prosperous age

"That's easy. I'll ask the Ministry of War to issue a written order tomorrow.

As for the connection with the old port, the carriage company has already set up carriages and horse stations, taking the northern route through Xi'an, Luzhou to Kunming, and then entering Myanmar's Bago and into the sea.

In this way, within a month and a half, the documents can be delivered to the old port. "

Tan Lun smiled.

Wei Guangde deeply realized the importance of postal delivery in ruling a country in this era, so he immediately asked: "Is one and a half months the delivery time for ordinary official documents or urgent official documents?"

In order to promptly understand the situation in various places and for the court to respond, if calculated based on this time, the round trip process would be three months.

To be honest, we are a little behind in time.

Fortunately, Tan Lun smiled and said, "This is the delivery time for ordinary official documents. If it is an urgent document, it will take less than a month to send it to Pegu by express delivery and then to Jiugang by centipede ship overnight.

However, the road journey alone is more than 5,000 miles, and there is also the sea route from Pegu to Jiugang. There cannot be too many urgent documents, otherwise it will be too time-consuming and labor-intensive.

This is also the limit. Sending news to Luzon is only a few days faster than sending it to the old port, mainly because of the delay at sea. "

As the Ming Dynasty's overseas territories expand, the post stations managed by the Imperial Chariot Office have also moved along. Special water horse posts have been set up in Zhangzhou Prefecture in Fujian and Pegu in Myanmar. Several centipede boats have been purchased directly from the South China Sea Navy for use in delivering emergency official documents.

In fact, ordinary official documents can be delivered from the capital to Jiugang in one and a half months, that is, if everything goes well. For example, if the official documents arrive in Bago and there happens to be a ship heading from here to Jiugang, they can be sent directly.

Under normal circumstances, it is impossible to send a special ship from Pegu to the Old Port to deliver ordinary official documents. If there is no ship, you have to wait. Only urgent documents can be delivered by a special ship.

Wei Guangde nodded slightly. Indeed, this was the limit of what the Ministry of War could do.

"Myanmar has been pacified. Has the Ministry of War already established a complete carriage and horse station in Myanmar?"

Wei Guangde was very surprised. Although Li Chengliang had completely eliminated the opposition forces in Burma, he did not believe that there were no remnants left there.

These people can only be said to have been dispersed and hidden in the mountains.

There is certainly no place for these people in the rich southern part of Myanmar.

However, the east and west of Myanmar, especially the north, are mountainous, and it is difficult for the Ming army to eliminate them in a short period of time.

"It's just that carriages and horse stations have been arranged to connect the main cities. Normal communications of the Burmese army can be carried out through carriages and horse stations, without the need to send special messengers to deliver official documents."

What Tan Lun didn't say was that in the case of urgent military intelligence, the generals in command would definitely send their personal soldiers to deliver the message.

They are more reliable in delivering messages than postmen who use carriages and horses.

This is the habit of generals in command, and the Ministry of War has no right to interfere.

"It's almost the end of the year. You should find a way to withdraw the money you want to withdraw from the Ministry of Revenue as soon as possible, otherwise you may not get it in the end."

Wei Guangde knew very well that he had disappointed Zhang Juzheng this year, and the deficit of the Ministry of Revenue would only worsen further, so the Ministry of Revenue would most likely have to borrow money from Changyingku at the end of the year to celebrate the New Year.

The borrowed money would certainly only be used to pay New Year's rice salaries and rewards to officials in Beijing, and no other expenses would be considered.

Among those present were the bigwigs from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War. These two were actually the major recipients of silver from the Ministry of Revenue in recent years.

The Ministry of Works itself did not need to ask the Ministry of Revenue for money. It was only when the Ministry of Works had insufficient money to cover special expenses for major projects such as the emperor's mausoleum and river management that it would ask the Ministry of Revenue for subsidies.

It just so happened that the construction of the Jialing Canal and the large-scale construction of new warships have now been transferred to the Ministry of Works. Even if there is no major renovation of the palace, the cost is indeed not small.

Therefore, in the past two years, the Ministry of Works has had to withdraw large sums of money from the Ministry of Revenue every year for expenditures, otherwise all the work would not be done.

"Next year, are there any plans for the Songliao Canal in Liaodong?"

Wei Guangde looked at Jiang Zhi and asked.

Speaking of money, Wei Guangde just mentioned it casually. I believe Jiang Zhi and Tan Lun both know the amount.

The survey of the Songliao Canal is what he wants to talk about this time.

To govern the northern border, water transportation support is really indispensable.

Although Wei Guangde had already planned that after the East China Sea Navy was completed, he would have them try the route from Dengzhou to Nurgan City and ensure one round trip every year, which would actually be enough to solve the support for Nurgan City.

However, don't forget that there is a vast territory between Liaodong and Nurgan City. He also had to find ways to utilize the original water system in the northern border to increase the appearance rate of the Ming army in the local area to strengthen his influence.

Heilongjiang is the best, showing the path of the Ming army.

Therefore, even if the sea route is opened, the Ming army still has to control the water route from the Liaohe River to the Heilongjiang River. The Ming army's future deployment in the northern border will also be based on the Heilongjiang River system, and all military forts will be built along the river to facilitate transportation and supplies.

"We have made arrangements. When Liaodong thaws after the New Year, some people will set off."

It is not easy to travel far away these days. If you don't make arrangements in advance, officials will find ways to avoid their duties.

“However, some people in the Ministry of Industry also objected to the construction of a new canal in Liaodong while the Jiajing Canal was being built.”

Although they have controlled the Ministry of Works for a long time, no government office can be a monolithic entity. There are still representatives of various forces in it, but the difference is the degree of power they hold.

If there really were only doctors as officials in a government office, I'm afraid the Censorate would be restless and the emperor would sleep uneasily.

"The Songliao Canal is related to the development of the northern border of the imperial court."

Wei Guangde knew what was going on, but he hadn't actually told Zhang Juzheng about this matter. Instead, he planned to wait for the Ministry of Works to take a look and confirm that it could be done. Only then would he discuss this matter with Zhang Juzheng.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde simply said to Tan Lun: "The Ministry of War has also sent a document to Xu Qiaoan in the past two days, asking him to collect information about the sea route from Dengzhou to Nurgan City by sea, bypassing North Korea.

The East China Sea Navy will be responsible for opening up the shipping route. Qi Jiguang will still have to find ways to connect with the Heilongjiang River. In the future, the Ming army's military forts in the northern border will be stationed along the river to facilitate transportation."

After Wei Guangde said this, Jiang Zhi also knew the purpose of the Songliao Canal.

Everyone here knows that sea transportation is convenient. In the past two years, a large number of ships from the South China Sea Navy and the Denglai Navy have sailed on the sea. Every year, grain ships from Huai'an and Nanjing arrive in Tianjin, and there are not many reports of ship sinkings. This shows the safety and convenience of sea transportation.

Although the canal seems useless, Wei Guangde specifically mentioned setting up military forts along the Heilongjiang River, and the purpose is self-evident.

"What I am most worried about is that some people will use the excuse of huge cost to oppose the restoration of Nurgan."

Lao Kan spoke up.

"They are already carefully selected soldiers. The military forts are all stationed in units of 100 households, and only Nurgan City has slightly more soldiers.

With convenient water transportation, the court's expenses can be reduced to a minimum."

Wei Guangde knew that Lao Kan was right, but he believed that as long as he shouted the slogan "no marriage, no tribute, no cession of territory", he could still win more people's support.

How big is the difference between giving up Nurgan and the ancestral precept of "not ceding land"?

Next, Wei Guangde spoke in detail about his plans for the development of Northern Xinjiang to several people, all of whom were the backbone of his system and qualified to know his plans.

If there is a mistake, it is right for them to discover it and remind them as soon as possible.

Even though there is the so-called "God's perspective" in later generations, whether it is suitable for the Ming Dynasty at that time is actually worth pondering.

Wei Guangde is happy to accept criticism as long as it is well-intentioned.

Naturally, I am willing to accept questions raised within my own circle.

"If we don't consider the court's investment, it is feasible."

"It's just that the expenses of the Ministry of War, the tribute paid by the Jurchens in the north, and the expenses of the court must also be taken into consideration."

In fact, several people were doing the math, trying to figure out how much money the court would spend on this.

In Nurgan, there was no taxation except for furs and other things paid as tribute by the Jurchen tribe.

When the Nurgan Regional Military Commission was established in the early Ming Dynasty and a large number of garrisons were stationed there, the idea of ​​reclaiming wasteland was considered.

But the winters there are too long, making it difficult to grow crops, so animal husbandry is the only option, and therefore agriculture based mainly on planting can basically not develop.

If they couldn't plant crops, the Han people's ability to survive there would plummet, so after years of fruitless attempts, they had no choice but to give up.

"Next year, Liaodong will try to grow imperial wheat and sweet potatoes. I hope they can grow in the extremely cold conditions in the north. Otherwise, Nurgan will really become a useless place in the eyes of those people."

After listening to their discussions, Wei Guangde had no choice but to speak helplessly.

Wei Guangde realized that if the agricultural problem in Nurgan was not solved, there would always be people within the Ming court who would argue to abandon the area.

Look, the Ming Dynasty successively occupied Burma, Jiugang, Luzon and Dongfan Island. Although some people have discussed it privately until now, there has not been a single public memorial requesting the court to give up these places. This is clear proof.

Damn it, the Han people are used to farming, and everything is measured by whether the land can be used for cultivation.

They consider the land useful as long as it can be cultivated.

If it cannot be cultivated, it is fertile land and worthless in their eyes.

It's very realistic, and Wei Guangde actually understands it.

If Wei Guangde didn't know the future value of the place, he wouldn't be willing to invest money in it.

If you don't destroy it now, you won't have the chance in the future, and it will allow a vicious wolf to migrate eastward.

"I will also ask the Agricultural Promotion Department to continue searching for various crops and try to send them to the north for planting."

Wei Guangde said finally.

"The garrison troops in Nurgan can try to purchase the ginseng from the Jurchens. It is said that the old ginseng there is good."

Tan Lun suddenly spoke, looking at Wei Guangde with his cloudy eyes.

Hearing this, Wei Guangde's eyes suddenly lit up, and he secretly wondered how he could have forgotten the business that made him rich.

When he first came to the capital, in order to make money, he tried every means to monopolize the Northeastern old mountain ginseng.

Up to now, in the capital alone, one can easily earn thousands of taels of silver every year from this business.

Some of the old ginsengs with high age are not available to ordinary people, and you have to go to him to buy them.

Wei Guangde also always used this thing as a gift to deal with official interactions.

At the beginning, they had little money, so they could only join forces with Liaodong merchants to do this business and make a fortune by monopolizing it.

Wei Guangde has now opened up maritime trade and started to develop the wool textile industry in China. To be honest, he really doesn't think highly of the small profit from old mountain ginseng.

Monopolizing the old mountain ginseng business in Nurgan?

Not advisable.

It is still necessary to distribute the profits so that you can make profits for a long time.

It is best to continue to control your current channels, which will only result in a portion of the profits being shared out.

Wei Guangde himself felt that it was acceptable.

"Zhang Ji."

Wei Guangde shouted outside.

Soon, Zhang Ji pushed the door open.

A group of masters were talking in the room, so he could only wait outside.

"Tomorrow, go ask the Liaodong merchants whether there are any wild fruits produced deep in the mountains of Nurgan and how many there are."

Wei Guangde instructed him.

"Nurgan? Master, you told me the area where the Jurchens lived. There are other places that produce wild ginseng, right?"

Zhang Ji asked hesitantly.

"What, you know?"

Wei Guangde asked.

“When I chatted with them earlier, they said that there seemed to be no wild ginseng north of Liaodong. It was only after they moved south and settled in the Changbai Mountain area that they discovered wild ginseng.

We learned the ginseng-picking skills from the Han Chinese ginseng pickers. Later, merchants went to purchase ginseng, and no longer went up the mountain to pick ginseng. "

Lu Bu recalled and spoke directly.

"Oh."

After listening to Lu Bu's words, Wei Guangde sketched out the map of Nurgan and Liaodong in his mind and made a rough guess.

The wild ginseng is probably produced in the Changbai Mountain area and the Lesser Khingan Mountains, which are now the main areas of activity for the Jurchens. The Greater Khingan Mountains area is where the Mongols live, and there are not many Jurchens there.

As for the Greater Khingan Range area further north, Wei Guangde was also unfamiliar with it. He had only seen it in geography and history textbooks in his previous life.

Moreover, it seems that that is not the point, it is just for your reference.

In fact, Wei Guangde had never seen the marks of these three places on the maps of the Ming Dynasty, which means that they had not yet been called "Xing'an Mountains".

"Can you find someone familiar in the capital?"

Wei Guangde suddenly asked.

"It's hard to say. I'll ask tomorrow."

Zhang Ji said.

"Then, Brother Zili, if there is news from Zhang Ji tomorrow, ask the military department's personnel to bring maps of Nurgan and Liaodong to let the other side identify them.

If it is confirmed that there is wild ginseng produced in the Nurgan area, then the garrison will purchase this wild ginseng locally in the future.”

Wei Guangde said that this was a unique business of the Ministry of War.

“In fact, it’s not just wild ginseng. Anything that isn’t available in Guandong can be purchased by the government troops stationed in Nurgan and shipped back to the interior for sale.

I believe that the products in such a cold and bitter place must be quite good, we just haven't discovered them before.

I heard that the mountains there are high and the forests are dense, so even if we cut down trees and use whales to transport them to the south, it would be a good business.”

When Wei Guangde said this, he suddenly felt that he had said something wrong.

The Ming Dynasty has been logging too much. Don’t let the Greater, Lesser and Greater Khingan Mountains be cut down completely bare and make ourselves criminals of the country.

Many people in later generations believed that the ancient times were full of green mountains and clear waters. In fact, when Wei Guangde came to the Ming Dynasty, he saw such scenery in the Jiangnan area.

When you arrive in Beijing, especially near the suburbs, you will find that the mountains in the north are almost bare. The trees on them have been cut down and burned as charcoal by more than a dozen generations of people.

Should we ask the imperial court to pay some money to plant the trees?

The Internal Court's Firewood Preservation Department and the Ministry of Works' Firewood Preservation Department were responsible for winter heating for the palace and major government offices in the capital.

Anyway, the Ming Dynasty’s finances are already a mess, so let them continue to be a mess.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde said: "Next year, the Yuheng Division and the Xixin Division will communicate to plant trees near the outskirts of Beijing." (End of this chapter)