Chapter 108 Three Years of Ming Reform

Chapter 108 Three Years of Ming Reform

Chapter 108: Thirty Years of Ming Reform

"The merits are in this generation, but the sins are in the future generations."

The voice kept echoing in Lan Yu's mind, making his face extremely solemn.

The importance of Lu Yunyi, a young general who is stationed on the border of the Ming Dynasty, has increased.

Previously, he thought that Lu Yunyi was a general who was good at fighting in battles like General Chang Yuchun, and his battle tactics were unparalleled.

But after hearing these words, he became a far-sighted and coordinating general like General Xu Da.

At least, when Lan Yu was less than twenty years old, he didn't see such things.

He looked at Lu Yunyi, a hint of amusement appeared on the corner of his mouth, and asked with a smile:
"Are these also taught by your father?"

Lu Yunyi's face froze, and he nodded repeatedly: "General, that's right."

"That's bullshit." Lan Yu suddenly laughed.
"How can a scholar like him understand military affairs?

I have told you so many times, don't worry too much at such a young age.

It's not a bad thing to show off your talents, it can make others relax their guard against you."

"I understand." As always, Lu Yunyi nodded.
But seeing how well-behaved he was, Lan Yu hesitated and sighed:
"What you said earlier was a warning to the world.

If you are a scholar, you will be regarded as a role model by those people in the capital.
But you are a soldier, and your words are just lies to confuse the people."

Lu Yunyi was silent. The Ming Dynasty was newly established, and although the struggle between civil and military officials had just begun, it was already intensifying.

The practice of ganging up on dissidents often occurs.

"General, this is just what I said, but it's just a small thing and can't be made public."

After hearing this, Lan Yu seemed to remember something and showed disdain:

"I think it is better than those scholars in the capital who talk about saints all day long.
It is much better and down to earth, not just empty talk.

As for what you said earlier,
The Crown Prince once said,

He said that the Ming Dynasty was lucky, as the Song and Yuan dynasties were both civil and military.
They all reached the end of their respective paths, and let us, the future generations, see that,

Warmongering is undesirable, and having too many people but too few warriors is equally undesirable.
Therefore, the Ming Dynasty is now both civil and military, with its military fortune flourishing and its literature thriving.

As for what you said about being aboveboard and upright, it also reminded me,

It reminds me of something that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Majesty are doing together."

Lu Yunyi's eyes suddenly lit up, and a raging fire of gossip ignited in his heart.

But reason told him that he couldn't listen to this.

Just like the list in his arms, he couldn't show it to anyone.

At least given his current status, hearing this would bring disaster.

So Lu Yunyi quickly said:
"General, the battle is raging right now. Shall we order the front scouts to escort you to the front battlefield?"

Lan Yu was stunned, and stood there, with his hands on his hips, looking back and forth at Lu Yunyi:
"You belong to the Eastern Palace and have made great contributions in this battle. You will be promoted to a high position in the future. Don't you want to hear about the court affairs in advance?
The matter I mentioned, only a handful of people in the whole court know about it.

I only found out when I was drinking with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
It coincides with your upright and dignified words, don't you want to listen?"

As soon as these words came out, Lu Yunyi's hair stood up and he wanted to run away immediately.

At any time, the more you know, the faster you die.

He is now just a small ant with only 2,000 soldiers under his command.
No, it may only be fifteen hundred at this moment.

"I want to listen, but I dare not."

Who knew that after hearing this, Lan Yu suddenly waved his hand and sneered:
"It's okay. This matter has already achieved results in the 20th year of Hongwu. It's okay to listen to it."

The twentieth year of Hongwu?
Lu Yunyi quickly thought about the major events of the Hongwu Dynasty in his mind, but it seemed that they had nothing to do with it.

Just as Lan Yu was about to speak, Lu Yunyi quickly said:
"General, there are corpses everywhere and ashes everywhere. It's not good for your health. Let's go outside."

Lan Yu was initially pleased that this boy cared about his health.

But as the number of soldiers around him decreased, things gradually quieted down.

His expression became strange, he glared at Lu Yunyi, and understood something in his heart.

There were so many people talking in the camp just now, I'm afraid there are ears on the other side of the wall.

Lan Yu shook his head and said slowly:

"In the 20th year of Hongwu, the imperial court ordered the compilation of a fish scale map to measure the land of the Ming Dynasty. Do you know about this?"

Lu Yunyi's eyes were filled with shock. How could he have forgotten about this? It turned out to be this matter! !
He suppressed his excitement and said quickly:

"General, I know about this matter. When Nahachu, who was entrenched in Liaodong, surrendered, some students from Qingzhou came to measure the land, but for some reason they didn't move."

Lan Yu was very satisfied and nodded with a smile:

"Do you know how many years it took His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Majesty to finalize this Fish Scale Atlas?"

"I don't know."

Lan Yu sighed, and was filled with calmness and even a hint of pride:
“Twenty years.

In the first year of Hongwu, the Ming Dynasty was newly established.
Your Majesty ordered people to rectify the tax system and found that there were countless hidden farms and households in the world.

Even a county is a mess, let alone a country.

Moreover, there is a big problem before your Majesty.

When I was a child, I often heard a nursery rhyme:
Imperial power does not extend below the county level. Below the county level, only clans are in charge. All clans are self-governing.
This saying has been passed down since ancient times, and it is common sense that the imperial power does not extend to the countryside. "

Lu Yunyi's lips were dry and his throat was moving. He already knew the function of the Fish Scale Atlas.

The most important thing in the world is data.
The number of people, land, citizens and officials in the world are all matters concerning the lifeblood of the Ming Dynasty.

But at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court knew nothing about this.

The Ming dynasty inherited the Yuan system, and the Yuan dynasty inherited the Song system.
But the two dynasties were more confused than each other in terms of land and people, and the Ming Dynasty was naturally also in a state of confusion at the beginning of its establishment.

Lan Yu's face was calm as she spoke:
"It was only when I heard from the prince that I realized how difficult this matter was.
Imperial power does not extend to the countryside, this has been the case since ancient times.

Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince both want to break this situation.
You also know that this matter affects the whole body.

Those landlords and gentry have occupied the local areas for hundreds and thousands of years, and they control the lives and property of countless people.

If the imperial court were to act rashly, it would easily provoke a popular uprising and lead to a complete failure.

Even local officials were subject to taxes and labor service due to land and property.
Those local officials would also collude with the landlords and gentry, pretending to obey the imperial court but secretly disobeying it.
Officials were unwilling to measure the land, and the people were unwilling to tell the truth.
Therefore, this fish scale map should be promoted when the country is founded.
It was not until last year that it was finally rolled out, and it took twenty years.

Do you know what method is used?"

Lan Yu looked at Lu Yunyi with a questioning look on his face, a smile on his lips.

Lu Yunyi's breathing became a little faster. He hesitated for a long time before he tentatively said:

"time?"

Lan Yu smiled and nodded vigorously:
"Yes, in my opinion, there are many ways to accomplish this, most of which involve killing more people.

But Your Majesty used the simplest and dumbest method, grinding, relying on time to grind this matter.

Your Majesty had explained this to the Crown Prince when he was governing the country in the 10th year of Hongwu.

The Yuan clan was weak, and their power and authority were transferred to their lower ranks, which led to chaos.

The Yuan Dynasty was unable to control the local areas, which led to its demise.

So your majesty told the prince that after some time,

Even if His Majesty passes away, the prince will continue to do this.
If ten years doesn't work, then twenty years. If twenty years doesn't work, then fifty years. Until you get it done,

Now listening to what you said, this is an upright and aboveboard thing. "

Lu Yunyi's face was extremely solemn.
The Fish Scale Atlas is a collection of data on houses, mountains, forests, ponds, fields, etc.

This is how the thing that allows the imperial court to truly control the local population and land came about?
"After His Majesty realized in the first year of Hongwu that this matter could not be carried out, he took action in the second year of Hongwu.
To accomplish this, you need to have trustworthy people under you.

Therefore, Your Majesty established community schools in abandoned temples, ancestral halls, etc.
Land for the imperial court was allocated and donations from local wealthy families were used to maintain it.

He also built many academies in various places to enlighten the people and recruit poor children to study.

The tribute students were sent to the Imperial Academy for training. Most of them came from poor families and were selected through local community schools.

He also offered mathematics, classics, etc. courses in the Imperial College to train people who would measure land in the future.

Later, there were too few people in your majesty's court who could read.

Those who could read were at least local or former officials or wealthy families, and the imperial examination system was still in place at that time.

In this way, the imperial examinations are still for the people of the previous dynasty.

Therefore, in the sixth year of Hongwu, His Majesty stopped the imperial examination to give the people of the Ming Dynasty some time to learn to read and write.

In the third year of Hongwu, the household registration system was implemented using the household registration records from the Zhizheng period.
Every 110 households were organized into a village, with the ten households with the most people and grain serving as village heads, and the remaining 100 households serving as village heads.
In order to prevent local unrest, Your Majesty first implemented it in Huzhou, and then gradually spread it to the south of the Yangtze River.

Just like that. Ten years later, after many twists and turns,
Finally, in the 13th year of Hongwu,
His Majesty and the Crown Prince defeated the last prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, who was also the last obstacle to Hu Weiyong and others.
Thus, in the 14th year of Hongwu, the Lijia system began to be implemented throughout the country, and the Yellow Book was formally established.
The people of the Ming Dynasty were divided into three categories: civilians, soldiers, and craftsmen, and were registered.

At this point, fourteen years after the founding of the country, the imperial court finally knew how many people there were in the Ming Dynasty."

Lu Yunyi stood to one side, already extremely shocked.
He was completely unaware of such details and thought that the Fish Scale Yellow Book had been established at the beginning of the country.

Lan Yu was very satisfied with his reaction and continued:
"Knowing how many people there are, some things will be much easier to handle.

But Your Majesty was not in a hurry. The students who were surveying the land were in the Imperial College, and the people who carried out the work were the local grain chiefs, thus leaving the local officials aside.

But there is still a problem. The landlords, gentry and local officials control the mouthpiece of the court.

Whatever they say, the people listen.

If it is implemented rashly, it is very likely to cause local unrest under the slogan of land survey and measurement.

Therefore, Your Majesty established "Shenming Pavilion" and "Jingshan Pavilion" in each village to resolve village conflicts and commend good deeds.

The clerks and officials employed were the poor children trained during these ten years. The imperial examinations were reopened in the 17th year of Hongwu.
In this way, all those involved are the people of our Ming Dynasty.

Finally, in the 18th year of Hongwu, "Shenming Pavilion" and "Jingshan Pavilion" were built in various villages, and local people became more and more trusting of the court.
So in this year, His Majesty took out the "Imperial Edict" that had been compiled for who knows how many years, and sent it to the local authorities through the Erting.

Let the people understand the Great Ming Code, know the laws, and understand that the court is doing good for them. "

When it comes to the key point, Lan Yu showed some excitement on his face:
"I just didn't expect that this "Imperial Edict" is better than ever before.

Everybody in the people praises it, and every family has it.
So in the 19th year of Hongwu, Your Majesty and the Crown Prince decided to use military force against Liaodong.

The world's largest mineral resource was taken into their possession. You also know the result of this battle: the imperial court won a great victory and Nahachu surrendered.

From now on, there are no more obstacles in the world.

But His Majesty was still not in a hurry. He ordered the students of the Imperial Academy to go to the two Zhili provinces and work with the local grain chiefs to draw a fish scale map. Only then did the court know how much land the two Zhili provinces had.

Lan Yu sighed and said softly:

"If we count the efforts during the Zhizheng period, Your Majesty has been preparing for the Fish Scale Atlas for at least thirty years, and it was only last year that the results were achieved...
I heard from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that the current Fish Scale Atlas is not complete yet, and there are still some hidden fields and households.
We will have to wait for full implementation.

The surveying and mapping of border areas is extremely difficult. If you are not careful, there will be collusion between the inside and the outside, and the fire dragon will burn the warehouse.

Therefore, Your Majesty plans to spend another ten years to complete the land survey of the entire Ming Dynasty and complete the fish scale atlas.

Before that, we must first pacify the barbarians in the northern borders, so that those people on the borders will have less thoughts of unrest.
Even if there was chaos, they could not collude with the Northern Yuan court.

So the army gathered in Gyeongju to defeat the Northern Yuan Dynasty."

"I'm sorry."

Lu Yunyi was unable to express his feelings at this moment.

At this moment, he recalled what Usar Khan said again.
The demeanor of a king is to remain neither arrogant when he wins nor discouraged when he loses, and to act with integrity.

Hearing what Lan Yu said, he had some sinister plans in mind, which could quickly promote the matter of the Fish Scale Yellow Book.
But if such things are not done openly and aboveboard, once they are exposed,
Once a person dies and a government comes to an end, it will be as difficult as climbing to the sky to pick it up again.

Lu Yunyi's expression changed back and forth. He searched for all the words in his mind before he finally uttered a sentence slowly:

“Is this a reform?”

Lan Yu nodded: "Yes, change the laws of previous dynasties and transform the local rule of man into the rule of law."

As he spoke, Lan Yu smiled, raised his hand and patted Lu Yunyi on the shoulder:

"When the news of the great victory reaches the capital, Your Majesty and the Crown Prince will no longer have any worries. This Yellow Book of Fish Scales will also be spread throughout the Ming Dynasty, and land surveying is imperative!"

Lu Yunyi's head buzzed as if he was hit by a heavy object.
He understood why Lan Yu wanted to tell him this.

It takes people to implement the Lijia system, draw up the Yellow Book of Fish Scales, and survey the land!
It is not enough to have supervisors and grain supervisors.
The local guards are also required to escort on one side to prevent local unrest.
He himself was a border resident of Qingzhou, Ming Dynasty. He was good at writing and fighting.
His family background is too clean to be true, and he is also a member of the prince's party.
Thinking of this, Lu Yunyi did not hesitate at all. He looked solemn and bowed:
"General Lu Yunyi is willing to contribute to the Fish Scale Yellow Book."

"it is good!"

Lan Yu was also very rude. He raised his big hand and patted Lu Yunyi's shoulder hard:

"I was not wrong about you. After this battle, come back to the capital with me to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"I will obey my orders."

At this moment, there was a commotion in the central army position, accompanied by roars.

Lu Yunyi and Lan Yu, who were originally in a very excited mood, frowned and looked in the direction of the voice.

Not far away, near the Beiyuan King's tent, several burly men were cursing loudly, with anger on their faces and a violent aura all over their bodies.

After taking a closer look and seeing the faces of those people clearly,

Lu Yunyi raised his eyebrows slightly, and understood.

Those people were Yu Tongyuan's confidants. They must have heard the news of Usar Khan's death and rushed back.

After seeing Usar Khan’s body, I couldn’t accept it for a while.

Lan Yu stood to one side, his face turned cold:

"Go and see."

(End of this chapter)