prosperous age

“Reporting to the Duke of Qian, a merchant caravan from Mengyang happened to be returning from Mubang and encountered an attack by the Burmese army halfway.

They hid in Mubangdong for several days before they avoided being intercepted by the Burmese soldiers and brought back the news.

When the leader found out, he immediately ordered me to bring his letter to the Ming Dynasty to ask for help. "

When the messenger explained the situation, Mu Changzuo nodded without comment.

After a while, Mu Changzuo finally spoke up: "So, the Burmese king's army should have taken Mubang by now?"

"My Lord, we have not received any news from Mubang. After hearing the news, my leader sent people to Mubang to inquire about the battle situation, and at the same time sent me to Daming to report the news."

The messenger replied hastily.

"I wonder if you have gathered the troops. Mengyang is the only place that has not been occupied by the Burmese king."

Mu Changzuo sighed and said.

"We should have made preparations. After all, Mang Yinglong's evil ambitions have long been exposed. Our leader did not dare to report to the emperor before because he was afraid of angering him and sending troops to attack."

The messenger obviously knew a lot of things. In fact, although he was a messenger in name, he was also the adviser and staff member of Mengyang Xuanwei Envoy Si Ge.

It would be a great derogation for the Ming officials in Yunnan to say that they were unaware of the situation in Myanmar and its surrounding areas.

  After all, what is the purpose of being an official?

Isn't it just to make money?

The Yunnan Provincial Administration Office not only manages the Yunnan province, but also the territories outside Yunnan, namely the Three Xuan and Six Wei, are under the management of Yunnan.

Since it is within their jurisdiction, they naturally won't miss any place where they can make money.

However, all officials sent to Yunnan would more or less inquire about the situation in other border areas.

However, after learning about the situation in Myanmar, he was naturally smart and did not intervene.

Because even if you reach out, no one will care about you.

Not only can you not ask for help, you also have to find ways to cover it up and hope that you can be successfully promoted and leave your current position. Then it will be none of your business.

However, this unfortunate incident will eventually fall on someone, and that is the current Yunnan officials.

Another thing that cannot be avoided is the Duke of Qian’s Mansion, which has been in power in Yunnan for generations.

The Mu family was not actually unaware of this, but they had no say at the time as they saw that all power was controlled by the civil service group in Yunnan.

It must be admitted that the deterioration of the situation in Myanmar was closely related to the inaction of the Jiajing Emperor, who was devoted to Taoism, and his number one henchman Yan Song.

The chief official they appointed for Yunnan made even the Duke of Qian cautious and reluctant to act, and they could only silently hold on to the few troops they had.

Yes, not all the troops in Yunnan are under the control of the Duke of Qian. Although the Duke of Qian holds the title of the commander-in-chief of Yunnan, the power to mobilize most of the troops lies in the hands of the Governor of Yunnan, and he, as the commander-in-chief, has no actual control over it.

As for reporting the truth to the capital, it's better not to worry about it. The emperor should concentrate on practicing Taoism, and other important matters should be left to Yan Song, the Lord Yan.

What Lord Yan wanted was peace and tranquility in the world. How could such a treasonous thing happen?

In fact, when Mengyang, Mubang and others jointly divided Myanmar, the governor of Yunnan at that time also received benefits. Therefore, when the envoy of the Burmese king came to Kunming to cry and ask the Ming Dynasty to make a decision, the Yunnan officials made excuses and actually suppressed such a big matter and did not report it to the capital.

The Mu family naturally also received benefits, so they did not get involved in this matter.

Who could have thought that a figure would appear in the Burmese royal family, whose country had been destroyed, and who killed the envoy Mang Jisui. His son Mang Ruiti fled to his mother's home in Dongwuqi and actually had the strength to turn the tables.

With the help of his mother's family, Mang Ruiti, after growing up, actually raised an army on his own to recover his father's old land. His strength became stronger and stronger, and he began to annex other nearby tribes.

Because he was angry at the Ming Dynasty for not helping him, he kept looking for opportunities to send troops to invade the border and called himself the White Elephant King of the Southwest Golden Tower.

At this point, even if the Mu family reacted, it would be too late.

Of course, these things actually have nothing to do with the current Mu Changzuo. They are the bitter fruits caused by the previous two Dukes of Qian, and he is just a scapegoat.

However, the Mu family’s prestige in the southwest is not to be underestimated. They still have some face with the Overseas Missionaries’ Office, so they still have connections.

The Mu family knows much more than those officials in Yunnan.

"What do you want?"

At this time, Mu Changzuo directly asked him the purpose of his visit.

"My leader wants to ask the Duke to send troops to Mengyang. I think as long as the Ming army enters Mengyang, even if Mang Yinglong has ten times the courage, he may not dare to invade the border."

The messenger spoke calmly to Mu Changzuo.

“Although I am the commander-in-chief of Yunnan, I cannot lead troops out without the imperial court’s order.

This is not a matter of helping, but a matter of conquering. Even if I give an order, the generals below will not recognize it. They will only ask me to produce an imperial edict."

Mu Changzuo was not stupid. If he had whey from other places, he could naturally mobilize the Ming army in Yunnan to resist foreign enemies.

But sending the Ming army out without a war is another matter.

Without the emperor's edict and the document from the Ministry of War to mobilize troops, he could not command any of the soldiers.

Of course, this is the truth. In fact, Mu family confidants also control some military power in Yunnan and can mobilize some forces, but Mu Changzuo does not think it is worth doing so.

If you take it seriously, losing your job and being stripped of your title are the lightest punishments; it is not impossible that you might end up in jail.

"My Lord, my leader Si Ge is loyal to you and will follow your lead.

If the Burmese army really breaks through, it will be a small matter for our leader to lose his territory, but Mang Yinglong will not stop there, and may even soon send troops to invade the Ming Dynasty."

"Haha. But Mang Yinglong hasn't sent his troops yet, has he? How can I send troops based on speculation?"

Although he knew that the other party was telling the truth, Mu Changzuo would not admit it at this time.

"Go back and tell Si Ge that I understand. Just tell him to guard the border strictly.

If Mang Yinglong really led his troops to attack Mengyang, it would be true that he should actively resist while urgently reporting to the Yunnan Governor Wang Ning.

If I want to send troops, besides the fact that the war has already started, the most important thing is Wang Ning's decision."

Mu Changzuo only reminded the other side that he could make some preparations, but he would not bear the blame for mobilizing troops without orders.

However, in Yunnan, where the emperor is far away, there is someone who has the right to act in his own way, and that person is the Governor of Yunnan.

Yunnan does not have a governor, but the governor of Yunnan has the power of a governor and can mobilize troops.

In principle, only the governor should have the right to mobilize troops, after all, the governor is the chief officer in charge of military affairs.

The governor was more responsible for handling local government affairs, taxation and other duties, but because of the power of civil officials, in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the governor already had the power of a governor-general and could mobilize the army.

Governors and governors-general of border areas would also be granted the power to make arbitrary decisions and act as they see fit, which naturally included troop mobilizations.

The general does not have the right to fight, but the governor does, so as long as Mu Changzuo receives an order from the governor of Yunnan, he can mobilize troops to help defend Mengyang.

"But, Governor Wang."

"Go ahead and be brave. As long as you have enough gifts, Governor Wang is easy to talk to."

Just when the other party hesitated, Mu Changzuo pointed out something to him again.

Although the capital was dissatisfied with Wang Ning, it was a matter of war after all, and it was dangerous to change the general at this time, which could easily lead to chaos in Yunnan. In addition, there were peers who helped to speak up, so in the end, Zhang Juzheng came forward to protect him, and Wei Guangde did not say much.

Helping others will benefit yourself. Who knows, one day it may be your turn to ask Zhang Juzheng to be your guarantor.

This is the exchange of interests between the higher-ups, which the people below naturally don’t know about.

Therefore, Wang Ning is still holding on to his position as governor, and no one knows that he was almost fired.

Feeling that he had said enough, Mu Changzuo deliberately yawned, pretending to be tired, then picked up the tea on the table and took a sip.

The man also had sharp eyes and naturally understood the meaning of Mu Changzuo's actions. He immediately clasped his fists and said goodbye.

"Well, I think you must have been waiting for me for a long time. Go back early and tell him what I said. That's the right thing to do."

Mu Changzuo naturally would not try to persuade the other party to stay as he requested to resign, but just said it lightly.

From beginning to end, from the time the visitor entered the room to the time he left, Mu Changzuo did not let him sit down, nor did he arrange for anyone to bring him tea.

This may be the arrogance of the Ming Dynasty nobles.

Even though the master behind him seems to be a hereditary noble appointed by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, a chieftain is still a chieftain, not something that can be shown in public.

As the Duke of Qian in the Ming Dynasty, Mu Changzuo naturally would not give him a good face.

In fact, the reason he could meet him in person was to ask him some questions in person, otherwise he would not meet him at all.

"Come here, take my gold medal and escort the messenger out of the city."

Mu Changzuo just opened his mouth and gave instructions to the servant who came in from outside.

Then the servant led the messenger out of the house.

He was brought into the city by someone, and naturally he needed someone to guide him out of the city, otherwise he would not be able to take a single step out of the house.

After everyone left, the butler asked quietly, "Master, should we send a message to Tengchong and Shidian to let them be on guard?"

"no need."

Mu Changzuo just waved his hand and said, "It's still too early for the war to break in. Mang Yinglong will never send troops to disturb the border before he occupies Mengyang. We still have plenty of time."

"Do you want to send a message to Governor Li?"

The butler asked again.

Mu Changzuo just glanced at him without saying anything, and after a moment he said, "Alas, it is also because of the sins I committed in the past that the court no longer trusts me.

Wait a little longer. At this moment we must not show that we have any connection with outside of Xinjiang, otherwise it will be difficult to explain.

If Si Ge had known better, he would have sent someone to Kunming to deliver a letter, and then pass the news to Guizhou to let Governor Li know about it. "

Now, not only the Yunnan Governor Wang Ning is walking on thin ice, but the Qianguo Mansion is also in the same situation.

When troops were deployed in the southwest, he was not sent to fight, but a governor was sent from the capital thousands of miles away to command.

However, he was a family man who knew his own business. He understood the court's doubts because his family was indeed involved in the previous Burmese incident.

The housekeeper understood the purpose of the master's actions, which was just to show that he had no connection with the outside world.

But, is it really useful for you to do this?

Since the imperial court has already become suspicious, they will naturally not relax their vigilance, or it is possible that the Jinyiwei is already conducting a secret investigation.

In fact, it would be better for him to be honest about the reason. After all, it was the fault of two previous generations of dukes and had nothing to do with him. He should strive to regain the trust of the court.

His Majesty is still young, and for the sake of overall stability, he probably won't pursue the matter, or he may just issue an imperial decree.

No matter what, the hereditary rule of the Duke of Qian in Yunnan was a rule set by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di, and it would not be easily abolished.

However, the master is a man of his own ideas. Since he has already made up his mind to get away with it, as the butler, it is natural that there is nothing much for him to say.

Indeed, Mang Yinglong's attention is still on Mubang, and the next one should be Mengyang. There is still plenty of time for the Ming Dynasty to prepare, and there is no need to rush.

At the side door of Wei Mansion in Nanxunfang, Beijing, a sedan chair landed and several servants at the door came forward to help the drunk Wei Guangde get out of the sedan chair.

I was a little delayed today because I had a meeting with my colleagues.

At this time, Beijing had already entered the cold winter, so after getting off the sedan chair, he quickly entered the mansion gate and went to the backyard.

Zhang Ji simply ordered two strong servants to support Wei Guangde and prevent him from falling.

When they arrived at the backyard door, several maids came up to take Wei Guangde and continued to walk inside.

Zhang Ji followed behind and sat down in the flower hall to rest. A servant came to bring some sobering soup. Wei Guangde squinted his sleepy eyes and saw him. Then he asked, "What's the matter?"

It was break time, and it was almost time to go back after sending him to the backyard, but Zhang Ji was still waiting by his side, so he must have something to tell him.

"News from the south: there's news about the sweet potatoes the master is looking for."

Zhang Ji whispered beside Wei Guangde.

"Mangrove, what mangrove? Are you talking about red coral?"

Wei Guangde was quite drunk at the moment and did not hear Zhang Ji's words clearly, so he asked suspiciously.

"Master, that's what you're looking for. It's said to be the round thing that grows in the soil. There's news from the south that there are sweet potatoes in Luzon. We couldn't bring the sweet potato seeds here before because the barbarians there are keeping a close watch on them.

This time, some Fujian merchants secretly brought back sweet potato vines from Luzon, and they said they can also be grown.”

Zhang Ji had no choice but to explain patiently.

"Oh, you brought it back, that's good. When it grows back, send some over. It's delicious and sweet when roasted."

Speaking of this, Wei Guangde couldn't help smacking his lips, with a nostalgic expression.

I have been here for so many years, but I have never eaten the things that were once commonplace.

At this time, a maid brought some sobering soup. Seeing that Wei Guangde was very drunk, Zhang Ji had to leave first and planned to talk about this matter tomorrow.

The next day, after Wei Guangde sobered up, he naturally didn't remember what Zhang Ji said the night before. While he was having breakfast, Zhang Ji came over with a letter from Yu Dayou.

The letter was written by Yu Dayou before he set off. It was sent to Zhejiang together with official documents, and then forwarded to the capital by the post station there.

There was some delay due to an accident at the Yellow River.

He patted his head, shook his head and smiled bitterly, "They got me drunk yesterday. I have to find a chance to deal with them later."

Thinking of what happened at the banquet last night, Wei Guangde said with a wry smile, then he took the letter from Zhang Ji, opened it, and quickly read it.

It was just an ordinary letter. Yu Dayou asked the government to send this year's ice and charcoal gifts together.

Because he was going to Luzon, he was worried that he would not be able to return before the end of the year, so he sent someone to the capital in advance.

If you give it, others may not remember it. If you don’t give it, you will definitely offend people.

Yu Dayou was well aware of the rules of officialdom and naturally followed them. (End of this chapter)