Chapter Twenty-Two: Resettlement of the Liaodong People

Zhu Youjiao continued, "But most importantly, there is the matter of the military households. I intend to abolish the hereditary military household system. However, this is a daunting task. How to frame the change to the ancestral statutes, how to reorganize and redistribute land, and how to ensure the people can live and work in peace without disrupting the local order—all these matters require your expertise, Teacher Sun. If the military household system remains unchanged, it will be the greatest obstacle to strengthening the Ming military. The Jianzhou Jurchens, with a mere few tens of thousands of armored troops, have been able to sweep across Liaodong and send our Ming armies fleeing in utter defeat. This is a wake-up call, and I hope you can help me devise a sound strategy."

The military household system was established by the founding emperor. In truth, everyone knew it had reached a point where change was inevitable. Sun Chuanting’s experiment with reforming the military colonies in Yan'an Prefecture had, by all appearances, yielded good results. Yet, Zhu Youjiao knew that what worked in Yan'an might not necessarily work elsewhere. Careful investigation and verification were required before conclusions could be drawn, followed by a cautious, gradual rollout across the empire. Thus, Sun Chengzong’s inspection tour was of critical importance; any slight error could lead to major consequences, even risking uprisings by the military households.

Sun Chengzong replied, "Then I shall first inspect Shaanxi, examine the situation in Yan'an Prefecture, and then visit other regions to identify the similarities and differences. I will listen to the opinions of local officials and the military households themselves, and then report everything to Your Majesty for your final decision."

Zhu Youjiao said delightedly, "If you think this way, Teacher, then I can rest easy. Do not fear the details; the more meticulous, the better. The less disruption caused, the better. If everyone is satisfied, that is the best possible outcome. There is no need to rush. Take your time. I am planning to resolve this over three to five years. Once we have a solid plan, we can accomplish it in one decisive stroke."

Seeing that the Emperor had set a timeline of three to five years, Sun Chengzong felt greatly relieved. He had been worried that the young Emperor might be impetuous and seek an overnight solution, which would have been troublesome. Since the Emperor already had a clear plan, he felt no need to say more.

After Sun Chengzong departed, Bi Zisu entered. He was the younger brother of Bi Ziyan and currently served as a director in the Ministry of Rites. After he paid his respects, Zhu Youjiao said, "Minister Bi, there is a very difficult task I must entrust to you: the resettlement of the Liaodong refugees in the eastern metropolitan region."

Bi Zisu replied, "Your Majesty, resettling the Liaodong refugees will, firstly, put their hearts at ease, and secondly, allow them to become self-sufficient. This is a virtuous act for both the state and the people. I do not consider it a burden and am willing to share your concerns, Your Majesty."

Zhu Youjiao smiled. "You do not consider it difficult, Minister, only because you do not realize that this resettlement is different from previous colonial farming. Minister Xu recommended you, believing you are adept at handling complex problems, which is why you were chosen for this task."

Bi Zisu was curious. "Your Majesty, is the resettlement of Liaodong refugees not simply a matter of establishing colonies for self-sustenance?"

Zhu Youjiao explained, "This time, I intend to reform the military system. I plan to use the next few years to replace the original hereditary garrison system entirely with a volunteer recruitment system. I wish to use the Liaodong refugees as a trial."

Bi Zisu said, "Your Majesty, the volunteer recruitment system has been practiced since the time of Commander Qi, though it never replaced the hereditary system. I know something of it, but what does that have to do with the Liaodong refugees?"

Zhu Youjiao replied, "It is indeed related. Listen closely as I explain."

The following day, the Emperor issued an imperial decree: Bi Zisu was promoted to Imperial Commissioner for the Resettlement of Liaodong Refugees in the Metropolitan Region. He was to establish a resettlement site in Qian'an County, Yongping Prefecture, specifically to house refugees fleeing from Liaodong.

Upon arriving in Qian'an, the County Magistrate came to pay his respects. Bi Zisu said, "Magistrate, please bring me the Fish-Scale Registers. I must select a site for the refugees, and I need to find the right location first."

After carefully examining the registers, Bi Zisu found that there were vast stretches of uninhabited land along the Luan River. He said, "Mark out a large area of empty land west of the Luan River specifically for the new refugee villages."

The Magistrate said cautiously, "Sir, this area is prone to flooding, which is why it has never been settled or cultivated. Would you consider selecting another site? Qian'an has plenty of vacant land."

Bi Zisu smiled. "Do not worry, Magistrate. The Emperor has ordered me to build these new villages, and they must be near water or on low-lying ground."

The Magistrate said, "There are other low-lying areas. Would you not consider those?"

Bi Zisu replied, "No rush. We will take it slowly. A large number of refugees will be arriving, so we shall start by the Luan River. Magistrate, will you lead me there to have a look?"

The Magistrate led Bi Zisu to the west bank of the Luan River and introduced it: "Sir, to the southwest of this river are great mountains. The flat land is over forty li wide from east to west and about sixty li long from north to south, before reaching the border of Lulong County. It is virtually uninhabited. You may designate this entire area as the resettlement zone."

Looking at the quiet, flowing water of the Luan River, Bi Zisu said with satisfaction, "This place is excellent. If the Luan River floods during the season, how high does the water rise above this ground?"

The Magistrate said, "Generally, it rises about five feet higher than where we are standing. The highest record, supposedly from the twelfth year of the Wanli reign, was seven feet higher."

Bi Zisu nodded. "Then we shall build the river embankment one zhang high. That should ensure safety."

The Magistrate was shocked. "Sir, to build an embankment one zhang high would require a massive amount of labor, which we simply do not have."

Bi Zisu remained silent. With the gantry cranes and cement from the Imperial Construction Team, building the embankment would be a simple task. As for the manpower, the Emperor had already said that once work at the Wanggong Factory was finished, they would proceed directly to this project.

The Magistrate continued, "Sir, our county can provide some corvée labor, but the numbers may not be large. I hope you understand."

Bi Zisu replied, "I do not need your county’s corvée labor. I will hire workers directly with payment. Tell your subordinates to announce that we are recruiting able-bodied men. Each person will receive one hundred wen per day and one meal. I need a total of three thousand men, but you can start by recruiting a portion; I need at least five hundred here by tomorrow."

The Magistrate was overjoyed. Not only was he spared the burden of providing corvée labor, but the high wages were a boon for his county. He immediately sent yamen runners to post notices in densely populated areas and instructed the local neighborhood heads to explain the offer to the farmers. After registration, the neighborhood heads escorted them to the site.

The next morning, over five hundred men arrived at the site. Apart from two personal attendants, everyone Bi Zisu brought was a eunuch—there was no help for it, as the Imperial Construction Team was managed by eunuchs. Wei Chao was still finishing up work at the Wanggong Factory, so the team was led by the deputy captain, Li Siqing.

Once the workers arrived, Bi Zisu handed them over to Li Siqing. In truth, he was somewhat waiting to see the eunuchs make a fool of themselves; civil officials and palace officials were, after all, rarely of the same mind.

Li Siqing brought over fifty eunuchs. He divided them into twenty-five groups, each leading twenty strong laborers armed with hoes and shovels. Two eunuchs then pushed over strange carts with oversized wheels, each marked with a prominent white line.