Thank you Huaxia~Huangdi for the huge reward, thank you!
***
boom!
The rumbling of artillery fire outside Changsha City and the rolling of rocks from the mountains announced the official start of the massive asphalt road project from Changsha to Kunming.
The imperial court dispatched 30,000 troops to guard 40,000 Jurchen captives and 50,000 Luzon natives.
A number of incentive mechanisms have also been formulated. For example, those who perform outstandingly at work will be given the opportunity to be promoted from ordinary slaves to squad leaders, platoon leaders, and team leaders. In the end, they will even have the opportunity to escape the fate of slavery and enjoy the treatment of Qin citizens.
All projects were also implemented on a lump sum basis, with each hundred people forming a squadron, which consisted of ten teams, and together contracted a section of road.
Those who make fast progress in the project can get various rewards.
Those who fail to complete the task will be punished accordingly.
They also implemented a system of collective responsibility. If one person escaped, the entire squadron would be beheaded. If one squad escaped, the entire squadron would be beheaded, so that they could supervise each other. In addition, they selected one or two thousand good-performing natives to form a vassal army and let them be responsible for nearby supervision.
For flat areas, dig drainage ditches on both sides, lay seven inches of sand and gravel, tamp it, and then cover it with asphalt and smooth it out.
If you encounter a road section facing a gully, you need to build a stone edge.
The entire project will require a large amount of stone, and a large number of quarries, both official and private, have been opened along the way.
If a stone bridge can be built over a small river, a stone bridge will be built. If a stone bridge cannot be built over a large river, cement and steel bars will be used to build piers on both sides and a large cable bridge will be built to ensure that horse-drawn carriages can still pass.
The natural asphalt mined in Guangyuan, Sichuan, enters the Yangtze River through the Jialing River, then turns into Dongting Lake, enters the Xiangjiang River and is transported all the way to Changsha. This transportation process is also contracted to private ship owners in large quantities.
In short, almost all the processes that could be contracted out were contracted out as much as possible, so that the people in the country could make money from it, and secondly, to reduce the burden on the court.
Once this huge project started, it naturally caused quite a stir among the chieftains in the southwest. Various heated discussions arose, and many people with discerning eyes saw that once this asphalt road was built, it would threaten the foundation of their autonomy.
The fundamental reason why the successive dynasties allowed the various chieftains in the southwest to govern themselves was that the roads were blocked and difficult to control. Once the roads were opened, not only would they lose their natural barrier, but the large number of people coming and going would also make the people in the southwest and the people in the Central Plains more closely connected and more integrated. They would also lose the basis for self-government.
The Qin imperial court naturally took into account the psychological reactions of the southwestern chieftains and made corresponding arrangements.
First, Qin Mu promoted the chieftains to higher positions in order to appease them.
Second, he dispatched Ai Nengqi's 20,000 troops to the south and stationed them in Hengyang, Guilin, and Nanning. He also dispatched Ma Liuliang's 10,000 troops as a mobile combat force to garrison the Guiyang front line, thus creating a strong deterrent force in the military.
Third, send assistants to give away new crops such as corn and sweet potatoes for free, and vigorously promote them in various chieftains. As the saying goes, poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people. This is not without reason. Guan Zhong also said: When the granaries are full, people will know etiquette; when they have enough food and clothing, they will know honor and disgrace. Let the people in the southwest eat enough first, so that there will be fewer people willing to rebel.
Fourth, like the seven northern provinces, elementary schools were established in the name of the royal family in each state, allowing children of school age to attend for free and teach Confucian classics, mathematics, geography, history, etc.
Fifth, in addition to the southern and northern lists, the imperial examination also added a southwestern list. This list was specially set up for scholars from ethnic minorities in the southwest, and a separate examination was held. This was done to win over the people of all ethnic groups in the southwest.
Whether it was road construction or the transformation of the southwest into a prefecture-level city, Qin Mu was mentally prepared to persevere. He did not expect that everything could be sorted out in one or two years. But no matter what, he would never allow the de facto separatist regime in the southwest to continue during his lifetime.
***
Si'en Prefecture was the most powerful of the four native prefectures in Guangxi. Its seat was originally in Zhaishan City (Pingguo County). In October of the fourth year of the Zhengtong Period of the Ming Dynasty, the native official Cen Ying was appointed as the native governor of Si'en for his repeated meritorious services on the frontiers, and the title was hereditary.
In the seventh year of Zhengtong, the local prefect Cen Ying moved the prefectural government to Qiaoli (Qiaoli Township, Mashan County).
During the Jiajing period, after Wang Yangming, the master of the School of Mind, recruited Lu Su and Wang Shouhe to suppress the rebellion of the Eight Villages, he went to Qiaoli in person. He believed that the government seat was surrounded by mountains, and the surrounding peaks were like spears, swords, and halberds. There were dense thorns, miasma, and rocks on the shady banks. It was difficult for crops to grow, foxes and rats were in chaos, and diseases were easy to occur. In order to ensure the security of the people, in the seventh year of Jiajing, the government seat was moved to the Huangtian Posthouse in Zhigeli, Wuyuan (Wuming County), which was 60 miles away from Qiaoli and had vast fields and fertile land. It has been there ever since.
Wang Yangming forcibly relocated the capital of Si'en Prefecture in order to maintain law and order for the people, among which the meaning of "maintaining law and order" was particularly important.
But on the other hand, after the capital of Si'en Prefecture was moved to an area with vast fields and fertile land, the grain harvest was abundant and the population increased, so the strength of Si'en Prefecture continued to increase, and eventually it became the leader of all the chieftains in Guangxi.
As the troubles in the northern border became more and more serious in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the Ming court's control over the southwest became weaker and weaker, and it was no longer able to control these chieftains. Chieftains like Si'en Prefecture became increasingly arrogant, violent, and unscrupulous.
They constantly sent out troops to plunder the surrounding areas, annex the weak, and impose heavy taxes on the local people under their rule.
In the city of Si'en Prefecture, the castle of the hereditary local governor Cen Yin is filled with gold and jade. If you have not been there in person, it is hard to imagine that in such a remote place, there is such a luxurious mansion, and the life here is no worse than that of the emperor.
When Gu Xiancheng, who used the alias Gu Nanfeng, stepped into Cen Yin's mansion, he was deeply shocked. He had seen some worldly things, but he was still so shocked, which shows how luxurious Cen Yin's mansion was.
Gu Xiancheng secretly swallowed his saliva, stepped forward and bowed, saying: "This really broadens my horizons, Master Cen... ..Alas!"
"Why is Gu Zhuangshi sighing?" Cen Yin asked proudly. He was thirty-six years old this year, and he was wearing the official uniform of the prefect of Daqin. He looked very official, but the arrogant look in his eyes and eyebrows had been cultivated since childhood and could not be concealed.
Gu Xiancheng said humbly, "I heard that you like rare treasures, so I found a few of them and wanted to present them to you so that I could earn a living under you. But after seeing the collection in your house, I feel ashamed. I can't present the few crude things in my hand. I'm sorry to bother you. I'm leaving now!"
Gu Xiancheng seemed unusually decisive and was about to leave after he had finished speaking.
Cen Yin loved money like his life, and since Gu Xiancheng said he had rare treasures to offer him, how could he let the person get away like that
"Gu Zhuangshi, please stay. Gu Zhuangshi is an extraordinary person. I am in need of talents like Gu Zhuangshi. I am eager to recruit talents. How can Gu Zhuangshi just leave? Come, find a seat and serve tea."
Cen Yin immediately became friendly. Gu Xiancheng didn't really want to leave, so he said with a grateful look, "Gu Nanfeng and his brothers have been living in poverty for many years without achieving anything. After thinking about it, I think it all comes down to the fact that they haven't met a wise leader.
I heard that you are generous and magnanimous, and people call you the Mengchang Lord of the modern world, so I wanted to try my luck. After seeing you today, I found that people are not lying to me. You are really righteous and generous, and if you don't abandon me, I am willing to be your running dog and horse and serve you."
"No problem, no problem..." Cen Yin laughed, but his eyes unconsciously glanced at Gu Xiancheng's bulging bag.
When Han people who committed crimes or bandits were being pursued by the government and had nowhere to hide, they would often choose to hide their identities and seek refuge with the chieftains in the southwest.
Cen Yin had seen many people like Gu Xiancheng, and he had more than a dozen such people under his command.
These people are often more talented, and in order to be retained, they have to offer some treasures. In addition, they have nowhere else to go, so they are often more loyal.
It has long been common for chieftains in the southwest to take in such people.
As per the usual practice, Gu Xiancheng expressed his loyalty, then took off the bag and slowly opened it. For a moment, the room was filled with jewels and precious stones. Cen Yin's eyes lit up and he swallowed secretly.
"This is all the savings I have accumulated over the years. It is not worth much money and is not a tribute. I am very grateful that you look up to me. I am offering everything to you. I only hope that you will give me a good meal in the future."
Gu Xiancheng has indeed collected a lot of treasures over the years. Cen Yin was delighted when he saw them and immediately said, "Since Mr. Gu is so sincere, I will accept them with joy. Mr. Gu, rest assured, you will have a place in my Si'en Mansion in the future."
Cen Yin was impatient to ask his servants to put away the treasures, but he didn't know that the person he took in was not just an ordinary bandit. He also didn't expect what kind of bloody storm Gu Xiancheng would bring.
***
ps: My home internet connection is down again tonight, so I have to drive outside to upload. I have to eat a lot of cold wind... (To be continued...)
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