Jingming

Chapter 365: Can’t Southwest be bigger?
Even after Tongyi Bureau's help all the way, Yang Yiqing's coffin had just entered the Yunnan territory.

"The Pingyi Guards are ahead."

Beside the carriage, Yang Bo was riding a horse.After waving away the small flying insects with his sleeves, he asked worriedly: "Is Your Highness feeling better now? The terrain in Yunnan and Guizhou is higher, so walking is not easy."

Zhu Zaiyan was sitting in the carriage with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.He gritted his teeth and nodded: "Much better, it's okay."

He stuck his head out and looked in front of him, and said with some emotion: "The coffin is so heavy, but it is even more difficult for them."

"Your Highness is kind."

Yang Bo praised, looked at the soldiers carrying the coffin in front of him, and nodded.

Starting from Chenzhou in Huguang, the road is no longer easy.If you encounter a downhill slope, you have no choice but to be carried by someone.

Fortunately, this can be regarded as the prince supporting the spirit. Yang Yiqing returned to his hometown for burial with the specifications of entering the temple. It was really a lot of help along the way.

"Pingyiwei...does this name have an origin?" Zhu Zaiyang happened to ask this question.

What kind of person is Yang Bo?This trip has a lot of responsibilities, and the homework has been done long ago.

"Back to Your Highness, I have a history. Since ancient times, there are two easier roads to enter Yunnan. One is from Shu to Yunnan and starts from Yibin in the north. It was the basis of the Five Feet Road in the Qin Dynasty and was called Wusada Road. The other is now This road runs from Huguang to Yunnan via Guizhou and is called Pu'an Road. The two roads merge into one road when they reach Zhanyi in front of Pingyi."

"As for the name Pingyi, we have to talk about it from the Tang Dynasty. At the earliest, it was Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty who changed Xiping Prefecture to Panzhou and took over the three counties of Futang, Panshui and Pingyi. I pacified Yunnan during the reign of Taizu of the Ming Dynasty. , at the beginning, they set up a settlement for thousands of households, and later they set up guards. This was because this place was a strategic point between the north and the south, with barbarian tribes on all sides. Since Nanzhao in the Tang Dynasty and Dali in the Song Dynasty, this Yunnan land has never been counted. The place where Jiu Mu became king..."

The journey was difficult and long, but with the knowledgeable Yang Bo on the way, Zhu Zaiyang gained knowledge.

For example, the reason why there are soldiers helping to carry coffins all the way along this road is because quite a few guard posts in Guizhou are set up along this Pu'an Road.This Pu'an Road is mainly used by officials, military, and businessmen, but the Wusa Road is an important channel for Sichuan to supply Yunnan military supplies. It can be called the lifeline of the Ming Dynasty's control of the southwest.

"...So, there are still four inns, and we can reach Yunnan Mansion?"

"Your Highness, after passing Zhanyi, we entered Yunnan Prefecture. Yunnan Prefecture now governs seven counties and three states. Anning Prefecture is located in the southwest of Kunming County. Furthermore, the governor of Anning Prefecture is a local official, and has been held by the Dong family for generations... …”

As Yang Bo spoke, he paid attention to the expression of the eldest son of the emperor, and saw that he listened very seriously.

I don’t know if he listened to it as an anecdote, or if he really wanted to know the situation in Yunnan.

Yunnan... Yang Bo himself feels complicated.The Duke of Guizhou, the Chief Envoy, the various officials, the local officials, the Han people and the barbarians...

I don't know what the secret purpose of the envoy is.

New laws and new learning are bound to have less impact on border areas like Yunnan.

After traveling through Guizhou, Yang Bo's insights became more profound.He realized that maybe His Majesty valued him and knew that he was not afraid of difficulties and dangers, so he asked him to come and see first.

While walking and stopping, the bearers in front of us have to take a rest again and another group of people will be replaced.

Yang Bo looked at Yang Yiqing's son, who was dressed in mourning clothes, personally carrying water and thanking him one by one. He thought that he was really grateful to his bones for the kindness His Majesty had given Yang Yiqing along the way.

Zhu Zai'an had just stepped off the carriage and stretched his legs when a fast horse galloped behind him.

"The imperial edict has arrived! His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the Emperor, Lingbi Bo Tang Shaozong, Yang Bandu, the accompanist of the royal study, and Shen Bai, the eunuch of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, have received the edict!"

The group of people immediately arrived here and received the order in a simple way in the wild.

The decree did not surprise them: Yang Tinghe also passed away, and the decree asked them to send Yang Yiqing to his burial first, and then enter Shu via Usa Road.

Yang Bo couldn't help but feel a little confused. He asked Shen Bai: "Eunuch Shen, before that, His Majesty ordered His Highness to stay with me at the Duke of Guizhou's residence for a period of time. You still have another decree in your hand..."

Wouldn't this cause a conflict?

Shen Bai shook his head: "I don't know what the decree is until I get to the Duke's Mansion of Guizhou. Yang Bandu, let's talk about it when we get to Kunming first. Since His Majesty has a new decree, we still have to go to Chengdu."

Yang Bo nodded silently.

Yang Tinghe has already retired from office. The impact of his death on the changes in central officials is small, but it cannot be underestimated.

Since this is the holy order, he can only act according to the order.

Therefore, he just said to Zhu Zaiyan: "Your Highness can visit Shu again."

In Zhu Zaiyang's eyes, he didn't feel the hardship of the long journey, but more of expectation and curiosity.

Although he is a prince, the journey is certainly the easiest.But the mountains were high and the roads were far away, yet he did not complain about the hardships.

Yang Bo couldn't help but feel something in his heart: Among all the princes in the past, it was unheard of for him to be able to travel thousands of miles at such an age.

His Majesty definitely has some expectations for him.

Yang Yiqing's coffin has entered the Yunnan territory, the Chief Envoy Zuo of the Yunnan Chief Envoy Department is already busy, but the Governor of Yunnan Wu Wending visited the Duke of Guizhou.

The current Duke of Guizhou is Mu Shaoxun, who happened to be granted the title in February before the new emperor ascended the throne in the 16th year of Zhengde.In the year of the attack, he was only eighteen years old.

The Mu family has been in Yunnan since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. It can be said that they are the only ministers in the Ming Dynasty who have actual territorial power.But it had been more than a hundred years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and things had changed. Mu Shaoxun was worried about Wu Wending's visit.

Especially at this moment when the emperor's eldest son is about to arrive in Kunming.

"Is Shao Dutai here for the imperial envoy? His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the Emperor, will temporarily stay in our Duke's residence in Guizhou. I have made arrangements."

Wu Wending sat there and said with deep thoughts: "Mr. Yang will be buried, and everything has been arranged by the vassal office. This is not the reason why I came to visit the Duke."

Mu Shaoxun sighed inwardly: Here we come.

"If there are other military matters, why not discuss them with the capital secretary and the guarding eunuch?"

Wu Wending looked at him and then said: "The southwest pillar of the Duke of Guizhou, your majesty has always been trustworthy, why are you so cautious?"

Mu Shaoxun smiled bitterly upon hearing this: "Shao Dutai, this is also a rule."

At the beginning, Mu Ying held military and political power in Yunnan and controlled civil and military officials.But he was quite conscious. He not only took the initiative to request protons, but also requested that the feudal king be sent to guard him.

Yunnan did have several vassal kings, but after the Yongle period, it changed its approach.After dispatching guard eunuchs, he and the three divisions set up set up restrictions on the Duke of Guizhou's government.

The first garrison eunuch in Yunnan was in charge of the army at the top and the people at the bottom.As soon as Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne, he issued an edict to the first Yunnan garrison eunuch sent by his father, clarifying his authority: When I first came to the throne, I was worried about the unrest of the soldiers and people in distant places. I will serve as deputy entrustment to the ministers who serve around me day and night. Make the military and civilians live and work in peace and contentment.The operations of several departments must be discussed and implemented with the chief military officer Qian Guogong and the third division. They will still be notified and dispatched in case of warning.

It can be seen that in peacetime, both military and civilian affairs are involved, and the situation must be reported in a timely manner. Troops can also be mobilized in special circumstances.The Duke of Guizhou has changed from the military and political leader at the beginning to the "general military officer".

Later, the Mu family relied on their prestige for a more important thing: appeasing the barbarians, and gradually involved the guarding eunuchs and civil servants.The Duke of Guizhou was no longer the main player in matters such as the enfeoffment of native officials and the payment of tributes from surrounding areas, but more often acted as a lubricant.

Now, Yunnan has established a governor, and the power of civilian officials has been further strengthened.

Wu Wending knew what his state of mind was, so he said: "In the sixth year of Jiajing, His Majesty personally conquered and returned to the court in triumph. At that time, Anquan, the chieftain of Xundian Prefecture, rebelled, and the Wang division was defeated in the first battle. Later, Feng Chao, the local chieftain of Wuding Military and Civil Prefecture, Wen Ye raised his troops, and Your Majesty ordered me to come to Yunnan with the title of Minister of War. At that time, there was great chaos in southern Yunnan. If the Duke had not made a decisive decision and led the troops to attack. Then I arrived in Yunnan, how could I have suppressed it so easily?"

Mu Shaoxun, however, became more cautious: "At that time, the military situation was very high. I hope that the governor will not worry about me acting without permission and ruining the imperial plan."

"Duke Qian!" Wu Wending sighed, "I have been in Yunnan for two years, and you are still like this! You have done great work in quelling the chaos. Your Majesty has made you the crown prince and tutor. Did I ever have the evil heart to blame you for taking credit? In the past? During the Chenhao Rebellion, I was in Jiaxing Prefecture. I killed several people to stabilize the morale of the army and welcomed Xinjian Hou into the city. In the Battle of Bingchen, I was hit by arrows and did not retreat. Your Majesty is a wise king through the ages, and I am not pedantic. Why should you be like this?"

Mu Shaoxun also sighed: "Then I wonder why the governor came here?"

"Yang Gong is buried, and the emperor's eldest son's coming here must not be all due to the kindness and honor!" Wu Wending said with certainty, "Last year, you and I went to the southwest to talk about things. I think your majesty wanted to send Uncle Lingbi and Yang Bandu to come and have a look. To make a calculation. Now Meng Yang, Meng Mi, and Mubang have attacked Burma, and Xuanwei has killed Mang Jisui. His son Mang Ruiti fled Dongwu again, annexed Dagu La, and also looked at Diwu La. If not If so, how could there be chaos in Xundian and Wuding?"

Mu Shaoxun frowned and said nothing.

The many Xuanwei divisions further to the west and south are in chaos, what can be done?Even if the chieftains in Xundian and Wuding prefectures in Inner Yunnan rebelled, the former governor did not let him lead troops to put down the rebellion at first.Even if he suffered a defeat, he was still prepared to send Wu Wending to lead the army in the southern expedition.

If it weren't for the fact that the rebels were getting stronger and stronger, Mu Shaoxun would have really wanted to wait until Wu Wending arrived to see what the military orders would be.

But after thinking about it, didn't the imperial court just want to let him command the army directly?He was afraid for a long time.

Now listening to Wu Wending talking about the situation in Outer Yunnan, Mu Shaoxun could only say: "Is the supervision of the station for those three and six lieutenants? Is there any official document down?"

"Duke Qian!" Wu Wending said earnestly again, "His Majesty now has the ambition to eliminate the trouble in the north. Although the southwest matter is not a serious concern, we should take this opportunity to let your majesty and the court come up with a strategy for the southwest matter. . After the affairs of the northern captives, it is necessary to march through the southwest. The naval division is located in Guangdong, doesn’t the Duke of Guizhou understand?” Although Mu Shaoxun is only 27 years old, he really has two brushes, otherwise what would he have done the year before last? Can the rebellious chieftain army be quickly wiped out?
At that time, he did not have any transfer orders from the Ministry of War.The first thing that turned the situation around was that based on the prestige of his Mu family in Yunnan, he awarded crowns and ribbons to a group of young and strong people who were preparing to attack the local officials, and promised to petition them for official titles after the rebellion was suppressed.In this way, a group of chieftain "militia" who were committed to the Ming Dynasty were mobilized, and they won the first battle and stabilized the situation.

Then Zhu Houcong ordered him and Wu Wending to suppress the rebels together. Mu Shaoxun could lead the regular army. He divided his forces to attack An Quan, who had initially rebelled, and broke through several lines of defense. Only then did he defeat the main force of the rebels.

During the entire process of countering the rebellion, Mu Shaoxun led his troops to behead nearly [-] people and surrender more than [-] people.Therefore, he understood what Wu Wending meant.In the past few years, we must first solve the problems of the chieftains in Yunnan and outer Yunnan, so that we can participate in major events in Jiaozhi in the future.

Of course he could see that the naval division was located in Guangdong for the sake of Cochin.

However, Mu Shaoxun was not qualified to hear the secret discussions at the military affairs meeting, and he did not know what the emperor said about "can be crowned king."He took history as a guide and felt that it was right to be cautious from the historical records and the changes in the Mu family from generation to generation.

Not only the noble ministers, but also the vassal kings will be demoted and replaced.He gritted his teeth and went out without permission, so that his son would still be the Duke of the country in the future.

"I see." Mu Shaoxun still said, "When the imperial envoy arrives in Kunming, your majesty will announce it if he has a decree. Supervisor, let's see what your majesty gives first."

Wu Wending had no choice but to say, "If nothing happens on the road, we will arrive in Kunming on the fifth day of next month. Although Lord Anning was born and raised in Guangdong, his roots are in Yunnan and Anning Prefecture." Bo'an also wrote to me. The imperial court must have a strategy for the southwest. The Duke should think more about it and don't be so cautious!"

Mu Shaoxun said solemnly: "The Mu family has been favored by the emperor. If your majesty is destined, the Mu family will die as a result!"

Wu Wending originally wanted to persuade Mu Shaoxun to take advantage of the emperor's envoy to report some affairs in the southwest to his majesty.Yu Gong, he hopes that the suppression can be carried out properly so that Yunnan can settle down again.In terms of selfishness...he doesn't have much selfishness anymore.At the age of 61, Wu Wending does not expect to be promoted one step higher. He only hopes that, like Wang Shouren, he will have some achievements and a certain reputation in the southwest border.

Listening to Mu Shaoxun's impeccable words, he could only say goodbye with regret.

Mu Shaoxun was uneasy. He still couldn't figure out why His Majesty sent such a young eldest son to Yunnan.As for giving some favors, sending the eldest son of the emperor all the way out of the capital would be grand enough, right?
What's more, the first word from the guarding eunuch was that the emperor's eldest son would stay in the Duke's Mansion of Guizhou for a while.

How long is a period?Why does Your Majesty want the eldest son of the Emperor to linger here?

Back at the back house, his six-year-old daughter also came over with a sad face: "Dad, mother is crying again..."

Mu Shaoxun knew why and sighed again: "Why are you crying? Chaofu is only four years old, isn't he? There are still two years left..."

Mu Shaoxun, who was 27, had two sons, both of whom died young.Now the third son has reached four years old, but according to the usual practice of the Duke of Guizhou, he still has to be sent to Beijing.Of course, the new rule now is to go to the Zhongyuan Hall in the Forbidden Palace to go to school, and His Majesty will teach him personally.

With so many things on his mind, Mu Shaoxun could only go and persuade his wife first.

Others only know the grace and glory of the Duke of Guizhou in guarding Yunnan for generations, but how do they know the uneasiness and anguish of the Duke of Guizhou for generations?

Yunnan was causing a stir due to the arrival of the emperor's eldest son. The officials did not say anything. Whether it was the Inner Yunnan chieftains who were already half-local or the Outer Yunnan families who were competing for territory, they all sent people to Kunming.

This can be regarded as the first time that the emperor's kindness and power shines across Yunnan with the arrival of the emperor's eldest son. The officials and the people are talking about the emperor's eldest son and the kind of person who is studying with him in the imperial study room.

As for Lingbibo?unfamiliar……

After traveling for more than four months, the eldest son of the emperor finally took Yang Yiqing's coffin all the way to Kunming County, where Yunnan Prefecture is located, only one stop away from Anning Prefecture.

But there is no need to continue following this stop. The Yang family will prepare for a few more days in Anning Prefecture before the official funeral.

Accompanied by Tang Shaozong, Yang Bo, Shen Bai and others, Zhu Zaiyan came to the Duke of Qian's Mansion. Wu Wending, the Yunnan garrison eunuch and other officials naturally arrived together.

Mu Shaoxun and his family were waiting outside the door. Zhu Zaiyang had an extraordinary status. He looked at their family curiously with his eyes, and even saw the pink and jade-like younger sister.

After arriving at the palace of the Duke of Guizhou, Shen Bai paid homage to the Duke of Guizhou's wife and asked her to take Zhu Zai'an to the back house with the ministers and maids who came with her.

Afterwards, he waited for everyone to finish their polite greetings, then cleared his throat and said: "The Duke of Guizhou, Wu Wending, the governor of Yunnan, Yang Bo, the accompanying scholar in the imperial study, and Yue Wang, the eunuch of Yunnan, have received the order. Please wait for the others first. Each time there is a department to handle the errands."

Shao Xi, the envoy to the left of Yunnan Province, and others' eyes moved when they heard this. Then they stood up silently and said, "I obey the decree" and left the main hall one by one.

Sure enough, he didn't just come to see Yang Yiqing for burial.

If the will is only given to these four people, why not find an opportunity to invite them to a secluded place one by one, and let other officials know that there is a will before retreating?
The feeling of not being qualified to participate is uncomfortable, and His Majesty should take this into consideration.

With only four people left, Shen Bai asked for the imperial edict that had been sealed in the box. He was stunned when he saw a pamphlet with no writing on the cover underneath.

But he still only took out the imperial edict first, opened it, glanced at it a few times, and then said: "The first thing is that Yue Wang is going to Huangmingji Yunnan to run errands. From now on, there will be no guard eunuchs in Yunnan. You go now, I told the British Duke."

Yue Wang, who was kneeling on the ground, was shocked, but he immediately kowtowed and said, "I accept the order."

Mu Shaoxun also knelt on the ground. When he heard Yue Wang getting up and leaving, he didn't know what kind of big event it was.But from now on, Yunnan will no longer have guard eunuchs. This is really...

So there were only three people left to listen to the order.

"The second thing is that the Military Affairs Council has been planning the southwest strategy for several years. According to An Ningbo's last wish, I have sent a booklet on the strategy. This is top secret. The three of you will go over it together in the past few days. The booklet will be kept by the Duke of Guizhou. Don’t show it to the fourth person.”

Shen Bai broke into cold sweat as he read the will, no wonder there was a seal.Of course, even if not, Zhang Zuo and Huang Jin had warned him, and he would not dare to check the secret decree without authorization first.

"The minister obeys the order!"

After Wu Wending finished speaking, he couldn't help but look sideways at Mu Shaoxun: Are you not so worried now?This is obviously to keep the Duke of Guizhou in a consistent posture, so I let you save it.

But Mu Shaoxun only felt a lot of pressure.

"The third thing is that Yang Bo took Zaiyang back to Beijing after the Jiajing 11th National Examination. He was first appointed as the magistrate of Kunming County. In more than a year, he built Kunming County Primary School, Yunnan Prefectural Middle School and Yunnan University and hired good teachers. "

"...I obey the decree." Yang Bo murmured in his heart: Can we just talk about this before leaving Beijing?Could it be related to the strategy of running through the southwest?
"The fourth thing, minister, let Zaiyuan live in your house for a while. If you have a talent, you should also teach me like your own children. Let the younger generation have a good time, and go back to the imperial court. Let’s go back to the capital together, and we’ll have company on the way.”

"...I will take good care of His Highness after receiving the decree."

Shen Bai put away the imperial edict: "That's it. Duke Qian, you two gentlemen, please stand up."

After saying that, he picked up the brochure from the box and handed it to Mu Shaoxun solemnly: "We will go to His Highness's side first. The three of us will read it together."

If your hands are hot, walk quickly.

Mu Shaoxun looked at them with two eyes, and finally could only say: "Then... let's go to the study."

On the way, Wu Wending said: "I heard that Wei Yue once put down his writing and joined the army. He was on the front line in the battles of Huangyashan and Jingping, and he was the most beautiful girl in high school. I have been with you for a long time in the imperial study room. I must have other instructions from your majesty? You can't hide your clumsiness for a while."

"...The governor was so complimentary. I just found out that His Majesty asked me to be the magistrate of Kunming. I really didn't have any special instructions..."

"It doesn't matter, your Majesty has his own thoughts."

Mu Shaoxun couldn't help but look at Yang Bo twice.

When they arrived at the study room, they retreated. Mu Shaoxun spread the booklet on the table, and the three of them stood in a row and looked at it intently.

They read page after page in silence, not knowing what they were thinking.

The book is not thick, and it only talks about a few things in total, because it is just a high-level strategy.

Mu Shaoxun was not sure about anything after reading it, so he looked at the two of them doubtfully.

"Wei Yue, does your Majesty really have no instructions?" Wu Wending spoke first.

"...Really not." Yang Bo replied seriously, "I am a laggard in my studies, so I would like to ask the supervisor to give me some advice."

"Promoting culture, education, and opening markets are naturally long-term solutions. But now that there is endless chaos in Yunnan, it is difficult to access business." He turned his eyes to Mu Shaoxun, his eyes bright, "What does Duke Qian think? "

Mu Shaoxun was speechless.

Wu Wen Ding said earnestly: "Has the Duke of Guizhou not yet realized the four things of His Majesty's secret decree?"

"...please ask the supervisor for advice."

"The Duke of Guizhou cannot explain the profound meaning of His Majesty's decision to temporarily stay in your mansion." Wu Wending said meaningfully, "The eldest son of the Emperor has to accompany the eldest son all the way to Yunnan, so it is a sign of His Majesty's feelings towards the eldest son of the Emperor and Qian. The Duke's Mansion has long-term arrangements. Didn't news come a few days ago? Marquis Jingning asked to establish a crown prince."

Mu Shaoxun's heart had been ups and downs for a long time, but now he was not sure of anything. He just pretended not to understand and said: "Now that all the kings are living in the capital, I... don't understand."

"Hey..." Wu Wending was too lazy to go around, "Culture, education, and opening of markets are all for Wang Hua! This business road must first find a way to reach Ailao, isn't it for Jiaozhi? Naturally, this is not something that a generation can easily do. It was done, but the Mo family usurped the throne and the chieftains fought for the land. More than a hundred years of inner Yunnan has achieved results now. This is a century-old plan to transform Yunnan into a native land. Your Majesty certainly hopes that the Duke of Guizhou will still have the ambition to expand the territory! If there is a vassal state If the country proclaims that the king of the Celestial Dynasty has been transformed into a foreign land, why can’t the eldest son of the emperor be the leader of the vassal state? The Duke of Guizhou has been in the southwest. Can’t the southwest be bigger?”

(End of this chapter)