Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 750: Chapter 366: Tired Heart_3

Why do the people of Lingnan flee to foreign countries like Siam instead of other parts of Great Zhou? Because the law stipulates that criminals exiled to Lingnan and their descendants must remain in Lingnan for generations and cannot go elsewhere, so they can only escape to foreign lands.

Every year, a considerable number of people escape from Lingnan, but the majority perish on their journey to Siam and other countries, with only a very few successfully reaching foreign lands.

Officials in Lingnan report the number of runaway people to the court every few years, but the number they report is several times that of the actual number of missing persons. They inflate the numbers mainly for some shady business dealings.

Every year, many young men and women are sold outside Lingnan through some unsavory means. Some particularly good-looking young men and women are directly sold to foreign countries like Annan.

Due to the protection from officials in Lingnan, human trafficking there is rampant. Neither the previous dynasty nor Great Zhou turns a blind eye to the situation in Lingnan. As long as Lingnan does not rebel and fulfills the tax duties set by the court, the court does not meddle too much in Lingnan’s affairs.

A few years ago, when Yan Huarong was sent to guard the Southern Border, he merely managed the soldiers in Lingnan on behalf of the court without intervening in Lingnan’s political affairs.

Great Zhou, following Da Xia’s example, established a military camp in Lingnan. This camp is called the Southern Garrison, but people commonly refer to it as the "Lingnan Camp."

The soldiers in Lingnan Camp are selected from other military camps. These soldiers are not demoted to Lingnan Camp due to wrongdoing. Of course, some officers in Lingnan Camp were demoted due to mistakes. However, most of them are transferred back after staying a few years in Lingnan.

Due to Lingnan’s special nature, the commanders of Lingnan Camp are replaced every three years and are not allowed to stay long. This is partly to prevent them from being corrupted by Lingnan’s bad customs over time and partly to guard against rebellion.

During the previous dynasty, many soldiers defected to Annan and Johor, later returning with troops to attack Da Xia. To prevent this situation from recurring, Great Zhou replaces the commanders of Lingnan Camp every three years.

Currently, the Great General of Lingnan Camp is Shen Miao and Chu Yi. They were sent to Lingnan several years ago, but they were not initially Great Generals of Lingnan Camp. Over the years, after achieving numerous accomplishments, they finally became Great Generals two years ago.

Accompanying them to Lingnan back then were He Zhengshu and Liu Jun, the sons of Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu. They did not join Lingnan Camp but instead served as County Magistrates in the counties adjacent to Annan and Siam.

A few years ago, during their tenure as County Magistrates, they encountered numerous difficulties and obstacles, even facing life-threatening situations on several occasions. If not for their cleverness, they might have died long ago.

They performed well as County Magistrates, developing and improving the local area significantly. Consequently, they both became governors responsible for managing a state.

Under their governance, the people live in peace, without fear of being bullied by local chieftains or mountain bandits. They are well-fed, warmly clothed, and free to conduct business.

The states they manage are the only two pure lands in Lingnan. Many people from other parts of Lingnan are flocking to these two states. Currently, these two states are the most populous places in Lingnan.

When Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu dispatched their sons to Lingnan initially, many ministers thought they were crazy and believed they had abandoned their sons. Unexpectedly, over the years, their sons have done quite well in Lingnan.

Many ministers assumed the Emperor would transfer the sons of Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu back to the court for high positions, but the Emperor did not do so and allowed their sons to remain in Lingnan.

Neither Prime Minister He nor Grandmaster Liu pleaded for their sons, asking the Emperor to recall them to the capital. This led many ministers to believe that the Emperor shared their sentiment of abandoning their sons.

The Emperor did not only refuse to recall He Zhengshu and Liu Jun to the capital but also did not move them away from their state.

Logically, since they managed the state so well, the Emperor should transfer them to another state to achieve similar results, but the Emperor did not do so. It’s not that the Emperor doesn’t want to transfer them to another state; it’s that, given the current situation, they cannot go to another state.

Before Zhao Yao goes to Lingnan, He Zhengshu and Liu Jun will not be transferred to another state.

"Alas..."

Tong Xi, hearing Zhao Yao’s sigh, immediately asked with concern, "Your Highness, what’s the matter?"

Zhao Yao lifted his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, speaking in a tone of helplessness and heaviness, "I’m weary!"

"Your Highness, what troubles you?" Tong Xi inquired with concern, "Is something causing you distress?"

"Lingnan." Zhao Yao rested his hands on his forehead and sighed deeply, "I deeply regret choosing Lingnan as my fief."

"Your Highness, if you regret, then don’t go to Lingnan; you’re not obliged to go there," said Tong Xi. "You can go wherever you wish."

Zhao Yao couldn’t help but laugh at Tong Xi’s words. He looked up, amused, "If only I could truly go wherever I liked."

"Your Highness, the Emperor cherishes you so much; if you ask him, he’ll surely agree," Tong Xi assured.

"It’s not as simple as you think. Besides, we’ve invested too much in Lingnan that if we don’t go, all our prior work would be wasted. Frankly speaking, even if I chose to go to the north, things wouldn’t be much better than Lingnan."

"Your Highness, isn’t there a saying about cutting losses in time? It’s still not too late for you to stop the losses now."

Zhao Yao shook his head and said, "It’s too late. Going to Lingnan is a road I chose myself, and I will walk it, even if I have to do so on my knees."

"Your Highness, I believe you can do it," Tong Xi encouraged.

"It seems before I go to Lingnan, I have to handle a few things," Zhao Yao mused, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, "I have too much to do in Lingnan, and with just the money we’ve currently made, it might not be enough. I still have to hurry to Japan." Next year, I must reach Japan smoothly, and then find those gold and silver mountains in Japan.

Zhao Yao stopped speaking and began writing a letter to He Lianfang, detailing many matters in it.

At this moment, the capital was in an uproar due to the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen’s actions in Jinling.