Zhu Yunying believed he possessed some benevolence, though perhaps it was limited and impossible for everyone to feel the Emperor Yingshi's kindness. But that didn't matter.

Zhu Yunying's benevolence was only needed for the majority, not everyone. He never expected everyone to support him or sing his praises; he knew such a thing was unrealistic.

For example, Liaodong is now a desolate place with harsh living conditions. Not to mention the people of the Ming Dynasty, even many Jurchens would not have been able to endure it; it was a state of living like a primitive, uncivilized person.

Liaodong is not even comparable to Ningguta in the future. Ningguta is already in better condition than the current pristine Liaodong!

Zhu Yunying was hardly benevolent towards the natives of Southeast Asia, as they were not subjects of the Ming Dynasty. He didn't need to care much about the people of Goryeo either; however, the Prince of Shu and the Prince of Ning were currently very concerned about the Goryeo people, because they were going to establish their own kingdoms there, making their people and population extremely valuable.

Chang Mao understood this principle. Coming from a military family, he was not soft-hearted. Like many people in the Ming Dynasty, he looked down on the natives of the wild lands.

Therefore, many indigenous people from Southeast Asia were continuously sent to Liaodong, and everyone accepted it without any remorse.

Zhu Yunying understood the harsh conditions of Liaodong and said, "The estates we bestow upon the families of military meritors belong to you in terms of their produce, and you are not required to pay taxes. However, those places are hardly productive these days."

Chang Mao immediately retorted, saying with a hint of smugness, "Those places in Liaodong are bitterly cold, and most people can't stand them. Right now, Goryeo is short of food, so we can exchange it. We can also coax some savages out of the forest to help us dig ginseng."

Seeing that Zhu Yunying remained silent, Chang Mao said somewhat embarrassedly, "Speaking of which, Marquis Shenyang still has some reliable people under his command, most of whom used to be Mongols. They are quite comfortable in Liaodong, and they can be of help now."

Zhu Yunying's expression also became strange. Shenyang Marquis Chahan's father was Nahachu. Back when Nahachu invested, Chang Mao wanted to kill Nahachu at the banquet, which resulted in Nahachu's rebellion. Chang Mao and his father-in-law Feng Sheng then blamed each other.

This is what Chang Mao did, which led to the eldest son of the Prince of Kaiping completely losing his military power. If it weren't for Zhu Yunying's sake, what Chang Mao did back then would have been enough to get him exiled.

However, those are all things of the past. After Nahachu surrendered again, he was considered loyal to the Ming Dynasty. This descendant of Muqali, one of the four great heroes of the Mongol Empire, became a military hero of the Ming Dynasty. He was stationed in Liaodong and followed Lan Yu in many battles in the north and south.

Even the current Marquis of Shenyang, Chahan, is an important member of the Chang faction. The unpleasantness caused by Chang Mao and Nahachu back then has long been forgotten. Now everyone is working together to continue enjoying their wonderful aristocratic lives and to gain more influence in the court. They are all in the same boat now.

Zhu Yunying didn't say much, and there was no need to say anything more at this point; it was a common occurrence.

When Chaghan was mentioned, Zhu Yunying had some other thoughts, which he couldn't help but consider.

Back then, Naghachu was a Grand Commandant in the Yuan Dynasty. Even after surrendering to the Ming Dynasty, Naghachu still commanded tens of thousands of cavalry, and his troops were mainly based in Liaodong. It is no exaggeration to say that Naghachu and his son Chaghan had a very strong foundation in Liaodong.

Even after all these years, both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yuanzhang have used various means to slightly restrict and weaken Nahachu and Chahan. But Liaodong is now naturally within the sphere of influence of that father and son.

It is said that the Duke of Qian was permanently stationed in Yunnan, but in reality, the Marquis of Shenyang was also stationed in Liaodong. However, this was also a helpless situation for the emperor, as he certainly would not trust the Marquis of Shenyang's lineage as much as he trusted the Mu family.

After all, the Marquis of Shenyang's lineage were ultimately surrendered generals, and from a different ethnic group at that. It wouldn't be right not to do something about it.

Zhu Yunying did not hide his thoughts and looked at Chang Mao, asking, "Speaking of Marquis Shenyang, they have been in Liaodong for almost twenty years. I remember that back then, Nahachu stationed 200,000 troops to confront the Ming army, many of whom were skilled cavalrymen."

Chang Mao, a Ming general who had once confronted Nahachu, said, "They say there are 200,000 men, but many of them are old and weak; there are less than 50,000 capable soldiers. If a real battle breaks out, those men won't be able to stop the Ming army!"

Zhu Yunying nodded and said, "Back then, Nahachu was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Haixi, and Chahan was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Shenyang. In any case, both father and son were in Liaodong, and the troops under their command were mostly Mongol cavalry or their tribes from earlier years. This is not a good thing. If this goes on for a long time, I'm afraid many people will think that Liaodong is the territory of the Mongols."

Chang Mao didn't say much at this point, mainly because he was smart enough to know that such matters were very sensitive. So it was better to remain silent at this time, even though he was the emperor's uncle. It wasn't appropriate for him to express too much opinion on such matters, which was a testament to his political wisdom over the years.

Seeing that Chang Mao remained silent, Zhu Yunying didn't pay much attention; he knew Chang Mao's personality very well. Besides, such a matter couldn't be discussed with Chang Mao alone; it needed to be discussed with other important officials.

However, one thing is certain: the rather special Marquis of Shenyang, Chahan, definitely needs some adjustments. Keeping him in Liaodong is not a good thing, and Zhu Yunying needs to take precautions.

After all, the Ming Dynasty is currently very powerful, so others naturally dare not have any messy thoughts. They all seem to be cautious enough, and they all seem to be loyal ministers and generals of the Ming Dynasty.

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