Liaodong should not be a desolate place. It should be a place with tracts of arable land, well-connected roads, and a large population living and working in peace and contentment.
The people were looking forward to a better life, and the emperor also had expectations and imaginations.
He wanted to change not only Liaodong, but the entire Ming Dynasty. The success or failure of Liaodong's reconstruction was directly related to his entire grand plan.
If you can't clean your own room, how can you clean up the world? If you can't govern your own land, how can you govern the country?
Mekong Province could have also been an option, but the emperor did not make major changes, but instead implemented reforms step by step.
Because Mekong Province was established relatively early and Liaodong had not yet been pacified, the emperor had to be cautious.
Things are different now. One of the two major rebellions in the country has been put down, and it was also the most important one. The She'an rebels in Shuixi were very despicable and relied on the geographical advantage to resist stubbornly. They have been blocked and are at the end of their rope. They will be destroyed soon.
In other words, the conditions for carrying out drastic reforms in Liaodong are in place and the resistance is minimal.
Moreover, although Liaodong had only just been pacified, its governance had already begun. Dengzhou Governor Yuan Keli, who controlled Dongjiang, had also dispatched officials like Wang Yining to manage the restored areas.
From the initial Tieshan, Yizhou and coastal islands, to Lushun Jinzhou, Liaonan, Zhenjiang and other places.
As the Ming army continued to advance, the Jiannu were not afraid of shrinking. The number of government officials in Liaodong increased and their work ability also improved, which was just right for the new governor Wu Yongxian to use.
The most crucial aspect was the population and land situation. Areas recovered earlier had already been census-tapped. Because this involved the amount of relief grain distributed by the imperial court, Yuan Keli personally supervised the process, ensuring the data was relatively accurate.
When the Liao Dynasty was pacified, the liberated Liao people and the surrendered Jurchens and Mongols needed to be re-counted and registered.
There should also be a rough estimate of the houses and land in the newly recovered areas, in preparation for distribution and rationing of the Liao people returning home.
Therefore, since the pacification of Liao, Yuan Keli, who was in charge of Liaodong, has been extremely busy.
Although returning to Beijing to join the cabinet was a foregone conclusion, Teacher Yuan was very serious and was determined to do well in all the work he could see and think of.
As an old official working in Liaodong and a native of Liaodong, Wang Yining was familiar with the situation and naturally gained the trust of Yuan Keli.
The emperor also knew Wang Yining, and it was he who participated in and planned Mao Wenlong's victory in Zhenjiang. Among scholars, he was quite courageous.
Therefore, when Yuan Keli returned to Beijing and was promoted, Wang Yining and a group of Liaodong officials stayed to serve. The emperor even gave Wang Yining the title of Liaodong Left Governor, a promotion from the sixth rank to the second rank.
It was already late at night, and Yuan Keli was still reviewing documents at the yamen. He had come to Liaodong from Dengzhou without bringing his family with him, and he had a lot of official duties, so he simply stayed at the yamen, so he could work and rest at the same time.
The same goes for Wang Yining. He has been traveling around Liaodong for several years and has worked really hard, but he has not married to avoid any worries or constraints.
After a busy day, Wang Yining returned to the governor's office in Liaoyang City. When he learned that Yuan Keli had not yet rested, he hurried to report on his work.
At the same time, he was somewhat puzzled by the court's policies and wanted to get some explanations and guidance from his grandfather.
According to the official system of the Ming Dynasty, the governor was the highest official at the local level, and the provincial governor was slightly lower.
But in terms of actual power, the governor's authority is large and broad, while the provincial governor's authority is relatively precise and specific. Both sides have their own strengths and check and balance each other.
The emperor's newly established Liaodong Governor removed one of the three main tasks of pacifying the local area, inspecting subordinates, and supervising military affairs, and now only supervised military affairs.
In other words, the governor's power was smaller than before, and he could no longer interfere in military affairs.
Although the emperor disliked the idea of suppressing the military with civil power, on the surface, no changes occurred. Dongjiang Town seemed isolated overseas, but it was still under the control of Yuan Keli, the governor of Dengzhou.
Now, suddenly removing the governor's position of supervising military affairs is tantamount to completely breaking the traditions and conventions of the Ming Dynasty.
Without civil officials to suppress the military, and without eunuchs to supervise the army, many people would probably worry that the military would be difficult to control. If this continues, some domineering generals might endanger the country.
Wang Yining was also worried about this. Although the Liao army had won a great victory and the military had made great contributions, it was inappropriate to have no means to control and suppress them.
Moreover, the improvement of the status of military personnel would also cause many inconveniences to the governance of Liaodong.
After meeting Yuan Keli, Wang Yining first reported on his work, mainly on the land, population, and housing situation, including in Liaoyang, Haicheng, and other places.
Yuan Keli listened attentively and was very pleased. He stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "It's freezing cold, and you've been busy running around outside. It's really hard work."
"This is all part of my job, and I dare not complain." Wang Yining bowed and said, "Spring plowing is only two or three months away, and the population and land must be registered. My colleagues are also working just as hard, not just me."
Yuan Keli nodded and said, "Rebuilding Liaodong must indeed be carried out expeditiously. Spring plowing is of utmost importance. Not only the people, but also the army must reclaim wasteland and plant crops to reduce the burden on the court."
"The army is cultivating farmland?" Wang Yining asked, not quite understanding the details.
"This is different from previous military settlements." Yuan Keli pondered for a moment and said, "The land reclaimed and cultivated by the army will be handed over to the local authorities and then distributed to the returning Liao people."
Controlling the army's food supply? Wang Yining thought it was a solution, but it wasn't enough. Furthermore, since the military settlements didn't belong to them, would the army be willing to work hard?
Yuan Keli didn't know what Wang Yining was thinking, so he said, "We need to clearly count the shops in the big towns. All the major chambers of commerce need to contribute to the reconstruction of Liaodong, and allocating shops is one way to attract them."
Before the liberation of Liaodong, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce had taken the lead, set up some outlets and occupied part of the market.
Now that Liaodong has been pacified, the imperial court has opened its doors to major chambers of commerce. One of the preferential policies is to grant shops and exempt them from rent for three years.
Don't think that because Liaodong has been ravaged by war and the people are poor, doing business there is unprofitable.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce is a successful example. It has made a lot of money just from the business of selling soldiers, and the exclusive border trade has made it even more profitable.
Moreover, Liaodong also has many special products, such as ginseng, antlers, animal skins, pine nuts, etc., which are very popular.
Therefore, all the major chambers of commerce were quite active in this regard and submitted applications to the court. The most sought-after shops were naturally in major cities or transportation hubs such as Shenyang, Liaoyang, Haicheng, and Lushun.
Of course, the court’s policies to attract investment are also conditional.
Because the loans granted to the Liao people were not in the form of silver coins, but vouchers. Merchants who received free shops had to accept the vouchers with a date printed on them and could only exchange them for the equivalent silver coins at the bank three months later.
It is clear from this explanation that the imperial court had to borrow money from merchants for three months in vain, and it was a cycle.
The merchants lost interest or other income from operating these funds. However, they saved three years of rent and expanded their business into Liaodong. In the long run, the gains outweighed the losses.
First there were the Ping Liao bonds, and then there were the vouchers. The emperor was making great efforts to prepare for the issuance of paper money in the future.
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