Chapter 76 Jiaozhi County

Ming Dynasty, the 13th year of Hongwu.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little proud, but seeing Zhu Di's obvious smugness, he restrained himself and did not smile. Instead, he nodded with a straight face: "Fourth Brother, you did a good job. I was worried that you would lose your way once you ascended the throne, and become arrogant and conceited. Now it seems that you have not lost your cautious mind."

At the end, he couldn't help but said, "This is good, keep it up."

Zhu Di didn't care that his father said this with a straight face. He understood that his father didn't want people to think he was too proud, but he was different. He was proud whenever he wanted. Add to that Zhu Yuanzhang's tactful praise - it was just praise, all praise! His tail immediately stood up high.

Song.

Zhao Kuangyin looked at the various preparations made by Zhu Di and fell into deep thought.

This was the first year of Kaibao. Historically, the Song Dynasty destroyed the Southern Han in the third or fourth year of Kaibao, and only then did it plan to further recover Annan. However, the Khitan invaded from the north at that time, and the Song Dynasty could not support the two-front war, so it could only put Annan aside for the time being. This shelving lasted until Zhao Kuangyin passed away and Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne.

Now, Zhao Kuangyin’s plan is the same, which is to wait for two years, destroy Southern Han first, and then conquer Annan.

Zhu Di's various measures provided him with an effective model. He could make appropriate changes based on the situation in the Song Dynasty and then use it directly.

Eastern Han Dynasty, the 17th year of Jianwu.

Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu watched Zhu Di's expedition to Annan from the sky.

Last year, that is, the 16th year of Jianwu, Jiaozhi County rebelled and then proclaimed himself king. He was planning to send troops to quell the rebellion.

But Tianmu said that although he successfully suppressed the rebellion, it also caused heavy losses to the Han army. So does his battle plan also need to be changed? According to the practice of Emperor Chengzu in Tianmu, if one or two changes are made, perhaps the battle of the Han Dynasty against Jiaozhi will be smoother.

[In the first month of the fifth year of Yongle, the Ming army pursued the Annan soldiers to Huangjiang and broke through their military camp in the river. Later, they fought and won in Muwanjiang and Fuliangjiang. In May, the Ming army captured Li Jiyou and his son at Qiluokou, and the Ho Dynasty was destroyed.

Later, the Ming Dynasty was unable to restore the Chen Dynasty because all the descendants of the Chen family were killed by the Hu family and there was no one to take charge of the family. Therefore, they set up the Jiaozhi Commandery, the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office, and the Criminal Investigation Commissioner's Office in the former Annan area, turning it into a county and directly managed by the Ming Dynasty.

Ming Dynasty, Hongwu Years.

Seeing that Annan had become the historical Jiaozhi County again, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but be tempted.

This Annan has been a county of our Central Plains since ancient times. Now that it has returned to China, it can be regarded as a rectification of the chaos. Should we let this place return to us early? It can also be regarded as a pity for the local people, who have no livelihood and no one to rely on...

Yes! In public, we are trying to unify China and restore order in Jiaozhi County; in private, we are doing this to show consideration for the local people. The emperor has always loved his people like his own children, so how could he not consider his own children?

Zhu Yuanzhang completed his self-persuasion. His eyes lit up, his face turned rosy, and a high-spirited spirit burst out of him, causing his sons and ministers to look at him in confusion.

He ignored these people and called a eunuch, ordering him: "Go to the Honglu Temple again and carefully investigate whether Annan has violated laws and ethics, and whether they have disobeyed our orders, and then report to us. Remember, you must investigate carefully!"

The eunuch understood the order and went to the Honglu Temple. The princes and ministers in the palace also understood it.

They exchanged glances with great delight: Great! Long live! Dad is planning to attack Annan, isn't this a good opportunity to earn some credit?
[However, conquering Annan brought the Ming Dynasty more than just the benefit of a vassal state becoming a county, and it also brought Annan more than just the consequence of losing its independence.]

The early years of the Han Dynasty.

Seeing this, Liu Bang became interested again: "Everyone, tell me, what good can Annan bring to the Ming Dynasty?"

Everyone was silent and began to think.

One person asked, "Could it be that there are gold and silver mines or something like that?"

Another person said: "Maybe there are some rare things in that remote place that are little known to people..."

Han Xin didn't understand these. He just suddenly remembered that during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, there was an event called Zheng He's voyage to the West. Annan was very close to the West. He said: "It should be related to the voyage to the West. Maybe it is to facilitate the navy to conquer other countries."

Xiao He also said: "Although Annan has nothing else, it has one most basic thing, which is population."

[One benefit it brought to the Ming Dynasty was that it facilitated Zheng He's voyages to the West.

Annan is located on the sea, with a long and narrow area and many good ports. It is an important stopover for fleets sailing to the West, where they can rest and replenish supplies.

In addition, after Annan became Jiaozhi County and was directly governed by the Ming Dynasty, it became another important base.

Western fleets could exchange information with the Ming Dynasty in a timely manner here, obtain support, and obtain reserve forces.

This is undoubtedly a shot in the arm and a reassurance for fleets drifting on the sea, and also a deterrent to other nearby countries.

After Zheng He successfully established several Ming Dynasty maritime outposts in the South Seas, these outposts could be connected with Jiaozhi County. With Jiaozhi as the land base, the problem of poor information flow in the outposts was alleviated, and it also increased the difficulty of unrest in these outposts.

Ming Dynasty, the 13th year of Hongwu.

Zhu Di raised the corners of his mouth, and frantically hinted to others: Praise me, praise me quickly!
Zhu Yuanzhang took a look and felt pain in his eyes, so he turned his head away and pretended he saw nothing.

A group of princes and nobles did not want to add fuel to the fire for the complacent Zhu Di, so they gathered in a circle, chatting among themselves, pretending that they did not see anything.

Only Zhu Biao, who could not bear to see his brother's hopes dashed, praised him with a proud smile: "Fourth brother really has a long-term vision and can grasp the opportunity accurately. Especially in this matter, he did a great job!"

Zhu Di squeezed his way to Zhu Biao, hoping to get more praise from his elder brother.

The sixteenth year of Yongle.

Zhu Di was still proud of this achievement, but he also reminded the crown prince and grandson: "You must slowly manage Jiaozhi, but you must not give up easily..."

Tang Dynasty, the third year of Zhenguan.

Ever since he developed a yearning for the sea, Emperor Taizong has been very interested in anything related to going to sea.

Jiaozhi mentioned this time is no exception.

At this time, Jiaozhi County was not established. Instead, three official-controlled prefectures were set up in the south, among which "Jiaofu" was the former site of Jiaozhi.

As he was planning to strengthen the control over Jiao Prefecture, Li Shimin could not help but think of Li Shou, whom he had sent to Jiaozhi as governor last year but was executed for corruption. Li Shou alone had already made him very angry, and when he was planning to send Lu Zushang to take over as governor of Jiaozhi, Lu Zushang dared to refuse to go and refused the order, so he had no choice but to execute Lu Zushang.

Thinking back to these two people, he was still filled with anger.

However, it seems that how to manage Jiaofu still requires careful planning.

[However, this was not the incident that caused Annan the greatest harm.

The Ming Dynasty obtained a large population from Annan, including scarce technical personnel and knowledgeable personnel. During the conquest of Annan, Zhang Fu and others beheaded more than 60,000 Annan troops.

This number seems unremarkable, and compared with the various great victories in history, it is simply not worth mentioning.

But it was different for Annan. At that time, the population of Annan was only about 520 million, of which there were 200 million indigenous people and 300 million pure Annanites.

Sixty thousand people were beheaded, which is almost one percent of the population of Annan, and this is still an underestimate.

For Annan, this alone was a devastating disaster.

Of course, this cannot be compared with the population loss during the change of dynasties in China. 】

The early years of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bang often sighed and lost interest for a while.

He had a deep understanding of the loss of population. The wars at the end of the Qin Dynasty lasted only seven years before the Han Dynasty unified the country, but these seven years were enough for the Central Plains to be in flames and the people to be killed or injured. Especially when they encountered Xiang Yu, that reckless man...

Zhang Liang and Xiao He also remained silent. In the chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the population of the Central Plains lost 70%, and nine out of ten houses were empty. When the Han Dynasty was first established, it faced a situation of no people and no food, and everything needed to be rebuilt.

Eastern Han Dynasty, the 17th year of Jianwu.

Liu Xiu recalled that he had revived the Han Dynasty and rebuilt the Han dynasty in the midst of turmoil.

This was his achievement, the revival of the Han Dynasty, and his lifelong pride. But he was also well aware that in the turbulent environment of the late Western Han Dynasty and the Xin Dynasty, the population loss of the Han Dynasty reached 60%, almost the same as when Taizu started his business.

A deep worry arose in his heart.

Before, he just didn't want to think about it, didn't want to imagine the fall of the Han Dynasty, but now the sky has pointed out the fact clearly: Is there any dynasty in the world that will not perish? He has to think about it. On the one hand, he thinks about the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty, and on the other hand, he thinks about the lives of the people. When his Han Dynasty comes to an end, what kind of turmoil will the people encounter? It can't be greater than a 60% population loss, right?

He didn't know that during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the chaotic Three Kingdoms period, the population loss reached 90%!

During the subsequent Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Five Barbarians Invasion, countless people lived under the iron hoofs of war and struggled to survive.

[But this is not the biggest blow to Annan.

In June of the fifth year of Yongle, just when Annan was conquered, Zhu Di gave an order to Zhang Fu, the general of Jiaozhi, to select talents.

He said: "People with talent and virtue, who live in seclusion in the mountains and forests, who are knowledgeable in classics and literature, who are erudite and talented, who are virtuous and upright, who are filial and hardworking in the fields, who are smart and upright, who are honest and capable, who are experienced in administrative affairs, who are proficient in books and mathematics, who are familiar with the art of war, who are skilled in martial arts and wisdom, who are tall and strong, who are fluent in language, who are strong and brave, and who are proficient in the art of yin and yang, numerology, and medicine and pulse diagnosis. We will search for them carefully and send them to the capital with courtesy for promotion."

Look, such talent requirements include almost everyone who has a skill and some knowledge.

Of course Zhang Fu obeyed the order.

He first collected 7700 outstanding craftsmen in Jiaozhi and sent them to the capital, and then sent another 130. Although this number is not tens of thousands, it is actually quite large.

Since ancient times, technical talents have been relatively scarce.

During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, the total population was about 6600 million, but there were only a little over 40 craftsmen in the entire Ming Dynasty. In fact, the Ming Dynasty court could only employ about 23 craftsmen all year round.

In proportion, the ratio of craftsmen to ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty was about 1:200.

If the ratio of Annan was similar to that of the Ming Dynasty, then it is entirely conceivable that this action of the Ming Dynasty brought a blow to Annan. 】

Ming Dynasty, the 13th year of Hongwu.

King Zhu Su of Zhou began to count on his fingers: "One to two hundred, there are still three million people in Annan excluding the natives, so the number of craftsmen in Annan is... 15,000!" He looked up at Zhu Di in amazement. The expression and eyes on his face clearly expressed his disbelief: Fourth brother, you are so cruel!
Zhu Biao affirmed Zhu Su's calculation result: "It's about the same. If it's this ratio, then it's about 10,000 to 20,000 people. What my fourth brother did..." It was really hurtful.

Other dynasties also calculated the number of craftsmen in Annan and were amazed.

The total number was between 10,000 and 20,000, and the Ming Dynasty took away almost 10,000 people at once, more than half of the population. This was more than a blow to Annan/Jiaozhi. It was a catastrophic disaster!
[In fact, these craftsmen made significant contributions to the Ming Dynasty.

For example, in order to move the capital and build the imperial palace in Beijing, Zhu Di employed a total of more than 27,000 craftsmen, many of whom were from Jiaozhi.

In addition to the craftsmen, Zhang Fu subsequently collected nearly 9000 scholars and technical talents from all over Jiaozhi and sent them to the capital. These 9000 people were not just craftsmen, many of them were intellectuals.

How important are intellectuals to a court? They are the cornerstone of maintaining the court's rule, the backbone of promoting social development, and the people who maintain the local area and educate the people.

And how many "intellectuals" are there in Jiaozhi?
Let's take the Ming Dynasty as an example. If we count the scholars as intellectuals, there were about one million scholars in the entire Ming Dynasty. From the Chenghua period to the Jiajing period, there were about 300,000 scholars. If we average it out to every year, there were only tens of thousands of scholars at the same time, not to mention the Juren above them.

From this, it can be inferred that the intellectuals in Jiaozhi were almost wiped out by the Ming army.

Moreover, after Zhang Fu sent people away, in the imperial examination of the Ming Dynasty, since Jiaozhi was directly governed by the Ming Dynasty, the remaining Jiaozhi intellectuals also took the imperial examination and then naturally joined the Ming Dynasty. 】

Ming Dynasty, Hongwu Years.

Zhu Su just felt that he was too naive before.

What's the point of collecting craftsmen? They are just craftsmen, how can it be considered cruel? Mingming relocated these intellectuals, yes, that's the word, very appropriate, Mingming took these intellectuals away is really cruel!
It was not only cruel, it was like digging up the roots of Jiaozhi, which was no different from digging up someone's ancestral grave. The important officials in the palace looked at the King of Yan in awe. Why didn't they realize that this prince had such means before? They were wrong, they were wrong. However, fortunately, it was not too late to understand it now, and there was still time to remedy it.

Many people began to think back to themselves that they had never offended the King of Yan before...

Zhu Di got goose bumps all over his body when he was looked at.

What vision? Am I that kind of person? Definitely not! My future self must have just mentioned it casually, probably just to fill the power of my Ming Dynasty. I didn't think so much, how could I have such a cruel mind?
I'm obviously a good person!

He roared in his heart but didn't say it out loud, because he knew that if he did, these people wouldn't believe him and would only think that he was just trying to maintain his image and put on a false front.

Never mind, love whatever you want...

In other time and space, many emperors' eyes lit up.

They were inspired by the Ming Dynasty's behavior and inspired by it - to deal with those places with troublesome governance, this is how they should deal with it! Once all their knowledgeable talents are attracted away, what kind of storm can they stir up?
They are just a mob.

Some ministers also gained some valuable lessons from it and became excited.

Some people saw that the emperor seemed to be tempted and began to cry and wailed: "Your Majesty, this method is not feasible! It is too cruel and undermines morality! How can you be a saintly ruler of a country if you act like this..."

Most emperors ignored these people and continued to plan their own ideas, considering the place and time to use them; a small number of emperors were persuaded and gave up their previous ideas.

(End of this chapter)