Chapter 63 Huang Zicheng’s opportunity
Huang Zicheng came from Yunnan and came to Beijing after a long journey.
Outside the city walls of Beijing, I was in a daze.
Huang Zicheng has done great things in the southwest these years. First he was the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, and later he was the first governor of the West. Not only did he arrange for three vassal kings to deal with vassal affairs, but he also built Western City.
The so-called Western City is a city built near Yangon. And settled at least 100,000 Han people.
This matter is not so easy to handle.
The entire Southwest lacks a sufficient Han population. Even the Han people in Yunnan are guardsmen who migrated from various places. It is simply impossible for almost all Han people in Yunnan to migrate Han people from Yunnan.
These 100,000 Han people were collected by Huang Zicheng from all aspects.
Some of them were forcibly taken from the army. Although there were not many casualties when fighting south this time, due to the tropical climate, there would naturally be many abnormal casualties.
Moreover, He Xi's original intention was to let the Han people migrate to Southeast Asia. Many soldiers stayed there after retiring. It is also one of the policies.
However, Huang Zicheng gathered almost everyone at the Western Governor's Mansion. All Han Chinese among the local people were also recruited into the Western Governor's Mansion.
Chinese operations in Southeast Asia and even the West did not begin in the Ming Dynasty. There are also some Han Chinese in the local area.
Of course, some of these Han people came here to do business in recent years. There are also local people who can speak Chinese.
At this point, Huang Zicheng is not selfish, and the conditions are very relaxed. How many of these 100,000 so-called Han people are real Han people? It's something hard to say.
But in any case, Huang Zicheng established a firm Han fortress in Southeast Asia.
In everything, don't worry about victory, but worry about defeat first.
Myanmar is different from the Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins in the east. There is a bay there, the Gulf of Thailand. Connected to the South China Sea, with only the navy present, it only took a month or two for the army to reach various places from Guangdong.
And even if we consider an extreme situation, that is, the Ming Dynasty is in civil strife and cannot send troops to support, but the vassal kings from various parts of Southeast Asia can also have some reinforcements.
But the Western Governor's Mansion is different.
No matter which way you come, it's not easy. Geographically, Myanmar is somewhat separated from the Nanyang region. It is not impossible to even include Myanmar in South Asia.
Historically, the relationship between Myanmar and India has been very close.
The Burmese history book Liuli Palace records a large number of things related to India.
From all directions, Myanmar is the most remote place controlled by the Ming Dynasty. Once there is an internal problem in the Ming Dynasty, it will either face powerful enemies from all sides, or there will be civil strife in various parts of Myanmar. Without support. The Western Governor's Mansion can also last for a year or even longer. Even with no support, they continued to fight for several years, decades.
Just like, the Anxi Protectorate still persisted for decades after losing contact with the Tang Dynasty.
Huang Zicheng represents many people. Regarding the rapid expansion of the Ming Dynasty, I was also worried in my heart. Worry about the backlash from overexpansion.
It's not their fault. After all, China’s history has seen too many local collapses caused by over-expansion.
There is a limit to the productivity of agricultural society in supporting a unified empire, the larger the area it occupies. The easier it is to lose control. There are many ways to lose control. Such as the separatist rule of vassal towns, such as the collapse of rule, the original foundation was owned by local barbarians.
The collapse of Datang gave many people food for thought. The Liao, Jin, Xixia, and Japan essentially inherited the legacy of the Tang Dynasty.
It cannot be said that it is unreasonable to consider the productivity considerations of maintaining the original Han land without expansion and in the agricultural era. It's just that many people have not changed from their original thinking.
Although the productivity of the Ming Dynasty has developed rapidly and the Ming Dynasty is prosperous, it is hard to say that this prosperity is really comparable to the most prosperous times during the Han and Tang Dynasties.
Huang Zicheng had such thoughts.
Although Huang Zicheng accepted a lot of lessons from He Xi,
He said, but at heart he is a Confucian scholar. Many of his ideas were Confucian ideas, even if he tried hard to change them. But some things are difficult to change.
Things that have been shaped since childhood are almost ingrained in the bone marrow and cannot be shaken.
Huang Zicheng is essentially a character who combines old and new. Just like Liang Qichao, Kang Youwei, and Yuan Shikai at the turning point in history, they all have old and new sides. Because of different choices, we go in different directions.
This time, when Huang Zicheng came to Beijing, it was Zhu Xiongying who summoned him.
After arriving in Beijing, Huang Zicheng naturally went to see Zhu Xiongying immediately.
Zhu Xiongying naturally asked Huang Zicheng about the situation in the southwest. After Huang Zicheng reported everything, Zhu Xiongying said: "Based on Mr. Huang's experience, what are your thoughts on the imperial army's expansion into Nanyang?"
Huang Zicheng said: "Master He is a man of extraordinary talent, unparalleled in the country, and a figure who has not been seen for thousands of years. His lofty and far-sighted vision is far beyond what Huang can match. Even if there are some deviations in the national policy implemented by Master He, it is still Master He is planning something. However, Master He is upright and upright, and retreats bravely from the rapids. After him, many things will go wrong."
Zhu Xiongying said calmly: "You mean, He Shoufu's policy is biased?"
Huang Zicheng said: "Otherwise, the world is turbulent, like a runaway horse. But Mr. He is so clever that he can walk on thin ice no matter what the situation is. He can get through it easily, but there is only one Mr. He in the world. No one in the world can replace him. Sir. Things change depending on the person."
Huang Zicheng did not have no opinions and ideas about He Xi's policies.
But there is no major contradiction, it is just a matter of whether the policy is radical or not.
He Xi wanted to take advantage of the lingering power of the Civil War to get things done at once. But Huang Zicheng still wanted stability in his heart. Moreover, there are differences between He Xi and Huang Zicheng in their thoughts about the future.
He Xi is going to implement the new law. Huang Zicheng also agreed.
What He Xi wants to do is to develop productivity. In his heart, there is a clear route to take.
Huang Zicheng didn't have it in his heart.
All he wanted was to create an unprecedented Ming Dynasty. But what does this Ming Dynasty look like? He Xi has a template in his heart. But Huang Zicheng has no template here.
Under He Xi's Sturm und Drang policy, Huang Zicheng also had a lot of worries in his heart.
The reason why there was no objection was, on the one hand, because of He Xi's power and kindness, he could not and did not dare to object directly. On the other hand, he has trust in He Xi's ability and feels that he can handle any situation.
If He Xi stays in power, Huang Zicheng will be worried in his heart. But he will also suppress it and will not express it to anyone.
But things are different now.
He Xi is going to retire.
After hearing what Huang Zicheng said, Zhu Xiongying sighed and said, "This is what I am worried about. Is Mr. Huang willing to share my worries?"
Huang Zicheng said: "Of course I am willing to serve your Majesty."
Zhu Xiongying said: "Do you know about the Congress that is about to convene?"
Huang Zicheng said: "Of course I know."
Zhu Xiongying said: "My uncle regards fame, fortune and wealth as dirt. He has decided to put down his affairs in the Congress, stay outside the country, and take care of his own family business for the rest of his life. I have tried to persuade him several times, but I can't change my uncle's ambition. . But now that my uncle is gone, what should I do in this country? I have always been wary. As you said, there are some things that my uncle does with ease and ease, but for me, it is as trembling as ever. Ice."
"So, I want you to take over as chief assistant. What do you think?"
Huang Zicheng was shocked, he never expected it. The biggest pie fell on his head.
It can be said that who will be the next chief assistant is the biggest suspense in the entire Ming Dynasty. Huang Zicheng also secretly guessed, who is this person? But after much thought, he didn't think it was him.
After all, he felt that he had been away from the Ming Center for too long. He never participated in the Civil War.
Very poor qualifications in this area. Hard to convince the public.
It is impossible to become the first assistant choice.
Little do they know that these shortcomings are all advantages.
With He Xi's term coming to an end. Who will be the next chief assistant is naturally weighed by Zhu Xiongying. Zhu Xiongying has thought about many people. His previous choice was Jie Jin.
Xie Jin's qualifications are sufficient.
Although it is said that Xie Jin is a junior next to He Xi. But at that time, Beijing was in critical danger, so it was considered acceptable for Xie Jin to return from Nanjing and serve as the cabinet.
But He Xi slapped Xie Jin to Central Asia and went on a mission to Yan State.
Of course, even if you calculate the time, you have to come back. literature
However, He Xi's blow to Xie Jin made Zhu Xiongying think again.
Think about what kind of future first assistant he needs.
First of all, the first assistant must have a sense of trust.
Not only Zhu Xiongying needs to be trusted, but He Xi also needs to be trusted.
He Xi attaches great importance to He Xi's career. He cannot accept that his career will be overturned. This is not guaranteed to He Xi. Zhu Xiongying believed that He Xi would definitely leave other means behind.
Secondly, this person also wants Zhu Xiongying to trust him, at least not to fall completely in favor of He Xi. Or anyone else.
Third, this person is capable and can control cabinet situations. Able to straighten out matters in the court. And it can’t be too prestigious. Otherwise, another He Xi will appear.
Zhu Xiongying felt terrible when he thought about it.
He didn't want something like this to happen again, and he didn't want to have a strong first assistant like He Xi.
He finally thought of Huang Zicheng.
Huang Zicheng did not participate in the North-South War, which was his greatest asset, because Huang Zicheng had no relationship with the military. Without him, the military power flourished during the Civil War. Huang Zicheng lacks the qualifications in this area.
The civil service system of the Ming Dynasty was established in Liaodong. Although there are many people coming in and out, in essence, it is still the same group of people. These people are all Huang Zicheng's former subordinates.
