Having been away for a long time, Zhu Yunwen had many things to discuss with them, and he also wanted to find out if there had been any major events in the court recently.
After their conversation, nothing particularly important came of it. However, Yang Pu seemed to remember something and said to Zhu Yunwen:
"Your Highness, shouldn't we also address the issue of the chieftains in the southwest region in the future?"
Zhu Yunwen thought for a moment and said, "The Tusi problem has indeed always been quite thorny. It is not easy to deal with and resolve it. It will take time."
Yang Pu frowned and asked, "I wonder if Your Highness the Crown Prince has any thoughts on the issue of the Tusi (chieftains) in the west? We'd like to have a target to work with!"
Zhu Yunwen said, "The Tusi issue you mentioned is nothing more than the fact that the imperial court has no real control over the southwest region."
Although the southwestern region outwardly submitted to the imperial court, all decisions and local administration were actually made by the local chieftains.
This problem has persisted for hundreds or even thousands of years, and solving it won't be easy. In my opinion, to truly control the southwest region, we still need to strengthen our control over local officials.
Only by controlling local officials can the southwest region truly be brought under the jurisdiction of the imperial court.
In fact, what Zhu Yunwen said was nonsense.
The Tusi (chieftain) issue has always been a headache for emperors throughout history. The southwestern region is characterized by its rugged terrain, numerous mountains, and poor roads, making it difficult to manage as easily as the central plains and thus hindering the infiltration of the imperial court's influence.
On the contrary, the large families formed by ethnic minorities in their area have more prestige in the local area.
So the imperial court simply gave power directly to these families, who later became the Tusi (chieftains).
They were given local administration and became local officials under the imperial court.
These local officials came from large families that had been established for hundreds or even thousands of years. They were very powerful, and the local people respected them.
As a result, the Tusi (local chieftains) gained increasing power in their regions, and their systems became more and more deeply entrenched, making it increasingly difficult for the imperial court to effectively control the southwest region.
In particular, unrest frequently breaks out in the southwest region, with situations such as a family rebelling at the drop of a hat.
Although these situations were directly suppressed and resolved by the local chieftains, they remained a potential threat to the imperial court.
Yang Pu brought this up because there had been another rebellion in the southwest region recently.
The chieftain demanded a considerable sum of money from the imperial court before he was able to suppress the unrest.
So the current situation is actually quite awkward for the imperial court. It has to take care of the people in the southwest region, and it has to allocate funds regardless of whether there are natural disasters, man-made calamities, or unrest.
However, even though the imperial court provided the funds, the people in the southwest still had little concept of the imperial court; they were still grateful to the chieftain families.
In other words, the imperial court took charge of the affairs of the southwest region and gave them money, but the people did not remember the court's kindness. They only believed that all the credit was due to the Tusi (local chieftains), and thus worshipped and believed in the Tusi even more.
The imperial court, on the other hand, is forced to continue this thankless and arduous task.
After listening to this question, Zhu Yunwen pondered for a moment and only said four words:
"Reform the native chieftain system and replace it with centrally appointed officials".
Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu all looked at Zhu Yunwen with suspicion.
Zhu Yunwen said, "To solve the problem of the Tusi in the southwest, we must weaken the Tusi's influence in the local area and increase the imperial court's influence in the southwest region."
The system of local officials was abolished and replaced with appointed officials, with the imperial court sending officials to local areas annually. Although this was met with great resistance and difficulty in implementation.
However, this must be implemented gradually to prepare for the potential threat from local officials later on. If the southwest problem is not resolved, the region will be plagued by constant internal strife, which is detrimental to both the people and the imperial court.
Yang Rong nodded and said:
"Your Majesty understands. In the meantime, we will discuss the plan for replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials, come up with a plan, and gradually implement it."
Zhu Yunwen said, "There is no need to rush this issue. The reform of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials is not something that can be implemented in a day or two, or even a month or two."
What's needed is a long, slow process. If we want to resolve the issue quickly, there's probably no other way but to deploy a large army to suppress it.
Yang Shiqi nodded and said, "That's right. This reform of the native chieftain system is a slow process, a gradual process of infiltration, and a protracted war."
Zhu Yunwen stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said to the three Yangs:
"In short, your work will focus on two things going forward. First, you need to require local authorities to expedite the statistics on impoverished households and implement preferential policies for them. Second, you need to finalize the specific procedures for the land reform and the replacement of land with centrally managed land."
The three Yangs hurriedly cupped their hands and agreed!
Zhu Yunwen turned and left, satisfied.
With only two days left until the New Year, the court is extremely busy. It is said that some small neighboring countries will send important figures to pay homage to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yunwen had never witnessed how lively the New Year celebrations were in ancient times, so he was quite happy this time. Seeing the red lanterns hanging everywhere in the palace, creating a very festive atmosphere, a smile appeared on his face.
He then brought Zhao Qingzhu to the palace, where she stayed for two days and explored the palace grounds.
However, on the morning of the third day, Yang Shiqi rushed to the East Palace. While Zhu Yunwen was still asleep, he disregarded all decorum and etiquette, rushed to the door, and began banging on it, saying:
"Your Highness, good news."
After being woken up, Zhu Yunwen got up, put on a thick cloak, and then opened the door, saying:
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