lcionline Chapter 425 Qionghai Town and the General Commander of Pingnan
Chapter 425 Qionghai Town and the General Commander of Pingnan
The Qiongzhou Camp did not keep the cabinet leaders waiting for long. Half a month after the Japanese pirates were eliminated, news came from Fujian: the Japanese fleet that had besieged the Kinmen area for many days collapsed at the first contact with the Qiongzhou Camp's navy and fled in disarray, thus resolving the crisis created by the Japanese.
If there were any minor mishaps or even actual battles during the "suppression of Japanese pirates," then the East India Company fleet's performance was flawless. From their menacing return to their port-blocking spree at the slightest provocation, and finally being "driven out" and "fleeing in disarray" by the Qiongzhou naval force, they perfectly executed the predetermined script, thus establishing the Qiongzhou naval force's prestigious image in the eyes of the imperial court.
Liu Ye's self-directed and self-acted drama has ended. Now it's up to Emperor Chongzhen and the cabinet ministers, these VIP viewers, to give him their rewards.
The memorial submitted by Mu Tianyan, the Guangdong governor who had originally kept in the capital, requesting the establishment of a garrison in Qiongzhou, was brought to the court for discussion. Emperor Chongzhen already had a plan in mind, but wanted to hear the opinions of the court officials.
The cabinet was largely in agreement. Wen Tiren, as the chief minister, set the tone, and the second minister, Wu Zongda, agreed. Wang Yingxiong, Wen Tiren's follower, maintained a high degree of consistency with the chief minister. Qian Shisheng and He Wupeng were not involved and did not need to offend the chief minister, so they agreed to Wang Yingxiong's suggestion to "establish Qionghai Town, appoint him as a second-rank general of the Dragon and Tiger Army, add the title of Right Vice-General, and appoint him as the Commander-in-Chief of Pingyi".
In the past, any opinion put forward by Wen Tiren would be opposed by ministers of the Donglin Party faction, and whenever Wen Tiren wanted to promote an important person, the Donglin Party would definitely suppress it. But this time was different. The Japanese pirates had penetrated deep into the heart of Jiangnan, and the Donglin Party, whether incumbent ministers or scholars in office, were all terrified. Jiangnan was their rear base, the Donglin Party's stronghold, and the vast majority of Donglin Party members came from Jiangnan. If Jiangnan were to be turned upside down by the Japanese pirates, the entire Donglin Party would be in trouble.
Considering that the Japanese pirates had reappeared after many years of absence, and no one could be sure if there wouldn't be a next time, everyone needed a powerful military leader like Liu Ye to protect the coastal security and hold the southern border. Therefore, all the ministers of the Donglin Party faction were in complete agreement: to stick to the facts, not to attack Wen Tiren's proposal this time, and to ensure that the rewards for the Qiongzhou camp would be approved in court.
Accustomed to the infighting among his ministers, Emperor Chongzhen was prepared to endure a long and drawn-out argument. After all, establishing military garrisons was a momentous matter, and even the most headstrong Chongzhen dared not act unilaterally for fear of being labeled autocratic. However, getting the ministers, each with their own agendas, to reach a consensus was proving extremely difficult. Considering that Wen Tiren, this "isolated minister," lacked support in court, Chongzhen even considered having Zhang Fengyi, the Minister of War, propose the motion to prevent Wen Tiren from becoming the target of criticism and hindering the approval of the reward proposal. However, the memorial had already been drafted by the Grand Secretariat, and the matter was far too significant for the Ministry of War to carry, so the plan was abandoned.
To Chongzhen's utter surprise, the cabinet's proposal received unanimous approval from important departments such as the Six Ministries and the Censorate, with virtually no opposition. The only point of contention was the title of "General Commander-in-Chief of the Pacification of the Barbarians."
Tang Shiji, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, offered a different opinion: "The idea of 'pacifying the barbarians' is absurd. In the prosperous Ming Dynasty, all nations pay tribute. Even if the Japanese or the Red Hairs occasionally invade, it is just a minor ailment and there is no need to pay too much attention to it. Establishing military garrisons specifically to defend against barbarians would only make future generations laugh. It would be better to change it to 'pacifying the south,' which means to pacify the southern border."
Tang Shiji was a key figure in the Donglin Party, and his meaning was immediately understood by the Donglin ministers: establishing the position of General Commander-in-Chief of Pingyi, just like the General Commander-in-Chief of Pingliao, elevates the Japanese and other foreign powers to the level of equal adversaries, which is an overestimation of their importance. Pingnan, on the other hand, is much more prestigious and prestigious, encompassing the entire southern coast. Furthermore, and most importantly, since Liu Ye must be relied upon, even if the proposal originated with Wen Tiren, it cannot be opposed. The only point of contention is minor issues like the titles of military officers. Dwelling on this inconsequential issue at least demonstrates the Donglin Party's stance of not letting Wen Tiren have his way.
Emperor Chongzhen was unaware of the ministers' idle thoughts, but he thought the title was indeed more impressive, so he nodded in agreement: "Then let's change it to General Pingnan. In addition, since Qiongzhou has been established as a military town, it will no longer be under the control of Guangdong and Guangxi. The prefectures and counties of Qiongzhou will only be responsible for the people and not the military, but will provide full assistance in times of war."
The cabinet made the proposal, no minister objected, and the emperor personally made the decision, thus the reward for Liu Ye was decided.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Liu Ye, the Assistant Commander of Qiongzhou Prefecture, for his meritorious service in suppressing the Japanese pirates and driving out the foreign barbarians, is hereby granted the title of Dragon Tiger General, Right Commander-in-Chief of the Five Armies Commandery, and promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Pacification Army. Furthermore, to guard against Western barbarians, Southern barbarians, and other overseas bandits, a town named Qionghai is established in Qiongzhou, to be garrisoned by Liu Ye, and is not subject to the control of Guangdong and Guangxi. The various prefectures and counties of this prefecture are also prohibited from interfering in its military and political affairs..."
Inside the South Garden of Lingao, Liu Ye and his trusted confidants, including Yan Guang, knelt on the ground, patiently listening to the eunuch read the imperial edict. Overjoyed, they had finally achieved their goal after much effort, and it was even better than they had imagined. They had legitimately become a semi-independent kingdom, freed from the jurisdiction of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. As for the officials of Qiongzhou Prefecture, they were already completely subjugated, and now, with the imperial edict as their powerful tool, from the prefect to the county magistrates, they dared not utter a single word.
After sending off the imperial eunuch with generous gifts, everyone was overjoyed. Yan Guang said, "Congratulations, General. With the establishment of Qionghai Town, you have become one of the few outstanding military generals in the Ming Dynasty, reaching the pinnacle of military prowess."
Liu Ye replied cheerfully, "This is just a nominal title. The important thing is that Chongzhen gave me considerable autonomy. Xiong Wencan could not control me, and there was no longer any nominal restraint. In the future, I could have no more scruples about immigration and military expansion."
The crowd responded, "The general is absolutely right."
The grand drama thus came to an end, concluding with Liu Ye achieving his goal. Qiongzhou Camp was upgraded to Qionghai Town, becoming a semi-independent military kingdom. Apart from nominally accepting the control of the imperial court, no one in the entire south could give orders to Liu Ye anymore.
After resolving this issue, Qionghai Town focused its efforts on immigration and military expansion. Following the successful arrival and resettlement of the first batch of 9,000 immigrants in Lingao, a second batch of over 10,000 immigrants arrived in Lingao with the full assistance of the newly appointed governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, Lin Tianming.
There wasn't much land left for reclamation within Lingao, and resettling the remaining 10,000-plus immigrants wasn't enough. Liu Ye set his sights on the neighboring Chengmai and Danzhou counties. These two counties had small indigenous populations and relatively ample land, making it feasible to accommodate tens of thousands of immigrants. Even Liu Ye, during his time as a military commander, dared not offend the two county magistrates; how could he dare offend the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of Pingnan? A single official document from Qionghai Town was delivered, and the two counties obediently mobilized all their yamen runners and village chiefs to resettle the immigrants transported from Lingao, adhering to all policies established within Lingao's borders.