PDLP Chapter 694
Chapter 694
Bo Jie was also aware of this. Originally, Bo Jie thought that it might not be long before Tibet would break free from the rule of the Ming Dynasty once the Ming's national strength weakened slightly.
But when he learned of this news, Bo Jie knew that Ü-Tsang would probably find it difficult to escape the rule of the Ming Dynasty in the future. With these Ü-Tsang people around, their sense of identity with the Ming Dynasty would only grow stronger.
What determines whether a dynasty can continue to rule a region is never military force, but rather a sense of identity.
Zhou Chu nodded upon hearing this.
"The people of Tibet used to live in great misery. It was Your Majesty who saved them. As for worshipping Your Majesty's portrait, it is simply out of their own hearts."
Zhou Chu made no mention of the Tibetan people worshipping his portrait.
"I suggest that the local people be allowed to worship portraits of His Majesty and Your Excellency in the future."
Bo Jie flattered the Dao.
Zhou Chu shook his head upon hearing this.
“The Tibetan people are willing to make offerings because it comes from the bottom of their hearts. The situation in Tibet is different from here. The people here never lack food and have no crisis of survival. However, most of the people are not yet enlightened. Here, we need to use other methods.”
Zhou Chu took a sip of wine and said.
"Your Excellency sees things very clearly; I admire you."
Upon hearing this, Bo Jie stopped insisting and continued drinking and making merry with Zhou Chu.
Zhou Chu was entertained in Bo Jie for several days, and the Javanese governor appointed by the imperial court finally arrived.
"This humble official greets Lord Zhou and Lord Wen."
Upon arriving in Champa, the first thing this person did was to pay his respects to Zhou Chu and Wen Zhengming.
Zhou Chu nodded when he saw this person.
"Alright, now that you've arrived, it's time for this official and my teacher to return to the Ming Dynasty to report back."
Zhou Chu smiled.
"My lord, I am unfamiliar with Java, and I hope you can give me some pointers."
The man looked at Zhou Chu and said with a hint of flattery.
"It's very simple. The main approach is to appease them. It would be best to find some teachers from the Ming Dynasty to set up schools here. In this way, the people of Java will have a stronger sense of identification with the Ming Dynasty. These troops are yours. As for the original troops of Bo Jie, you can also incorporate them all into the army. After all, Java is too big, and a few thousand troops are a bit difficult."
Zhou Chu said.
"Your Excellency is wise. Thank you for your guidance."
The provincial governor bowed respectfully.
Zhou Chu nodded. He had already pointed out the general direction for this person. If he still didn't know what to do next, he wouldn't have been appointed as the Governor of Java by Jiajing.
Whether it was the governor of Java or the governor of Annam, they were both high-ranking officials in charge of their respective regions. Moreover, the governors of such remote areas wielded even greater power.
As the saying goes, "the emperor is far away and the sky is high," if there hadn't been a train, this person would probably have become the local tyrant in no time.
Zhou Chu nodded upon hearing this, then looked at Wen Zhengming.
"Teacher, we should return to the Ming Dynasty. You have rendered great service to the Ming Dynasty this time, and I believe you will be granted a title of nobility."
Zhou Chu smiled.
Before Jiajing ascended the throne, apart from imperial relatives and the empress's family, very few people were granted titles of nobility.
However, the Ming Dynasty at this time was not the same as the Ming Dynasty before. The Ming Dynasty was at its peak and stronger than any other period of the Ming Dynasty. Its territory had already surpassed that of the Tang Dynasty. If people wanted to expand the territory, granting them titles and honors was undoubtedly the best option.
In the future Ming Dynasty, many more people will be granted titles of nobility, a fact that both Zhou Chu and Jiajing were well aware of.
"These are all thanks to Ruzhen and Mengjing; I dare not take credit for their work."
Wen Zhengming waved his hand and said.
"Teacher, there's no need to be modest. His Majesty will reward them separately for their contributions. What they did could have been done by anyone else. Before they came, I made detailed plans for them. The current situation is all thanks to you, teacher, who took charge of the overall situation. If you hadn't risked your life alone, we wouldn't be where we are today."
Zhou Chu said.
Zhou Chu's attitude towards Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji was different. As for Lin Lu, Zhou Chu did not hold back his praise, because Lin Lu had always been an extremely humble person, and even had a little lack of self-awareness, feeling that he owed all his achievements to Zhou Chu.
Zhou Chu wasn't afraid of Lin Lu's arrogance. In military campaigns, the worst thing is to lack confidence; without confidence, one cannot win a tough battle.
But too much confidence is also bad. As for Lan Yu, he is not without the ability to lead troops into battle, but he is so arrogant that how could the emperor tolerate him?
Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji are too young now and have never been defeated. If Zhou Chu doesn't give them a good talking-to in time, they'll probably get too cocky.
As expected, upon hearing this, Hu Zongxian and his companion composed themselves and bowed before Wen Zhengming.
“Sir, the teacher is right. We are just carrying out the teacher’s strategic plan. Without you, sir, we would have no use.”
Hu Zongxian said respectfully.
Since the Song Dynasty, it has been mostly civil officials who command military generals. The difference between the Song and Ming Dynasties is that in the Song Dynasty, almost all the battles were fought by laymen commanding experts. Moreover, the civil officials in the Song Dynasty were the most comfortable. Even if they gave bad orders and lost the battle, the civil officials had no responsibility and might even continue to be promoted.
This also led to the fact that when civil officials in the Song Dynasty commanded military generals in battle, the commands were mostly abstract.
The Ming Dynasty was different. Although the Ming Dynasty also had civil officials commanding military generals, such as Hu Zongxian in the original history, Hu Zongxian commanded Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou to fight against Japanese pirates as a civil official, and most of the credit was attributed to Hu Zongxian.
Therefore, Hu Zongxian and his companion had no objection to the distribution of credit, as was the custom of the Ming Dynasty.
"Let's go back to Annam first. The Duke of Annam has prepared beautiful women to entertain you."
Zhou Chu looked at Hu Zongxian and the other man and teased them.
Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji had been so engrossed in the beauties of Bo Jie these past few days that they had almost forgotten about home. After all, it was their first time experiencing this kind of feeling, and they were naturally getting a taste for it. When they heard Zhou Chu's teasing words, they were both a little embarrassed.
Wen Zhengming, on the other hand, remained extremely calm. He had seen and experienced much in his youth, and at his age, he could mostly only enjoy the spectacle. His composure was far superior to that of Hu Zongxian and the other man.
When the group returned to the Annam Provincial Administration Office, Li Chun and the Annam Provincial Administration Office had already gotten wind of the situation and had prepared a banquet and beautiful women in advance, just waiting for Zhou Chu and the others. Zhou Chu and the others stayed in Annam for another three days before boarding the train and setting off back to the Ming Dynasty.