Chapter 426
The Northeast of the Great Song Dynasty
...
With Zhao Yu's political guidance, the oppressive rule in the Northeast was somewhat relaxed.
Next, although the Song army continued to besiege the remaining forces of the Jin state, it focused on appeasement and used attacks as a secondary measure. Moreover, the appeasement policy offered was really good.
This led the remaining forces of the Jin Dynasty, who were still putting up a stubborn resistance, to surrender rather than continue to accept Jin rule.
Many of the Jurchens even turned against the Song army, helping them to suppress the stubborn resistance of Jin Wuzhu and others.
Under these circumstances, the Northeast quickly stabilized.
When spring arrived and flowers bloomed, on the northeastern land, apart from a few remaining forces of the Jin Dynasty, such as Jin Wuzhu, who were still fighting desperately, the rest of the remaining forces of the Jin Dynasty either opened their cities to surrender or came down from the mountains to accept the surrender.
At this time, the Song Dynasty had shifted its focus from attacking the remnants of the Jin Dynasty to governing the Northeast.
The overall strategy of the Song Dynasty in governing the Northeast was to promote industrial development along the border, relocate people to integrate into local customs, ensure national security throughout the region, and integrate border defense. By combining the mature system of the Song Dynasty with the realities of the new territory, the Northeast was to be fully integrated into the Song Dynasty's territory, becoming a stable northern barrier and development hinterland for the Song Dynasty.
Specifically:
In addition to the traditional "Edict on Changing Clothing", "Edict on Keeping Hair", and "Edict on Changing to Han Style", some threatening Jurchen, Khitan, nomadic grassland peoples, and fishing and hunting peoples of the Northeast were also selected and relocated in batches to sparsely populated areas in the Central Plains, the South, and the Ji region, and they were strictly prohibited from living in large-scale clan settlements.
For example, the more than 20,000 Jurchens who surrendered under the leadership of Wanyan Chang were divided into more than 20 groups by the Song Dynasty and relocated to more than 20 regions for resettlement.
The imperial court established "settlement offices" in the areas where the people were relocated, uniformly registered their household registrations, mixed them with the Han people, allocated official land, distributed new agricultural tools and machinery, dispatched agricultural teachers to teach them farming techniques, exempted them from taxes and corvée labor for three years, and encouraged them to abandon their nomadic and hunting habits and turn to settled farming.
At the same time, they were encouraged to intermarry with Han Chinese, and material rewards were given to intermarried families, such as tax reductions or even direct cash payments.
Tribal leaders bestowed honorary titles and forced their sons to study in official schools in the Central Plains, learning Confucian culture and the laws of the Song Dynasty. Those who passed the examinations could serve as local minor officials or even officials of the Song Dynasty, gradually disintegrating their tribal power and strengthening their cultural identity.
As for the Jurchen, Khitan, and other ethnic groups who remained in the Northeast, the court registered them upon its ascension to the throne, distributed household registrations, provided them with food and medical assistance according to their household registration certificates, and assigned Han officials to manage them together with their tribal elders. They were strictly prohibited from privately possessing weapons or gathering to discuss matters.
At the same time, they recruited displaced people, landless farmers, and demobilized soldiers from densely populated areas such as Henan, Hebei, Shandong, the South, and Jidi, using gimmicks such as distributing land, grain, and women, and moved them to various parts of Northeast China.
— Zhao Yu and his ministers discussed and decided to relocate at least five million people to the northeast.
Emperor Zhao Yu issued an edict clearly stipulating:
Liaoning Road, Jilin Road, and Heilongjiang Road were established in Northeast China.
These three circuits were all directly under the imperial court, and they followed the three-tiered administrative system of prefectures, states, and counties, completely replicating the Song Dynasty system in the Central Plains.
The chief officials of circuits, prefectures, and states were Han officials directly dispatched by the imperial court. Deputy positions such as county magistrates and vice prefects could be filled by Khitan, Jurchen, or Bohai nobles or local worthies who had submitted to the court and passed the examinations, to assist in the management of local affairs.
Strategic locations such as Jinzhou, Lushun, and Ningjiang Prefecture were designated as "military prefectures," with imperial guards directly dispatched by the court to garrison them and oversee local administration. This created a hierarchical structure of "prefectures under the jurisdiction of the prefectures, administrative offices under the prefectures, and military prefectures controlling key areas," which both preserved central authority and conformed to local customs.
—The northeast bordered the Mongol tribes to the west and Goryeo to the east. The imperial court built fortresses and beacon towers in key areas, stationed 200,000 troops, and implemented a "military-agricultural integration" system: soldiers spent 70% of their time cultivating the land and 30% guarding the border. Agricultural machinery was distributed to cultivate wasteland to achieve food self-sufficiency and reduce the pressure on the imperial court to transport grain and supplies.
In remote areas where tribes were concentrated, a temporary "pacification office" was set up as a transitional measure. It was led by Han officials dispatched by the imperial court and worked with local elders to handle daily affairs. Once the governance was mature, it was converted into a prefecture or county.
The laws of the Great Song Dynasty were fully implemented in these three routes, strictly prohibiting any ethnic group from continuing old customs (such as blood revenge, funerary sacrifice, etc.).
Each prefecture and county established county government offices and prisons, with Han officials serving as county magistrates and judicial officers responsible for judicial trials; regardless of whether people were Han, Jurchen, Khitan, or Bohai or other ethnic groups, disputes or violations of the law were all adjudicated according to the law, without any ethnic bias.
Any form of ethnic discrimination is strictly prohibited, and those who incite ethnic conflict will be severely punished to ensure the equal rights of all ethnic groups through the law.
Vigorously develop railway construction and build a railway network covering the entire Northeast region: connecting the grasslands in the west, Huanglongfu in the north, Lushun Port and Pyongyang in the east, and the Central Plains railway trunk line in the south.
Taking advantage of the large capacity and high speed of trains and ocean-going ships, grains, salt, sugar, vinegar, wine, light and heavy industrial products, luxury goods, etc. from all over the Song Dynasty were transported to the Northeast, while coal, ore, and various medicinal herbs and mountain products from the Northeast were transferred to various parts of the Song Dynasty, forming a complementary trade pattern.
Establishing rest stations, freight yards, and guard posts along railway lines ensures railway transportation safety and simultaneously stimulates the development of towns along the lines, making transportation hubs the core of population and industrial agglomeration.
The "Mining and Metallurgical Bureau" was established in Anshan, Benxi, the four major coal cities in Heilongjiang, Daqing and other places to mine iron ore, coal and oil, and to build smelting plants using Central Plains industrial technology to cast steel rails, agricultural machinery parts, petroleum products and other products to meet the needs of local construction and industrial development in various parts of the Song Dynasty.
New agricultural machinery will be promoted in the Songnen Plain, Liaohe Plain, and Goryeo Hanjiang Plain to establish large-scale farms, focusing on the cultivation of high-yield crops such as rice, corn, and sweet potatoes. Each household will be allocated ten mu of fertile land and one hundred mu of wasteland, and will be provided with free oxen, seeds, and various agricultural machinery. Villages will be planned in a unified manner, and infrastructure such as houses, roads, and irrigation canals will be constructed.
Merchants from the Central Plains were encouraged to follow the immigrants and set up factories, shops, and banks in the immigrant settlements, thereby driving the development of commerce and forming a settlement pattern of "complementary agriculture and industry, and mutual exchange between commerce and tourism".
—Encourage private capital to participate in industrial development, provide tax breaks and land incentives to businessmen investing in Northeast China, support them in establishing various factories and workshops, drive local economic prosperity, and increase employment opportunities.
In these three routes, official schools were established in various prefectures, states, and counties. Confucian scholars from the Central Plains were invited to lecture, and a three-dormitory system was implemented. The schools taught Confucian classics, Han history, Song Dynasty law, agricultural and industrial techniques, and medical and protective knowledge. School-age children from all ethnic groups were enrolled, and tuition fees were waived and room and board were provided.
Elementary schools were established in villages to provide early education for young children, with a focus on promoting Chinese language and characters to help them quickly integrate into life in the Song Dynasty.
Cultural activities are held in areas inhabited by various ethnic groups to promote the festival customs of the Central Plains, while respecting the reasonable traditional customs of each ethnic group and not forcibly prohibiting them. Books such as Confucian classics, Han history, Song Dynasty law, agricultural and industrial techniques, and "Ye Shiyun's Medical Classic" are printed and sold at low prices in bookstores, allowing Song Dynasty culture to permeate every corner, gradually strengthening the identity of people of all ethnic groups as "citizens of the Song Dynasty" and eliminating ethnic barriers.
and many more……
Over the years, the Northeast region has experienced the Jurchen-Goryeo War, the Liao-Jin War, and the Song-Jin War. The local people have suffered greatly from the ravages of war and are exhausted. They no longer want to fight and long for a peaceful and prosperous life.
Moreover, the Jin dynasty had only seized the northeast from the Liao dynasty for a little over ten years, and its rule was still very shallow. It had neither accumulated any benevolence nor authority, nor did it win the hearts of the people.
— Under the rule of the Jin Dynasty, the Jurchen nobles forcibly conscripted laborers year after year in order to expand their military strength and build palaces. Especially in the later stages of the war, after the Jin Dynasty had almost exhausted its able-bodied men, all men aged eleven or twelve and under sixty were required to join the army or perform labor. Fields were left uncultivated. Taxes were increased at each level, and grain, cloth, and livestock were plundered at will. People often had no food to last the next day, and any resistance would result in the massacre of the entire village.
Under such oppressive rule, the Khitan, Bohai, Han people, and local nomadic and fishing tribes all suffered greatly, and their secret resistance never ceased, but they had no way out.
Now that the Song Dynasty has destroyed the Jin Dynasty and governed the Northeast, although it has also implemented policies such as the "Changing Clothes Order," "Keeping Hair Order," and "Changing to Han Style Order," which are difficult for people of various ethnic groups to adapt to for a while, compared with the tyranny of the Jin Dynasty, the Song Dynasty's governance is pragmatic and lenient in every aspect.
Crucially, as soon as the war ended, Song Dynasty grain ships were transported to the Northeast by waterway. Official granaries were opened to provide relief grain, and hot porridge was continuously provided in the refugee resettlement sites. The imperial court also provided a large number of warm tents and medical tents to relieve the disaster victims in the Northeast. This allowed the people of the Northeast, who had been hungry and suffering for several years, to experience the taste of living in peace and prosperity for the first time.
What delighted the people of Northeast China even more was that the Song Dynasty did not abandon the ruins left by war. Trains roared in, bringing oxen, agricultural machinery, and seeds. Officials led them to measure the land, build irrigation canals, roads, railways, and ports. The once dilapidated villages quickly saw new houses erected, and the barren fields yielded high-yield sweet potatoes and corn. Towns sprang up along highways and railways, and mines, workshops, and factories began operations one after another. Regardless of age or gender, everyone could work in the fields or in factories, earning enough to support their families. Life gradually became more hopeful.
The brilliance of the Song Dynasty's governance lay in its ability to firmly bind the wealthy and powerful in the Northeast to its cause.
—For the leaders of various tribes such as Jurchen, Khitan, and Bohai who voluntarily submitted, as well as the former nobles and gentry of Han areas, the Song Dynasty not only preserved their family property and land, but also granted them substantive positions or honorary titles such as deputy prefectural and state officials and advisors of the Pacification Commission, allowing them to participate in local governance, and their children could enter official schools and go to the capital to take the imperial examinations.
Thus, these people naturally turned to the Song Dynasty and took the initiative to persuade their clansmen to submit and promote the policies of the Song Dynasty.
They were familiar with the local customs and traditions, becoming "middlemen" in the Song Dynasty's governance of the Northeast, which not only resolved the barriers between ethnic groups but also allowed the Song Dynasty's policies to be implemented smoothly.
More importantly, the industrial dividends of the Song Dynasty flowed continuously to the Northeast.
Once the war ended, Song Dynasty silk, porcelain, ironware, and various light and heavy industrial products were transported to various parts of Northeast China by sea and rail, replacing the inferior local products produced under the Jin Dynasty; coal, ore, and various medicinal herbs and mountain products from Northeast China were transferred to the interior on a large scale.
This has greatly boosted local commerce and trade.
Merchants came and went in an endless stream, and the markets were filled with a dazzling array of goods. People had new farming tools at home, and even used new agricultural machinery, doubling their farming efficiency; workshops had advanced machines, and their incomes were increasing day by day; children could attend elementary schools and no longer had to worry about the ravages of war. This tangible improvement in life far surpassed that of the Jin Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty.
People of all ethnic groups gradually discovered that wearing Han clothing, speaking Chinese, and learning Han customs were not unacceptable things.
As long as you do this and identify as a "citizen of the Great Song Dynasty," you can live a peaceful and prosperous life.
In just over half a year, the main road running through Northeast China was completed, farms yielded abundant harvests, workshops hummed with activity, and the sound of students reciting their lessons filled the government schools. Han Chinese, Jurchens, Khitans, and Bohai people lived together, working in the fields and in the workshops. More and more families intermarried, and they decorated their homes together during festivals. The ethnic barriers of the past gradually melted away in their shared life.
Many people believed that if things continued this way, in just a few years, the Song Dynasty would be able to revitalize the war-torn land of the Northeast, making it a stable northern barrier and a prosperous hinterland for the Song Dynasty. No one would mention the past conflicts between the Liao and Jin dynasties anymore; they would only know that they were subjects of the Song Dynasty and would share in a peaceful and prosperous era.
It was against this backdrop that the followers who had originally followed Jin Wuzhu and other die-hard elements of the Jin Dynasty, seeing their fellow villagers living peaceful lives, came down from the mountains and surrendered to the Song Dynasty.
Seeing this, Jin Wuzhu and his men knew that if they stayed in the Northeast, they would soon be wiped out by the Song Dynasty. So they chose to go to sea and conquer Japan.
Meanwhile, the Song Dynasty focused its efforts on governing the Northeast and recovering the grasslands, rather than mobilizing a large force to suppress the remnants of the Jin Dynasty, which were no longer a significant threat.
The key point is that Jin Wuzhu and his men relied on their familiarity with Changbai Mountain. Whenever the Song army went to besiege them, they would hide in the mountains and negotiate with the Song army, making them very difficult to wipe out.
This gave Jin Wuzhu and his men the opportunity to go to sea.
Later, upon learning that Jin Wuzhu and his bandits had left the Northeast and become pirates, Emperor Zhao Yu and his ministers were not troubled at all, but rather delighted.
Why?
Although Jin Wuzhu only had a few thousand remaining soldiers, most of them were battle-hardened warriors familiar with the terrain of Changbai Mountain. When the Song army besieged them, they fled into the deep mountains and forests, using the dangerous passes to negotiate with the Song army, which was time-consuming and laborious but difficult to completely eliminate them.
If these people remain in Northeast China, they will be like a persistent thorn in the side, always ready to plunder villages, destroy railways, workshops, and factories, and disrupt the newly stabilized livelihoods and development.
Now that they have taken the initiative to go to sea, it is tantamount to cutting off their own retreat. They have completely eliminated the last stubborn resistance force in the Northeast. The Song Dynasty no longer needs to divide its troops to guard the Changbai Mountain area, and can devote all its efforts to the development of the Northeast and the recovery of the grasslands, making the governance twice as efficient.
Therefore, the voyage of Jin Wuzhu and his remnants of the Jin state was tantamount to helping the Song Dynasty eliminate internal troubles and also severing the original Jin people's desire to restore their country, which can be described as "killing two birds with one stone".
However, neither Zhao Yu nor his ministers expected that while things would be peaceful here, it would bring suffering to Japan.
After arriving in Japan, Jin Wuzhu and his forces conquered a large area of northern Kyushu in one fell swoop, and even showed a tendency to conquer Japan in one fell swoop.
Faced with such a thorny situation, Emperor Shirakawa dispatched Fujiwara no Tadashi, a Japanese court noble who held the positions of Regent and Grand Minister of State, along with Princess Sora and Princess Nobuko, and one hundred beautiful Japanese women, to cross the sea to the Song Dynasty to seek military aid and rescue Japan…
...(End of chapter)