Chapter 1106

"The strength of tools can break ten thousand arts," Pan Yun said to Zhu Jianji as they walked through Wu Zhe Wei, watching the growing prosperity and the increasing number of houses along the banks of the Songhua River: "But only benevolent governance can break ethnic prejudice."

Nine-year-old Zhu Jianji's eyes sparkled, his face sweet and obedient, as he nodded repeatedly: "Master Hu also taught me this—treat all ethnic groups equally; I regard them as brothers, and they will return brotherly affection."

Pan Yun smiled: "Have you remembered it?"

Zhu Jianji replied obediently and loudly: "I've remembered it!"

"Good. Now bury it deep in your heart. Remember: those not of our kind have different hearts. For Great Ming to enjoy lasting peace, foreign tribes must be guarded against!"

Zhu Jianji stared wide-eyed, utterly bewildered.

Pan Yun said: "To be emperor, you must know kindness without being kind."

Next, Pan Yun shattered his preconceptions, taking him to wander among various tribes.

This is Wu Zhe Wei, a military garrison of the Nuerkan Regional Military Commissioner.

Three years ago, because the Emperor issued an edict abolishing the Nuerkan Regional Military Commissioner's tributary prefectures, this region was named after the great river within its borders—the Heilongjiang.

The Great Ming Dynasty formally took direct control of this land, establishing a garrison and a Bureau of Civil Administration in Wu Zhe Wei; the Two Capitals and Thirteen Bureaus became the Two Capitals and Fourteen Bureaus.

Within half a year of the order's issuance, rebellious tribes had accumulated to sixteen.

But before they could unite, they were defeated and scattered by Great Ming troops that appeared from nowhere.

By the time they came to their senses, they realized Great Ming had not only relocated large numbers of Han people into Nuerkan Regional Military Commissioner territory, but had also rebuilt previously abandoned tributary garrisons.

Nuerkan Regional Military Commissioner's territory was vast and sparsely populated; these people hid deliberately, using the cover of merchant caravans frequently passing through the region, and the tribes failed to notice.

The tribes that did notice were utterly loyal, absolutely unfaithful to Great Ming.

They were insulted by other tribal nobles as traitors, yet they were not the least intimidated—they pointed back at their noses and cursed them as rebels: "Our Nuerkan Regional Military Commissioner shares the same ancestry as Great Ming—we submitted to the throne as early as Emperor Hongwu's reign! Don't drag us into your rebellion~~"

While the tribal nobles raged, Pan Yu and Li Song paid no heed, burying themselves in hard work to swiftly seize control of the entire situation.

Only a handful of tribes ultimately chose to lead their people into the deep forests and mountains; the rest surrendered humbly and apologized to Great Ming, submitting in obedience.

From the start of rebellion to its end, it took only half a year—the tribal masses were swept along, utterly confused, unaware of what had happened.

Suddenly thrust to the frontlines, told to resist Great Ming troops, they suffered heavy casualties; before they could even grow angry or grieve, their tribes suddenly surrendered.

Nuerkan Regional Military Commissioner had always belonged to Great Ming; the Great Ming troops who entered did not enslave them nor raise taxes—they lived exactly as they had before.

They merely rebuilt the garrisons established during the Yongle era, which had gradually fallen into disuse; soldiers moved in, and nearby wastelands were cultivated, with large numbers of military households relocated.

Living under the same sky, conflicts over interests were inevitable.

But soon, the imperial court sent large numbers of officials, who built a General's Mansion and a Bureau of Civil Administration, renaming Nuerkan Regional Military Commissioner as Heilongjiang.

These officials selected a new, unclaimed region to settle the relocated military households and civilians.

They did not increase taxes; instead, they assigned Mr. to each tribe to teach them farming, weaving, and identifying medicinal herbs.

This land of Nuerkan Regional Military Commissioner was home to many ethnic minorities, most of whom were semi-nomadic.

Several groups had migrated here from even farther north in Siberia, and they too harbored grievances against one another.