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Chapter 844 Concession
How should I put it? This kind of thing seems to be taking advantage, and it is very proud to talk about it to others. It makes you talk about how big the territory is, but in fact it is very stupid and short-sighted. It is like burying a lot of booby traps around you, and you never know when one of them will explode.

When the central imperial court was powerful, local chieftains, due to their own small power, could only smile and say that the big brother was mighty and the younger brothers were loyal, whether they liked it or not.

But as soon as there is a problem in the central government, the younger brothers will immediately become restless and start looking for trouble every few days. Once they determine that the eldest brother's ability has declined, they will immediately seek independence and even collude with outsiders to achieve their goals.

Is it because I am a bad person? Definitely not. I recognized him as my elder brother because I couldn't win the fight. It was a helpless move to save my tribe. There is no loyalty at all. In addition, our culture, language, faith and nationality are different. There is no reason for me to be loyal forever.

Ultimately, it is the stupidity of being the big brother. It is not right to do such a face-saving project that is obviously against human nature just to show its greatness. Either don't submit, or submit completely and resolutely not allow autonomy.

If you really need a temporary ally, you must find a way to sort out the relationship as soon as possible afterwards. Either be an ally or be a subject. Don't be vague and muddle through. Doing so may seem to save trouble, but it will leave a huge hidden danger for future generations.

The current Sichuan Xingdusi is a lesson. Its officials, garrison troops, and civilians are basically all Yi people, and its seat is in Jianchangwei. Based on the map and ethnic speculation, Hong Tao believes that it is most likely the area of ​​the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in later generations.

Since the day the Xingdusi was established, local rebellions have never stopped. Every few years a group of people would pop up. Sometimes it would be the local officials of the Xingdusi who would lead the local army to rebel in order to seek more benefits.

Similar to the Sichuan Xingdusi, there are a lot of vassal prefectures in Yunnan, Guizhou and other places. All the place names with the names of Changguansi, Xuanweisi and Xuanfusi are basically managed by Tusi, and similar chaos will occur. The court spends millions of silver dollars every year just on suppression and appeasement.

It’s not that successive emperors didn’t think about solving the problem thoroughly, and they did try, almost throughout the entire Ming Dynasty. Every time they sent a large army to quell the rebellion of the Yi people in the southwest, they would take the opportunity to replace some local chieftains with court officials. There were some results, but they were not significant and too slow.

This method is also called "changing Tuguiliu". Tu refers to chieftains, and Liu refers to officials sent by the court. Because they are not fixed, they are called Liuguan.

Changing Tusi autonomy to official management was definitely the right thing to do, but why did it not have much effect throughout the Ming Dynasty? Hong Tao believes that the successful experience of the Qing Dynasty can be used as a reference on this issue.

The Qing Dynasty also implemented the policy of converting the chieftains into officials, and it was ultimately successful. Why? There are two key points: first, the Qing Dynasty was at its peak in the early and middle stages of the dynasty, which was able to deter the chieftains from their small plans; second, the measures were strong enough, as not only officials but also Qing troops were sent over.

There was no language, no culture, no faith. At this time, if one wanted to rely on classics and historical texts to teach the saints, it would be useless even if Confucius and Mencius were dug out. No one would listen. Ten thousand words from Han officials were no match for a single look from a chieftain.

At this time, you can't just talk, you have to follow up with your hands and feet. If you don't listen to what I said, don't say the second sentence. If you dare to stare at me, I will kick you in the heart and shoot you to death without waiting for you to get up.

Why? Because after being beaten, his expression was wrong and his shouts were full of hatred, which was considered disrespectful and his entire family should be executed. So killing just one person was not enough, and everyone in the village who had the same surname or was related to him had to die.

It can't just be done once, but it should be done wherever you go. This is not called tyranny, it's called setting rules. Since there is no way to communicate in language, but rules must be set, then we can only take action, which is reasonable.

What? You think it is unreasonable! This is called contempt for the emperor, and the whole family should still be executed. When the remaining people have the right expressions and can understand what they say, then the first step of changing the natives to the common people will be completed. Remember, this is only the first step, and the next step is to be taught by the saints. Set up schools, start with young people, learn Chinese characters and speak Chinese, and force a campaign to change customs.

Except for typical ethnic customs and costumes that can be used and worn during important festivals, all other items are strictly prohibited. Anyone who uses or wears them can be arrested and sentenced to hard labor.

We can't stop here, because people can't suddenly change completely, so the key to solving the problem is still people. The solution is very simple, immigration.

Move some of the local people away and move some of the outsiders in, and mix them together. When the proportion reaches a certain level, most of the problems will be solved.

This process may take a long time, such as ten or even twenty years, but what it brings is eternal integration, no longer a distinction between Chinese and barbarians, and no longer having to dislike each other.

Everyone eats the same food from the same pot, wears the same clothes, speaks the same words, and does the same things. There are no outsiders. How harmonious!
They think it's too cruel and too costly! Nonsense, if you want to turn someone else's territory into your own and don't want to put in the effort and spend money, then you must be God's son, and a legitimate son.

"I am only the shepherd of the people on behalf of God. I am not God's son, nor do I possess God's magical powers. If Minister Yuan wants to save lives and save money, he might as well go to the Temple of Heaven to worship and see if God has any more profound revelations."

This is how Yuan Yingtai expressed it, worrying that the heavy killing would be criticized by future generations, and then he was almost kicked out of the Yangxin Palace by the emperor. When Hong Tao made up his mind to be a bad guy, he couldn't stand anyone pretending to be holy.

"Your Majesty, the salt and tea, Nanjing and the transformation of the natives are all important matters, and putting them together is a bit hasty. The army's large-scale march south is still not well prepared, and it will take time to improve."

Yuan Keli's attitude towards this matter was generally positive, but he was worried about the court's lack of ability. He wanted to persuade the emperor not to rush to implement it, and it would be better to prepare first and then do it one by one.

Now the threats from the north and Liaodong are gone, but the original garrisons and border troops have been mostly disbanded, and will continue to be disbanded, so the military force is a bit stretched.

Especially in the southwest, where the mountains are high and the forests are dense, the weather is rainy and humid, and transportation is inconvenient, it is a big problem for the army that uses only muskets and artillery. If too few troops go, it will be useless, and if too many troops go, it will be difficult to resupply in time. Once a problem occurs, you can't withdraw even if you want to, and there will be great losses.

After a long period of thinking, he almost finished half a cigar, his facial expression changed several times, and finally he decided to continue to endure. However, he did not completely change it, but just excluded the three provinces with the most chieftain systems, and found a soft persimmon to squeeze.

"... Well, what Shaoqing said makes sense. I am indeed a little anxious. If the reform of the native system is first implemented in Guangxi, and the new salt and tea law does not include Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou, what do you think?"

(End of this chapter)