prosperous age

Coming out of the Prime Minister's duty room, Zhang Ke asked in a low voice: "Shan Dai, what does the Prime Minister mean by that? Will there be no more external expansion in the future?"

Wei Guangde looked at this article and laughed: "Except for Luzon and Dongfan Island, our Ming Dynasty has never expanded its territory abroad."

"Uh, hey, that's right."

Zhang Ke was stunned for a moment, then nodded and smiled.

"However, the imperial court still has the U-Tsang Dusi and the Dogan Dusi that have not been completed yet, so the Ministry of War is not idle."

Wei Guangde suddenly said.

In 1368 AD, the Ming Dynasty replaced the Yuan Dynasty and adopted a peaceful transition by confiscating the old imperial edicts and seals of the Yuan Dynasty and replacing them with new imperial edicts and seals of the Ming Dynasty. It inherited the national sovereignty over Tibet and established two military governorates, U-Tsang and Dogan.

Officials of military and political institutions at all levels were appointed from local Buddhist and secular leaders. The appointment, dismissal and promotion of officials at all levels were directly decided by the central government of the Ming Dynasty, which also granted seals and imperial edicts.

The Dogan Commandery, abbreviated as "Dogan Commandery", was the highest military and political authority in the Ming Dynasty of China over the western Sichuan Province, northwestern Yunnan Province, eastern Tibet Autonomous Region and southwestern Qinghai Province.

The Usi Zangdu Command and Envoy Department, referred to as the "Usi Zangdu Department", was the highest military and political authority in China's Ming Dynasty over most of the present-day Tibet Autonomous Region except Qamdo, as well as Sikkim and Bhutan.

The Ming Dynasty court had only a nominal subordinate relationship with the above-mentioned two military commissions, but in reality it had no influence or influence on or interference in local administrative rights.

Hearing Wei Guangde say this, Zhang Ke stared at Wei Guangde for a long time.

Wei Guangde did not feel any discomfort at all. Le Hehe said, "Jinqing, don't think this is difficult to handle."

"Appreciate further details."

Zhang Ke actually had a lot to say, but he knew this was not the time to speak.

In fact, the U-Tsang Dusi and the Dogan Dusi were just like the Nurgan Dusi. They were official offices on paper of the imperial court and did not actually exist at all.

Apart from requesting for titles, there was very little contact between the Ming Dynasty and Tibet.

At most, there was tea-horse trade with the Dogandusi, and the southwestern region would exchange a small number of war horses from Tibet.

However, even in Tibet, there were not many war horses, so the scale of the tea-horse trade had never increased.

Of course, it would be easy to give up war horses and purchase a large number of inferior horses instead, but these horses can only pull carriages because they cannot run fast and are not suitable for use on the battlefield.

On the plateau, animal husbandry still mainly relies on yaks, but those are different from the cattle needed for Ming Dynasty agriculture.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty was able to block border trade and restrict Mongolia's development, but the impact on Tibet in this regard was relatively much smaller.

Although, they do need tea for the rich and powerful to enjoy.

“It may have been difficult in the past, but have you forgotten the Yellow Sect that was driven to Mongolia?
There is currently internal strife among religions in Tibet for secular power, and this is an opportunity.

The reason why he was willing to contact Altan Khan was to use the troops from the grassland to help him return to power in Lhasa.

By then, as long as the Ming Dynasty provides a little help, even if it is just a name, it will enable us to do many things that we could not do before.

Once it starts, the imperial court’s influence will gradually spread there, and they won’t be able to stop it even if they want to.”

Wei Guangde reminded that if Sonam Gyatso played this card well, it would have a positive effect on expanding the influence of the Ming Dynasty in the two dusi, and it should not be ignored.

This is the power of orthodoxy. The Ming Dynasty can give Sonam Gyatso orthodoxy and confer the title of emperor.

This is not something that only existed in the Ming Dynasty, but it originated from the Yuan Dynasty. Tibetan officials all had the tradition of being enthroned by the emperor, so it seems that the Ming Dynasty actually had a lot to do.

"That is to say, we only need to pay attention to it for now. We have to wait until the grassland and the Yellow Sect are closely connected and they are ready to take action, then we will act?"

Zhang Ke asked hesitantly.

"exactly.

If the government troops enter Tibet, they will probably repeat the mistakes of the Han and Tang dynasties. Fighting on the plateau is not the Han people's forte.

In terms of topography, the Mongols were more suited to fighting there."

There are very few Han people living on the plateau. Although there are gaps between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Mongolian Plateau, the gaps are not so obvious, so the impact is relatively small.

But for the Han people living at low altitudes, it is indeed very difficult.

In fact, what Wei Guangde couldn’t say was that in addition to Tibet, his eyes were also on Xinjiang and other places.

After all, he came from the future, and Wei Guangde didn't want the land he was used to to become a foreign land. Taking back the Ming Dynasty would be the best outcome.

However, one must eat one bite at a time. If the Ming Dynasty does not have the strength to sweep across the world, it should not act recklessly, otherwise it will only bring disaster to the country and the people.

Zhang Ke returned to the Ministry of War. He also had to contact Liaodong to arrange for the government troops to march north to Nurgan.

As the year draws to a close, various government offices in the capital have begun their annual rush to report their expenditures, all in an attempt to settle their bills before the New Year.

In order to get money from the Ministry of Revenue more easily, each ministry would first report to the Cabinet, and then go to the Ministry of Revenue with the Cabinet's approval to ask for money.

As a result, memorials asking for money poured into the cabinet like snowflakes.

Wei Guangde, Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing could only send these memorials to the Prime Minister's duty room. After all, it was useless for them to greet Zhang Xueyan.

Even if the bill is drafted and approved, it seems that it is not possible to get the money from the Ministry of Revenue.

"There are too many notes from various ministries, but the Ministry of Revenue simply doesn't have that much money to spend."

Zhang Juzheng summoned cabinet ministers to discuss funding issues that day. Zhang Xueyan was also called from the Ministry of Revenue to attend the meeting, and he expressed his opinion first.

"How much money does the Ministry of Revenue have left?"

At this time, Wei Guangde could only speak first.

"After deducting the salaries and rewards to be distributed before the New Year, as well as the rewards for the nine borders, there are still 370,000 taels of silver."

Zhang Xueyan had already figured out that he couldn't delay collecting the money from the Beijing officials, otherwise Tuo Mo Xingzi would scold him to death.

We dare not delay the rewards to the nine borders as it is related to the stability of the border.

If something goes wrong, no matter where the pay is raised, or if there is unhappiness in the cabinet or the inner court during the New Year or other festivals, it will be difficult for him to do his job as the Minister of Revenue.

Therefore, after these two expenses are deducted first, the remaining amount is disposable.

Of course, there are still more than 100,000 taels of silver in the Ministry of Revenue’s small treasury, but that is the Ministry’s welfare and cannot be added to this silver.

"Has the money for repairing the Imperial City been allocated in advance?"

Wei Guangde asked immediately.

He remembered clearly that a few days ago, under the supervision of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Works had started repairs in various parts of the imperial city, and the amount of silver was approximately 200,000 taels.

"Uh no."

Zhang Xueyan hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"In the Ministry of Revenue's budget for next year, the cost of your majesty's wedding will be given top priority."

Wei Guangde reminded.

"The Ministry of Revenue will ensure that all expenses for your Majesty's wedding will be covered, and there will be absolutely no problems."

The wedding of Emperor Wanli was definitely the most important event in the court at that time.

Even though the little emperor has a low presence in the court now, he is still the emperor and will have to rule the country sooner or later.

“How much does spending elsewhere add up?”

Wei Guangde started talking, and then Zhang Juzheng began to speak. Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing did not need to speak, because they were more assisting in the office and did not have any specific government affairs to be in charge of.

"More than one million taels, of which 230,000 taels are the silver owed last year. It seems that it is time to settle it this year."

Zhang Xueyan lowered his head and answered.

"Including this sum of money, how much do you need to pay urgently?"

Zhang Juzheng asked.

Zhang Xueyan thought for a moment, considering the 230,000 taels of silver, the 200,000 taels of silver in the imperial city, and the various relationships he had with others, and he quickly came up with a figure of 580,000 taels.

"What exactly are the remaining nearly 700,000 taels of expenditure for?"

Wei Guangde interrupted and asked.

"The renovation of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War's carriage post, and the Jiayun Canal also require a sum of money. These three items total more than 300,000 taels.

Other Taichang Temple, Dali Temple, etc. also have some expenses to pay, and the Ministry of Agriculture has also reported the expenses of building government offices in various provinces, all in all, there are more than 400,000 taels of silver. "

Zhang Xueyan could only briefly categorize and explain that most of the notes were already on his desk, but he didn't dare to approve any of them.

Otherwise, if anyone were to take the silver at this time, those who did not take the silver would be offended.

It is better to hand over the conflicts to the cabinet. They are powerful and are not afraid of complaints from people below.

This is what Zhang Xueyan is planning, and it’s a very loud one.

"Pledge the 400,000 taels first, and borrow 300,000 taels from the Changying Treasury to pay for these important things first."

Zhang Juzheng made a decision.

The renovation of the Ministry of Rites is actually the cost of renovating the Huitongguan and other external offices. Since they are about to receive envoys from various countries, they naturally cannot be shabby.

The construction of Chemayi Post Station and Jiayun Canal could actually be delayed, but Wei Guangde is still sitting here, so these expenses cannot be delayed.

"The rest will be given to the Ministry of Works. The repair of the Imperial City must continue without delay. The rest will be disbursed when the money comes back early next year."

Zhang Juzheng decided the source and use of the silver, and then looked at the reactions of others.

Wei Guangde nodded decisively and advised the Agriculture Department that it would not be a big problem to delay it for a few months. After all, it was an official matter, so he could inform the provinces to advance the payment.

At worst, we can just deduct it from the tax money sent to Beijing. It won’t be delayed too long anyway.

This is the bad thing about the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang dispersed the financial and taxation power, which made it impossible to form a joint force.

Although they say they have no money, the six ministries and five temples actually have small storehouses with a lot of silver and money stored in them, but people are unwilling to hand it over.

The same is true at the local level. Taxes are sent to the capital, but miscellaneous taxes levied by local governments are all kept in the local treasuries.

If you add up the total, it's a considerable amount.

But this was the case when the dynasty was first established, and it is difficult to change it once it is decided.

In any case, all the pressure finally fell on the Ministry of Revenue, because it was the nominal financial center of the Ming Dynasty.

It is no wonder that Wei Guangde wanted to take back the financial and taxation power. This would allow him to collect the money and the court would not face the dilemma of financial shortage.

The imperial court is now in a hurry to distribute the money, and so are the local provincial governments.

All the surplus from the year must be spent in the last month.

As for who the money ends up in, it is unknown.

However, the saying "Three years as an honest magistrate, 100,000 silver coins" circulated among the people has already explained where the money went.

Zhang Xueyan stayed in the Prime Minister's duty room, preparing to draft a memorial and borrow money from the Changying Treasury, and get the cabinet's draft and the Silijian's approval. Otherwise, the Ministry of War would simply not accept it and would reject it directly.

Wei Guangde had just returned to the duty room when Lu Bu at the door whispered, "Minister Zeng of the Ministry of War is inside."

"understood."

Wei Guangde agreed, and as soon as he entered the room, he bowed to Zeng Shengwu and said with a smile: "Brother San Sheng, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. The Prime Minister just had something to discuss with him."

Zeng Xingwu stood up to return the greeting, and after the greetings he sat down. He took out a document and handed it over, saying, "The envoys have returned to Pegu after an urgent journey of six hundred miles from Burma, and are preparing to rest for three days before setting off for Ming.

Judging by the time, the fleet should have arrived at the Old Port by now."

It took more than half a month for the news from Burma to reach the capital, and the fleet must have completed its rest and left long ago.

Wei Guangde took the document and looked through it. Everything was fine at the beginning. All countries welcomed the arrival of the Ming Dynasty delegation and the trade was going well. Yin Zhengmao was not only proficient in military and government affairs, but also very good at financial management. In fact, he was a rare all-round official in the Wanli Dynasty.

After looking at the sailing plan made by Yin Zhengmao, he decided to rest in Jiugang first, then set off for Luzon, and finally to Daming.

This means informing the court several months in advance so that it can make plans early.

Of course, we also took the opportunity to let them feel the strength of the Ming Dynasty in East Asia and see how many overseas territories it has.

"The Ministry of War should copy a copy of this information from the diplomatic corps of various countries and give it to the Ministry of Rites so that they can prepare."

It not only contains detailed information such as the number and names of each country's delegations, but also the number of delegation members.

As for the country names recorded above, Wei Guangde did not recognize most of them, and could only guess a rough idea of ​​some of them.

Fortunately, a map of the West and China was attached to the report, which was also specially made by Yin Zhengmao.

This trip to the West revealed that the countries on the maps drawn in the early Zheng He era no longer existed or had changed dynasties, and the changes were very great.

"what"

Wei Guangde only read the text briefly, but he was obviously surprised when he saw the simple picture.

People in later generations thought that India at that time should be the territory of the Mughal Empire, but when he saw the map drawn by Yin Zhengmao, he was completely stunned.

At that time in India, as shown on the map, the Mughal Empire was nothing but a big country occupying the northern part of India, while in the south there were actually several kingdoms existing at the same time.

Well, perhaps because Chinese people are completely ignorant of this period of history, they all use the term India to refer to it, so everyone seems to think that unification was achieved there a long time ago.

But now, when Wei Guangde saw the map drawn by Yin Zhengmao, he was sure that there was no powerful kingdom to the west of the Ming Dynasty.

But even so, Wei Guangde had no plans to advance westward from Myanmar at this time.

The current system of the Ming Dynasty no longer has the ability to continue expanding.

If we continue to do this, not only will we fail to expand China's territory, but it will accelerate the collapse of the Ming Dynasty.

There simply was no money. Without major changes to the Ming Dynasty's fiscal and taxation system, it would have been impossible to support a major war.

Without adjusting the centralized power model, these overseas territories would be difficult to control, because once problems were reported to the capital, by the time they received a reply from the capital, it would be too late.

Looking at the map, there are only two countries left to the west of Myanmar: Bangchangsa and Takur. Further west is the Mughal Empire.

Wei Guangde didn't know that, two years ago, the Mughal Empire had just conquered the Sultanate of Bengal and gained access to the sea for the first time.

In fact, before this, the Mughal Empire was an inland country.

Of course, it was for this reason that Yin Zhengmao brought back the Mughal Empire's delegation to the Ming Dynasty this time.

This may also be the first official contact between the two Asian giants. (End of this chapter)