Chapter 260: Distributing Fields and Land to Put Down Roots, Part 2

"Guards, warriors, lieutenants, and squad leaders are all getting land here?" Wang Qi was taken aback. "What about those above squad leader?"

"Guards, warriors, lieutenants, and squad leaders get theirs first; all officers above them get theirs later!" Zhu Cilang said. "And those above squad leader will not receive land in the three prefectures of Yingtian, Taiping, and Zhenjiang."

"Where will they get it?"

Zhu Cilang looked at Wang Qi and said seriously, "Farther away! The higher the office, the more distinguished the title, the farther away the land, and the later the time! Wang Qi, you are an Assistant Regional Commander, so you'll likely have to wait two or three months before you get your land. You won't be impatient, will you?"

"No, I won't be impatient. Why would I be?" Wang Qi laughed a few times. "This subject only has what he has today because of Thousand Years. Whatever Thousand Years says, goes!"

Zhu Cilang nodded and smiled. "Right, what's your hurry? Would We cheat you out of your fields? Besides, We will give you a residence first! Isn't a residence in the city of Nanjing worth more than several hundred or a thousand mu of land?"

"Thousand Years is right."

Wang Qi truly was not impatient. What did he have to be impatient about? A residence and silver were both guaranteed for him!

And his current official rank was Assistant Regional Commander, the eleventh of the fifteen ranks in the Marshal's Office. From squad leader at the fourth rank upward, each promotion added one hundred mu. An Assistant Regional Commander at the eleventh rank would receive 850 mu of paddy fields, or other land yielding 850 shi of rice and flour per year, as merit fields. These merit fields existed as special office fields before Wang Qi retired (ordinary office fields could not be converted to private land, but merit fields could be converted to private land as long as conditions were met), and upon his retirement, death from illness, or death in battle, they would become private land inherited by his descendants.

For a bureaucrat of his rank, 850 mu of paddy fields was no great sum at all. At the highest estimate, it was worth only some ten-odd thousand taels.

A residence granted in the city of Nanjing, plus a share of gold and silver from a confiscated estate, would surely be worth twenty or thirty thousand taels, wouldn't it?

Zhu Cilang nodded and said, "Lao Qi, you must be wondering why We are not giving you land in the three prefectures of Yingtian, Taiping, and Zhenjiang, aren't you?"

He paused, then answered his own question: "Because We are not worried about you being bullied. You are an Assistant Regional Commander, commander of a division—who would dare bully you? But those guards, warriors, lieutenants, and squad leaders—there are people who would dare bully them! So We must distribute their land right under Our nose. Only then can We personally protect them!"

Zhu Cilang did some mental arithmetic: "Our K'nan New Army now has five divisions—vanguard, rear, left, right, and center—that need land (the First Division in Huai'an has not yet formally been established, and since it is a newly formed unit with no merits, it cannot receive merit fields). Total strength is 40,000 men, with roughly 38,000 guards, warriors, lieutenants, and squad leaders. In addition, there are the guards, warriors, lieutenants, and squad leaders in the New Army Command Office, the Marshal's Office, and the Eastern Palace Guard Battalion, bringing the total to about 40,000-odd men.

On average each man is to receive about 80 mu of merit fields, for a total of 3.2 million mu, which must be allocated as quickly as possible and in full. We must also give each of them a resettlement allowance so they can establish homes and careers here in the southeast. Only when all 40,000-odd men have received their proper land in the three prefectures of Yingtian, Taiping, and Zhenjiang can we say our foundation is firmly set!

Lao Qi, do you understand Our meaning?"

"I understand, this subject understands!" Wang Qi nodded heavily. "Once these 40,000 soldiers have received land, they will be Thousand Years' die-hard loyalists!"

Forty thousand land-holding die-hard loyalists, equipped with muskets, bayonets, and cannon—a northern expedition to the Central Plains was too much to hope for, but in the southeast they could absolutely walk sideways.

Any reform that offended vested interests could be pushed through at bayonet point. And Zhu Cilang's throne would be secure. Because forty thousand land-holding bayonets could only be matched by the elite troops of the Eight Banners!

Zhu Cilang smiled and said, "Good that you understand! Don't go back tonight. Summon all officers above battalion commander in the Central Division. We will treat them to dinner and mention the matter of land distribution."

The Crown Prince Zhu was a man who could talk people around, and of course he had to fully explain his policies so that the officials below who carried them out would all believe these policies were to their benefit, or at least harmless.

Only then could implementation proceed smoothly!

Moreover, he was somewhat of a hands-on person who did not much trust the bureaucrats below him.

For a matter as important as distributing land and fields, he had to handle it personally with all his energy before he could rest easy.

"Thousand Years, it is so late. What matter did you summon this subject for?"

Zhu Chunchen, Commander of the Capital Camps, followed Huang Xiaobao into the inner hall of a villa that had originally belonged to the Duke of Wei's household, where Zhu Cilang was temporarily staying.

Zhu Cilang had just finished his evening meal and was at that moment swinging a heavy wooden sword back and forth—this was a sword technique he had learned from Wu Sanmei, which he practiced several times every morning and evening to strengthen his body.

Hearing Zhu Chunchen's voice, Zhu Cilang put away the wooden sword, and, panting, took a towel from the attending young eunuch, wiped his sweat, and then said to Zhu Chunchen, "Are you satisfied with the garden residence allotted to you? Is the silver enough to spend?"

Zhu Chunchen was, all things considered, a great meritorious official. He had fought the roving bandits in Beijing, fought rioters in Tianjin, reorganized the guard stations in Denglai, and in Yanzhou had cleverly captured the Duke of Yansheng. Among the old meritorious nobles, he was indisputably the number one great meritorious official.

So Zhu Cilang had enfeoffed him as Duke of K'nan, and after entering Nanjing had granted him a residence and also given him reward silver—the residence granted to him was one of the sixteen famous gardens of Nanjing, and the reward silver was twenty thousand taels.

In addition, Zhu Cilang had given him the official rank of Commissioner-in-Chief of the Grand Marshal's Office for Army Pacification—this was the highest office in the K'nan New Army system after the Grand Marshal himself.

Grand Marshal was Zhu Cilang's own rank and could not be conferred on anyone else.

So what Zhu Chunchen now held was the highest military rank available.

And the Crown Prince Zhu, who was flush with cash, had recently raised the salaries of his K'nan New Army. A guard's monthly pay was raised to two taels; a warrior's monthly pay was three taels; a lieutenant's was five taels; a squad leader's was ten taels; a platoon leader's was fifteen taels; a probationary centurion's was twenty taels; a centurion's was thirty taels; a vice chiliarch's was forty-five taels; a chiliarch's was sixty taels; a provost's was seventy-five taels; an Assistant Regional Commander's was ninety taels; a Assistant Regional Commander's was one hundred twenty taels; a commander's was one hundred fifty taels; and a commissioner-in-chief's monthly pay was as high as two hundred taels of silver!

In addition, all officers holding substantive posts above battalion commander received an office stipend. Zhu Chunchen, serving as Commander, received a total monthly salary plus office stipend of four hundred taels of silver—by Ming dynasty standards, absolutely a high salary.

This Crown Prince Zhu was formidable at raking in money, but he spent it like flowing water as well!

"It's enough, it's enough." Zhu Chunchen did not dare say it was not enough. He had not really done anything, yet he received four hundred taels of silver a month, with no conversion to goods and no arrears. On top of that, he had been allotted a garden, received reward silver, and would later receive land.

"Good, good," Zhu Cilang said with a smile and a nod. "Would you like to earn a bit more?"

"No, no," Zhu Chunchen shook his head.

"What?" Zhu Cilang's tone deepened.

Zhu Chunchen immediately changed his words: "Yes, yes, this subject does want to earn more money."

"Good," Zhu Cilang's tone softened again. "We want you to go serve as Keeper of the Central Capital, in charge of the Central Capital Keeper's Office. This is an office with real authority, with eight guards and one battalion under it. Are you willing to go?"

The Central Capital was Fengyang Prefecture, and the Keeper's Office administered eight guards and one battalion.

Compared with Jiangnan, Huaiyang, and even the prefectures south of Fengyang Prefecture near the Yangtze, the land of Fengyang Prefecture was relatively barren. The land of Fengyang north of the Huai in particular was mostly poor and wretched, with no profit to be squeezed. Going there to serve as an official would probably yield little money.

Zhu Chunchen now understood Zhu Cilang well enough, and immediately asked, "Does Thousand Years wish this subject to go and reorganize the eight guards and one battalion of Fengyang?"

"Correct!" Zhu Cilang nodded. "Fengyang is a place that produces fierce soldiers from west of the Huai, and it is also the place where our dynasty rose. Moreover, it is a strategic point shielding the Yangtze. Now that we have gained Jiangnan, we need not worry about money. But the quality of recruits from Jiangnan is ultimately somewhat lacking. We think we can only rely on soldiers from west of the Huai. The military advisor has already gone to Runing to take up his post. With him assisting the Prince of Tang, We are at ease. But in Fengyang, relying on Ma Shiying will not do. It must be you!"

"This subject's talents are limited, and I fear I may fail the trust Thousand Years has placed in me!" Zhu Chunchen was no fool. He knew this assignment would not be easy, so he had to decline once first.

Zhu Cilang smiled: "Duke Cheng, you need not decline, and We will not permit you to decline. The Fengyang assignment can only be yours. There are too many descendants of meritorious officials in Fengyang. Although they are all of collateral lines, if they stir up trouble it will be troublesome. Without a hereditary title, no one can keep them in check! The Earl of Xiangcheng is going to serve as Garrison Commander of Anlu, to reorganize the guard stations in the Anqing and Luzhou areas. As for the Duke of Ying, he is Right Chief Censor and will be watching you and the Earl of Xiangcheng. Do your job well, and don't let the Duke of Ying catch you out—otherwise, being sent to Dayuan Island would not be pleasant!"

(End of Chapter)