prosperous age

In the afternoon, Wang Zhiyuan put on his official uniform, left the Shuntian Prefecture government office, and took a sedan chair to the imperial city.

Because he was summoned by the cabinet, the guards at the gate of the imperial city would naturally not stop him. What's more, he was a third-rank official and a big shot who could meet the emperor in the palace.

After entering the cabinet, he was taken directly to Wei Guangde's duty room by the Secretary of the Central Secretariat who was waiting at the door, where Ruble was already waiting.

Seeing Wang Zhiyuan coming, he immediately went to greet him and said with a smile: "Lord Wang is here, please come in quickly, the master has been waiting."

"Lu Bu, what is the matter that Lord Wei summoned me here today? Please tell me the truth first."

Wang Zhiyuan was relatively close to Wei Guangde in the capital, so he naturally came to the cabinet. In particular, when some sudden events occurred in the capital, he had to participate in the coordination.

So, when they met Ruble, they spoke more casually.

Although there was a huge gap between Lubu's status and his, as the saying goes, a seventh-rank official is more important than a chancellor, so it was difficult for ordinary people to look down on Lubu, a popular figure who could speak in front of Lord Wei.

"I'm not too sure about the group. This morning, not long after the master arrived at the duty room, he went to the next room to talk and didn't come back for a while.

After he came back, he sent a letter to Shuntian Prefecture, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works. I guess it was about this matter.

Oh, by the way, Vice Minister Jiang Zhijiang from the Ministry of Works has arrived, and Vice Minister Meng from the Ministry of War should be coming over.

I really don’t know what it is, the master never mentioned it, but it shouldn’t be a bad thing, the master is not in a bad mood today.”

Lu Bu just said something in a low voice and took Wang Zhiyuan directly into Wei Guangde's duty room.

"Lord Wei, Minister Jiang."

As soon as Wang Zhiyuan entered the room, he bowed to the two people in the room. Wei Guangde and Jiang Zhi also stood up to return the greeting.

"Please wait for a moment, Ershi. The people from the Ministry of War are here, and we will talk about today's business."

After they greeted each other, Wei Guangde asked Wang Zhiyuan to sit down, and Le Hehe said to him.

"Lord Wei, you should tell me what happened first, so that Ershi can be at ease. Otherwise, I still don't know if I didn't do something right in Shuntian Prefecture."

Wang Zhiyuan looked at Wei Guangde's smiling face and replied with a smile.

"Yes, Lord Wei, please tell us what's going on first so that we can be prepared."

The person who was speaking was Jiang Zhi. His main job was to supervise the canal workers, but because Zhu Heng was in poor health, he was called back to the capital and was ready to take over at any time.

In private, they also addressed each other by their courtesy names, but this time in the cabinet, Jiang Zhi changed Wei Guangde to Wei Ge Lao.

Seeing that both of them wanted to know what happened today, Wei Guangde was not a person who liked to keep people in suspense. He just thought for a moment and then briefly told them what he had thought of today.

"Cleaning up the capital city?"

Jiang Zhi and Wang Zhiyuan were stunned when they heard Wei Guangde's idea.

Yes, their own mansions and government offices were cleaned by someone, so they were naturally clean and tidy.

As for the city of Beijing, it is so huge that I naturally haven't thought about it.

Like everyone else, they have actually gotten used to it a long time ago. Where isn't it like this?
It is because people are used to it that even Wei Guangde, a person from later times, only realized today after so many years that the sanitary conditions in the Ming Dynasty were worrying. It is no wonder that plagues broke out frequently in ancient times and many people died.

Although good hygiene does not mean that an epidemic will not occur, it is better than not doing it well.

At the very least, living in Beijing, one can enjoy a clean and sanitary environment. Isn't it better than this dirty and messy capital city?
Of course, the Chinese also like to care about their reputation. They naturally consider themselves a country of etiquette. As an ancient country with a thousand-year-old civilization, there must be some areas where they surpass other contemporary civilizations.

Environmental sanitation seems to be a good way to go, as it is visible and tangible.

With the advent of the Age of Discovery, the mystery of the earth has been revealed, and there will be more exchanges between countries in the future.

How will the overseas envoys feel when they arrive in Beijing and see the clean and beautiful city of Beijing?
I remember reading in later generations that Marco Polo praised China as a flower in his travel notes.

It would be a good idea to let these foreigners experience the spirit of the Ming Dynasty from the moment they enter the city gate.

As he spoke, Wei Guangde took out the written charter and handed it to Wang Zhiyuan.

He is the main person in charge of this matter, so naturally he has to see it first. Any problems should be raised as early as possible, and he should coordinate when necessary and give advice when necessary.

After all, the sanitation work in later generations has become very mature, so we can just apply it.

In fact, no matter what the problem is, no matter how difficult it is, as long as you have money, you can solve it.

Wang Zhiyuan took the charter and started reading it. Jiang Zhi on the side couldn't sit still anymore and came closer to read it together.

Until now, he was still wondering what Wei Guangde meant by improving the sanitation of the capital. It was easy to understand that a house should be cleaned and the garbage should be taken away, but a city should be cleaned.
"Let the people clean up the garbage in front of and behind their houses under the supervision of the head of the village, and transport it to the garbage points in each market. The government will recruit special people to clean up the garbage. The government will send out the city runners to check the sanitation of various places. Public toilets will be built on major streets in the capital, and dung workers will be recruited to transport the garbage away every morning.
It seems like there are people doing this job now.

All the feces and garbage on the streets must be removed from the city. How much manpower is needed, and the drains must be cleared."

The more Jiang Zhi read on, the more troubled he felt. Wei Guangde's rules had taken into account all aspects of the city's problems. However, he frowned when he saw that in the end, all cattle and horses entering the city had to have bags on their buttocks to prevent the animals from excreting their feces at will.

There was no such rule in the past, it’s so troublesome.

But when he thought about the things on the market, Jiang Zhi felt that it would be a good idea to put them on.

In addition, Shuntian Prefecture recruited these police officers in charge of sanitation. Their wages were borne by the merchants along the street, and were collected by government officers based on the location and position, and were called sanitation fees.

Finally, there are penalties for all violations, such as dumping garbage without transporting it to the landfill set up in the market town, and imposing fines.

If cattle and horses do not use manure bags, they will be fined.

If you urinate or defecate on the street without using a public toilet, you will be fined.
The officials who had the power to impose fines included government runners, officers and soldiers from the Five Cities Military Division and the Patrol Battalion. Half of the fines went to the government office, and the other half was paid into health fees.

That is, the more fines they impose, the more share they get.

Wei Guangde knew that this kind of money would definitely not be given directly to the officers and soldiers who captured the person. The superiors in the yamen would definitely take a share first, and then give them the rest.

However, as long as there is money to be made, these people will do it responsibly.

The charter written by Wei Guangde was so comprehensive that it mentioned and solved almost all the problems that Wang Zhiyuan and Jiang Zhi could think of.

In fact, cleaning the city and cleaning the residences are the same, that is the rules.

As long as the rules are established, many things will be easier to handle in the future.

"Lord Wei, Minister Jiang, and Prince Wang, I'll just keep you waiting."

While the two were still reading and thinking about Wei Guangde's regulations, Minister Meng of the Ministry of War arrived.

A few people exchanged greetings and soon got to the point. Wei Guangde briefly repeated his meaning.

"Lord Wei, the Five Cities Military Department and the Patrol Battalion will definitely cooperate fully in this matter." When he heard that there was going to be some sanitation work in the capital, which would be presided over by the abbot of Shuntian Prefecture and the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War would just be collaborating, he naturally did not say much.

However, after Wang Zhiyuan and Jiang Zhi finished reading the charter, Minister Meng also took it and took a look.

Although I found it a bit novel, I didn't say much.

The Ministry of War did not have much to do, so it just had to go back and write a document to the two government offices under its jurisdiction, asking them to follow the orders of Shuntian Prefecture.

After they left the cabinet, Wei Guangde, the cabinet's deputy minister, convened people from Shuntian Prefecture, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works to discuss ways to improve sanitation in the capital, and the news spread like wildfire.

Those who knew the news first felt curious.

The sanitation of the entire city is just one more problem.

Naturally, officials don’t have much idea.

Because they spend most of the day in the government office, and the rest of the time is in restaurants or other mansions. As for going home, that is where they sleep, and it is cleaned by someone, so it is considered clean.

Although they knew that the streets were dirty and messy, they rode horses or sedan chairs most of the time and rarely walked on the streets.

At least, that's the case for people who hold official positions.

After all, anyone who holds an official position has the money to hire a clerk, that is, to do work for him.

Although some people from ordinary families would save this money to support their own expenses in the capital, there were relatively few officials who walked directly on the streets.

Therefore, they have seen the scene of rainy days in Beijing, but rarely tried it, so naturally they don't have a deep understanding of it.

On the contrary, the clerks in the yamen felt quite excited, because they had a low status, poor welfare, and were the main force in the work. They had to be on duty regardless of wind or rain, but they were greatly affected by health issues.

Think about how cleaner the streets have become. It seems that we don't have to walk hurriedly on rainy days, and we don't have to keep our eyes on the road while holding an umbrella. It seems pretty good.

At this time in Shuntian Prefecture, Wang Zhiyuan returned to the government office and immediately sent someone to notify the county magistrates of Daxing and Wanping counties to come to the government office to discuss matters.

This matter has been approved by the Prime Minister, and it is a good thing, so it will naturally not be delayed. Therefore, people were called in to discuss it as soon as possible, intending to arrange it as soon as possible.

The Ministry of War also sent a letter back, asking the government office in the capital to fully cooperate with Shuntian Prefecture and improve the sanitation of the capital.

As for the Ministry of Industry, although it seemed that only one department was involved, it also had the most things to do, because Wei Guangde temporarily added one more task in the afternoon, which was that all the drainage ditches in the entire city had to be cleaned and any unreasonable parts had to be modified.

Yes, although the capital city was planned in detail when it was built during the Yongle period, including drainage ditches, more than a hundred years have passed and many places have changed greatly.

Let’s not talk about other things, but even the outer city, the houses were built by the people themselves. Except for a few main streets that were designated by the Ministry of Works, most of the others were built by the people themselves, and the drainage ditches were naturally backward.

When there was no outer city wall, it was naturally not considered part of Beijing. When it rained heavily, it flooded, and no one cared.

But after the southern city wall was built during the Jiajing period, that area became the outer city and was considered part of Beijing, so the drainage project could no longer be ignored.

The Street Office had done this before, but it was always perfunctory. They just built a few channels for drainage, but they didn't care whether it could meet the needs.

Anyway, even if someone saw it and reported it to the Ministry of Works, the water would have receded by the time they got there.

This also causes people in Beijing to be afraid of heavy rain. Just think about the road conditions. If it is flooded, it would be unbearable to look at, and the streets would be full of filth.

Of course, this mainly refers to the outer city. The drainage in the inner city must be much better. We can't let the water flood into the imperial city.

Most of the officials' residences are also located in the inner city.

This time, the Street Office received instructions that Jiang Zhiyao should be in charge and do a good job in repairing the drainage ditches and roads in the capital.

Of course, road repair will be the last thing to be done, and it will have to wait until the road surface is cleared, but they have to come up with a ditch planning plan and implement it first.

While the capital was busy preparing for a major health campaign and preparing to make Beijing the cleanest city and the most sanitary city in the world, the war in southern Xinjiang was still going on.

There were corpses everywhere outside Baoshan City. With the sound of gongs coming from afar, the Burmese army that had just gathered under the city wall and was preparing to attack the wall ran back, ignoring the rain of bullets from the Ming army on the city behind them, and only wanted to escape to two miles away from the city as soon as possible.

The Burmese army has maintained a high-intensity siege for several days. During these days, the troops of various chieftains took turns to launch a violent attack on Baoshan City.

However, the effect was not ideal. The best attempt was when someone climbed onto the city wall and was pushed down by the Ming army's sword and shield soldiers.

Repelling the Burmese army again should have been a great joyous event, but didn’t you see that the Ming army on the city wall were cheering and celebrating their victory?

As long as they survived, other teams would come to take over the defense and they could return to the barracks to drink and eat meat. These were rewards from their superiors to congratulate them on winning another battle.

However, the soldiers could cheer, but Li Chengliang, Mu Changzuo and Luo Rufang, who knew the details, could not laugh.

"Commander Li, why doesn't Mang Yinglong retreat and is still launching a crazy offensive? Does he really think he can capture Baoshan City?"

Mu Changzuo was confused by the Burmese army's fighting style in recent days, which completely disregarded casualties.

Although they were in the city, scouts outside the city had sent back news that the Burmese army's rear guard did not arrive at Baoshan City, but retreated to Lujiang City.

Such abnormal behavior can only be attributed to the fact that Mang Yinglong must have received news of the war in southern Myanmar.

However, after learning the news, they did not withdraw elite troops to provide support, but simply ordered the rear army to retreat, while the vanguard and central army repeatedly attacked the city. This does not make sense.

Li Chengliang did not answer. Luo Rufang on the side said, "Perhaps it is true as Governor Li said. The bandits want to seize Baoshan and then retreat, inflicting heavy damage on our army so that they dare not follow and pursue."

“But this is the price.”

Mu Changzuo pointed at the pile of corpses under the city and kept shaking his head.

"The three thousand cavalrymen we have put together must be supplied in the next two days. They will be ready to go at any time."

Li Chengliang did not respond, but spoke instead.

These words were said to Luo Rufang, who was now responsible for distributing all the supplies for the Ming army in Baoshan City.

"Don't worry, Commander Li. Since yesterday, the cavalry's food and fodder have been fully allocated, and two days' worth of bean cakes and other items have been prepared. There will be no delays."

Luo Rufang said with a fist clasped.

“We brought all the troops to fight, and I think the Burmese army can’t hold on any longer.

If we continue to fight like this, the fortunes of those chieftains will probably be destroyed in Baoshan City. By then, it won’t be us who will have a headache, but the bandits.”

Li Chengliang looked at the Burmese army reorganizing in the distance and said lightly.

The Burmese army has been charging more and more frantically these days. Whenever the horn sounds, they rush to the city wall without hesitation, which puts a lot of pressure on the Ming army. (End of this chapter)