Hami and Turpan can be set up the Hami Military Road. "

Zhu Yijun quickly found a geomancy map and looked at it for a while before asking, "I think the rest of the lands are all OK, but the Wala lands are so huge, isn't Beshbalik too far south to govern the north? Also, the oasis around Hami doesn't seem to be as big as Turpan, so why is the military headquarters set up in Hami instead of Turpan?"

Gao Youshi said: "Beshbalik is indeed too far to the south, so I said that we can consider finding another suitable place to build a city and set it as the seat of government. As for Hami and Turpan, it is true that Turpan's oasis is larger, and the area is very suitable for growing grapes and developing the wine industry. However, Your Majesty, Hami is the key to connecting Gansu and the Western Regions, and it must be foolproof, so I think we should set up a military reserve to ensure safety. Although Turpan has greater potential for economic development, it is sandwiched between Yili and Hami. Even if there is an alarm, as long as the armies of Hami and Yili advance from the east and west and attack from both sides, nothing can be done to turn the tide."

"I see." Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "I won't say much about Hami. As for Beshbalik, it's too far south. I think we should find another place to build the city... Do you have any suggestions?"

Gao Fusi's brain twitched, and he almost said "Karamay", but then he remembered that there was no such thing as Karamay in those days. It was a place that was only built in 1958. Besides, the Karamay area was later known as "Oil City" and "Black Oil Mountain", and its main business was the oil industry, which Gao Fusi could not do now.

After suppressing this strange thought, Gao Youshi looked at the map and slowly pointed to a large lake in the middle of the Irtysh River and said, "This place should be called Zhaisang Lake. I think we can build a city here as the headquarters of the military preparation department."

Zhu Yijun looked at the terrain and thought it was a good place to build a city, so he asked, "What should we call this new city?"

Gao Guoshi said: "Of course, the emperor has to make the final decision."

Zhu Yijun was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "How about calling it Rixin City?"

Gao Youshi decisively waved his hand and declined, saying, "I have no credit for recovering the place, so how can this place be named after me? It is absolutely not allowed."

"Why not? Although you are not leading the troops on the front line in this battle, you are the one who made the most contributions and won the battle thousands of miles away. I think it is very appropriate to name a city after you."

Gao Youshi firmly refused to accept the offer, saying, "If I can become famous in the rear, how can I be worthy of the generals and warriors who have to sleep in the open air and die on the front line? Your Majesty, I am not being hypocritical, but I must not use the name of this city."

He spoke firmly, and his expression was even more resolute, so Zhu Yijun had to give up and said, "Since you insist on not doing it, then this place... will be called Fuyuan." Gao Youshi bowed and said, "I'll make a note of it."

Zhu Yijun sighed, as if he was feeling emotional, and then he said thoughtfully: "Let's talk about the military preparation department first. How should the prefectures and counties under it be set up? What is your plan?"

Gao Shishi said: "There is no need to rush for this. We must first send people to count the population and compile household registers, and then we can determine how to divide prefectures, states, and counties, as well as the upper, middle, and lower prefectures and counties. In addition, there is another important matter before that, which must be done immediately."

"What's the matter?" Zhu Yijun asked.

"Prepare officials at all levels." Gao Youshi said: "I just said that although the Western Regions Protectorate is named Protectorate, it is not much different from the inland areas. Therefore, once it is established, officials at all levels must be transferred from the inland areas.

However, the Western Regions are remote, the environment is harsh, the economy is not good, and there may be some dangers when they are first established... In short, not many people are willing to go there to serve as officials. Even if there are, those who are too weak may find it difficult to adapt, which makes it even more difficult for the Ministry of Personnel..."

Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "It is the court that decides where to serve as an official. How can we be picky? If they refuse, then I will never employ them again! I just don't believe that there are still such fools in this world who refuse to accept a toast and drink a forfeit!"

Gao Fusi thought: This is what I want you to say, otherwise the Ministry of Personnel may not be easy to deal with. You, as an emperor, only know that being an official is being an official no matter where you are, but don't you know that the scholars in the world yearn for prosperous places? How many people can be like me who was demoted to Guangxi without frowning?

"Since the emperor has made a holy decision, I will naturally follow it. I will convey the emperor's oral instructions to Chen Tianguan later." Gao Youshi was afraid that the emperor would react, so he quickly stopped him from talking.

Next, the emperor and his minister discussed the establishment of the Western Regions Protectorate for a long time. Generally speaking, it was basically determined according to Gao Youshi's suggestions.

The Western Regions Protectorate had one Protector-General, one Deputy Protector-General, one General-in-Chief, one Deputy General-in-Chief, four Military Governors, four Lieutenant-Generals, and six Guerrillas.

Among them, the Protector-General was a high-ranking civil servant of the imperial court, in charge of military and political affairs inside and outside the Western Regions, and directly responsible to the emperor and the cabinet; the Deputy Protector-General was the leader of the Ordos tribe stationed in the Qihe area, who was in charge of the military and political affairs of the "Outer Western Regions" and reported to the Protector-General, but if he disagreed with the Protector-General, he was allowed to report to the cabinet across the chain.

Military generals such as the general and deputy general are appointed by the imperial court. At the same time, the imperial court will transfer generals and military households from all over the country to enrich the Western Regions. In the future, the proportion of local generals appointed will gradually increase, just like in the inland areas.

The military governors were appointed by civil officials from the imperial court. Their duties and powers were the same as those in the interior, but they also had the power to manage civil affairs. When the imperial court evaluated them, it would not only examine their military affairs, but also the economic development of their jurisdiction.

The Protectorate did not have the three provincial-level offices, namely the Provincial Administration Office, the Provincial Censorate, and the Military Command Office. The power of the Provincial Administration Office was transferred to the Protectorate, the power of the Provincial Censorate was transferred to the Inspectorate Censor, and the power of the Military Command Office was transferred to the General. It should be said that compared with the provinces in the interior, this was a clear reduction in the number of troops and the number of government.

However, in this way, the actual power of the Protector General and the General was obviously strengthened. Therefore, Gao Youshi and the Emperor clarified the supervisory power of the Inspector General of the Western Regions, especially the military and financial supervisory powers.

Needless to say, the military aspect was a strengthened version of the Nine Frontiers. Gao Youshi was in charge of finance. In the Western Regions Protectorate, from the Protector General to the General, from the Military Preparations Director to the future County Magistrate, every public expense had to be approved by the Inspection Office. Temporary war expenses also needed to be supervised by the Inspector General or approved afterwards.

In short, any slightly larger expenditure - starting from fifty taels of silver - would be illegal if it was not approved by the Inspector General, and the Cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue would be held accountable.

The establishment of the Western Regions Protectorate had been roughly discussed. Although it was called a Protectorate, its structure was similar to that of the Nine Frontier Provinces. In terms of autonomy, it was weaker than the Protectorate of the Han and Tang Dynasties, but stronger than the Nine Frontier Provinces of the Ming Dynasty. Gao Youshi had made a compromise between the two.

After discussing for a long time, Zhu Yijun looked a little tired, but for him, he hadn't had time to ask about the "business" yet. He forced himself to say, "You said before that the economic development of the Western Region has great potential. Isn't it time to come up with your plan now?"

Gao Youshi knew that what the emperor cared about was probably not the economic development of the Western Regions, but how much income this economic development could bring to his treasury.

"Your Majesty is concerned about the people's livelihood. This is a sign of a wise monarch. I am very encouraged to hear this." Gao Youshi complimented him, paused for a moment, and smiled, "As for economic development, I do have corresponding plans."

  "Come quickly."
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PS: With so many monthly tickets, I thought it was the end of the month, but it’s only the 20th... What happened?