prosperous age

Winter has begun, and autumn is in full swing.

Despite the reluctance to part, the yellow leaves that fall with the wind remind everyone that this final splendor is just a brief glimpse of autumn.

Winter is approaching in the eighth year of the Wanli reign. In a few more days, snowflakes will begin to fall from the sky.

Wei Guangde did not go directly to the cabinet today, but went to the Ministry of War first to review the Ministry's achievements over the past six months, preparing to submit a report to the emperor at the end of the year and prepare for the capital inspection next year.

At this moment, Zhang Ke, who was acting as Minister of War, and Wei Guangde were face to face, recounting the events of the past year.

"Well, you and Lord Tan have managed the Ministry of War quite well these past two years. There haven't been any mutinies in the military camps. Sometimes I think it's a great blessing."

After listening to Zhang Ke's account of the work at the local garrisons, Wei Guangde waved his hand and smiled wryly.

"Next year, maintaining stability in various garrisons will remain a top priority. In earlier years, problems would frequently arise due to issues with pay."

At present, the key point is still to remind subordinates not to be too greedy, and to let them know that if anything goes wrong, no one can help, and everything will be dealt with.

The other two areas are Liaodong in the northeast and Burma in the southwest. The Ministry of War must pay close attention to the supply of these areas and not delay.

Wei Guangde began to speak.

"The development of Nurgan in Liaodong can only wait until next year. This year, the troops sent by Qi Yuanjing took the wrong route and failed to reach Nurgan City."

Maintaining stability in various garrisons was the Ministry of War's responsibility, but when Liaodong and Burma were mentioned, Zhang Ke's face became somewhat unnatural.

In the middle of the year, Liaodong sent troops back to Nurgan, but the boats went astray downstream and failed to reach Nurgan. Instead, they ended up in the Burya River.

By the time they realized their mistake, it was too late for them to start again, so they had no choice but to retreat back to Tuhe in disappointment.

"It doesn't matter. We also explored the surrounding area along the way. We'll send people over to check it out sooner or later. The navy hasn't even reached Nurgan City yet."

Hearing Wei Guangde say that, Zhang Ke felt even more awkward.

When Tan Lun was in charge of the Ministry of War, Wei Guangde never failed to accomplish anything he asked the Ministry of War to do.

This year, not only did the deployment of troops from Liaodong to Nurgan go awry, but the East China Sea Fleet's exploration of the North Sea route also failed.

It can be said that apart from the successful completion of the Wanli Emperor's grand military review, all other major military operations were failures.

In fact, it wasn't just these two things; Wei Guangde also didn't tell the Ministry of War that the South China Sea Fleet's exploration of the New World was also postponed.

After all, Wei Guangde was just making assumptions. After Yu Dayou returned to Zhejiang, he arranged for ships to prepare for action. However, it was not a simple matter to mobilize several main warships from the navy. Wei Guangde had requested that it not be done in public, so it could only be done secretly.

Therefore, it is not only necessary to prepare the boat, but also to arrange the manpower.

After a series of actions, the departure time was delayed, and they had to send a letter to Beijing to postpone the departure until next year.

Seeing the expression on Zhang Ke's face, Wei Guangde chuckled and said, "No rush, it's just a one-year delay. What we need is to proceed steadily and surely."

Having learned from this mistake, we won't make the same mistake again next time.

Remember to remind the East China Sea Fleet to set sail earlier next year; after all, no one expected the seas over there to freeze over.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the management of Nurgan relied on the transportation capacity of the Heilongjiang River to complete the transfer of the necessary materials.

Wei Guangde has now handed over the transfer of supplies to Nurgan to the East China Sea Navy, which means that the ships need to dock directly at the docks outside Nurgan City to facilitate loading and unloading of goods.

Once the coastline freezes over, shipping will naturally cease.

The East China Sea fleet's warships did reach the North Sea, but after a short while, they discovered that the sea near the land was already showing signs of freezing.

I also learned from North Korean fishermen about the freezing period. Well, it's a freezing period that lasts for half a year. That's the transportation condition of the narrow strait between Kuyi Island and the mainland.

Wei Guangde had only seen maps in later generations and knew the general geographical situation there, but he knew very little about other things and had to rely on the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty's navy to explore them.

This was the first time the East China Sea Fleet had encountered such extreme weather conditions. Ships that entered the Strait of Tartary at that time would likely have been frozen inside and unable to get out.

Those who study meteorology in later generations will know that the mouth of the Heilongjiang River is like the high-pressure gas outlet of a sprayer, the Strait of Tartary is like a tube, and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk is the water tank of this sprayer.

The high-speed flow of water from the Heilongjiang River estuary flows south into the strait and then into the Sea of ​​Japan. Through the principle of jet pumps, it continuously draws cold water from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk into the Strait of Tartary, and then this cold water flows along the Russian Far East coast all the way to Vladivostok.

Unless the outlet of the Heilongjiang River to the south is diverted and flows north into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the ocean currents would reverse, drawing the warm Tsushima Current from the Sea of ​​Japan into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, which would be the only way to change the climate conditions there.

In fact, the reason why the temperature in coastal cities of East Siberia is generally lower than that in Japanese cities at the same latitude is that the freezing period is also longer in the same latitude region.

The idea of ​​transforming Haikou remains just a plan on paper even centuries later.

Yes, Russia also wants to develop Siberia, but the extreme climate of Eastern Siberia means that even though they can embrace the Pacific Ocean, they still lack ice-free ports.

Thus, this bold plan came about.

However, the plan was too audacious and its environmental impact too significant, making it difficult to predict the consequences and thus delaying its implementation.

Wei Guangde, being a novice, naturally didn't understand these things. He thought that since it was near the sea, a port could be built, it would just mean that the navigation time would be shorter.

That's fine, as long as we can send supplies and ships there by sea.

On the banks of the Heilongjiang River, the Ming Dynasty will definitely build a shipyard to facilitate water transportation throughout the entire Heilongjiang River basin.

However, with the advent of maritime transport, there is no need to rush to build shipyards. We can proceed slowly, using local materials and carrying them along, and build the shipyards when the time is right.

After all, building a shipyard means having a continuous supply of processed timber; you can't just transport the timber for shipbuilding all the way to Liaodong.

"The Yunnan governor submitted another memorial, hoping to complete the division of the prefectures and counties in Myanmar as soon as possible."

After finishing discussing official business with the Ministry of War, Zhang Ke suddenly brought up the matter of Myanmar.

Myanmar is temporarily at peace, but rebellions have occurred sporadically in various places over the past year. The Li family has now dispersed its troops to various regions to suppress any rebellions that occur.

The advantage of Li Chengliang having many sons became apparent at this time. All four of his sons were now capable of handling their own affairs. Apart from the generals promoted from the army, all four of his sons held the rank of garrison commander.

The generals and deputy generals of the southwestern provinces had already led some of their troops back, since the southwestern provinces also needed Ming troops to be stationed there to deter the local chieftains, and could not be stationed in Burma for long.

If at the beginning the court viewed Burma as a burden, finding it neither appealing nor worth abandoning, the local economy improved significantly with the large-scale mining of Burma's mineral resources that year.

Previously, the Burmese kings developed these mineral resources only to obtain what they needed and for the expenses of their foreign wars. Now, however, Burma has become an important mineral base for the Ming Dynasty.

Myanmar's mineral resources are easy to mine, and many of them are needed by the Ming Dynasty, naturally triggering a purchasing frenzy.

After various minerals were produced, they were quickly bought up by Ming Dynasty merchants, and for a time, Burma's economy was even better than during the reign of the Burmese king.

After all, the Burmese king was still restrained back then, purchasing what he needed and leading his troops on expeditions every year. Many miners were also conscripted at that time, so production never expanded.

Now that Li Chengliang is stationed in Myanmar, there is no need for external warfare. Miners spend most of the year working in the mines, so production naturally increases rapidly.

In reality, Li Chengliang wished that all adult men in Myanmar would work in the mines, so that no one would rebel and his life would be more comfortable.

However, with the economy improving, the Yunnan government naturally became somewhat restless.

Not only in Yunnan, but also among many people in the imperial court who were envious.

Yunnan already had jurisdiction over the Three Xuan and Six Wei regions, so the Yunnan governor naturally believed that he should obtain the greatest benefits in Burma.

But Li Chengliang completely ignored him, which made him both angry and helpless.

Therefore, the solution he could think of was to bring Myanmar under the jurisdiction of the prefecture and county as soon as possible, so that the military would have to hand over power in Myanmar to the government.

Once the government takes over, most of the military's interests will naturally fall into the hands of the government. The normal state is to suppress the military with civil officials; it's impossible for these soldiers to stand above the civil officials.

"They've sent a document to the Ministry of War, hehehe."

Wei Guangde had actually received the news and knew that there were some small movements in Yunnan, but he didn't take it seriously.

The rebellions that occur from time to time in Myanmar are actually doing them a favor.

Because the region is not yet stable, military control is necessary to maintain control over the area.

"At the end of the year, the Ministry of War submitted a report emphasizing the recent rebellions in Myanmar, describing them as dramatic as possible."

Implementing military control in Burma, similar to that in Liaodong, would be beneficial to the Ministry of War.

Wei Guangde offered a suggestion: "As for the others, tell your subordinates that they are all minor benefits. Do you think the Burmese would dare not send tributes of ice and charcoal to the Ministry of War?"

If Grand Commander Li really dares to be so ungrateful, tell me, and I'll go and scold him.

Wei Guangde's words were both to reassure Zhang Ke and to hint at his relationship with Li Chengliang.

Now, nearly 30% of the profits from Myanmar have gone into his and Feng Bao's pockets.

He didn't want anything else from Myanmar; instead, he exchanged it for boxes of jewelry, jade, and gold nuggets.

The gold nuggets were directly commissioned to the mint to be minted into gold coins for collection, while Feng Bao privately minted them into gold bars. It is unclear where they are hidden, but it is estimated that Feng Bao must have a huge cellar of treasure in his mansion in the capital.

"The cabinet is discussing whether to lift the trade ban on Japan. What is your opinion?"

After finishing discussing the main affairs of the Ministry of War, Wei Guangde began to talk about the topics being discussed by the cabinet.

"Tianjin Port is about to open, and it is expected to open together with Guangzhou next year, with 100 ship licenses for each port."

Wei Guangde continued.

"In Tianjin, the main focus is on Japan and Korea?"

Zhang Ke frowned and asked.

He had witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by Japanese pirates in Fujian and Zhejiang, and felt deeply indignant.

If Wei Guangde hadn't brought it up, Zhang Ke would probably have already started cursing.

"To earn money from Japan and enrich the people of our Great Ming Dynasty."

Wei Guangde said cautiously.

Zhang Ke can be considered a radical youth of his time, harboring a deep-seated hatred for the Japanese invaders.

In fact, Yu Dayou also had this problem, but after being repeatedly disciplined by the officialdom, he began to learn to be patient.

Wei Guangde could guess that Yu Dayou was very unhappy about his private business dealings with Japan, but he had never shown it.

Because he already understood that even if he objected, it would be useless; those in power would only transfer him away and let him continue doing those things.

Having been too straightforward in the past, Yu Dayou has taken many detours and is no longer willing to repeat those mistakes.

After all, time waits for no one, and he doesn't have much time left to live. He should think about his children, if not himself.

"Shan Dai, tell me honestly, what is your and the Prime Minister's attitude in the Cabinet?"

Zhang Ke wasn't stupid. He said it was a cabinet discussion, but in reality, it was just to gauge the attitudes of Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde.

"The Prime Minister hesitated, but I am supportive."

You should know that I have been planning to retaliate against Japan by launching a military campaign.

Currently, intelligence gathering on Japan is mostly conducted through Korea and Ryukyu, which is quite time-consuming. If direct trade with Japan were possible, the Imperial Guards could directly enter Japan to gather intelligence and bring back various reports.

Time is the most important factor in intelligence gathering.

Wei Guangde spoke up.

"What you're talking about is Japan's gold and silver mountains, isn't it?"

Zhang Ke asked bluntly.

"I suppose so. The imperial court needs Japan's gold and silver resources."

Even though most provinces have completed the land survey this year and the next year, and the imperial court's tax revenue will increase significantly, so what?

The imperial court had many more places to spend money, but the manufacture of the lightning musket alone was significantly more expensive than that of the arquebus.

But as the commander of the Ministry of War, you should know that the lightning musket is indeed quite practical. Although its power is weak, it fires quickly and is a powerful weapon for maintaining the Ming army's formation.

The short-barreled electric musket also performed well after being tested by the Xuanda cavalry, and was much better than the original bulky French musket.

There were also heavy rifling muskets, with terrifying accuracy; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they could take the head of a general amidst a vast army.

"These all cost money; without money, how can we build them?"

Wei Guangde smiled wryly.

Unbeknownst to many, the equipment of the Ming army had undergone tremendous changes, becoming far more advanced than in history.

However, this resulted in a sharp increase in the Ministry of War's annual military expenditure. Heavy muskets were the most expensive and costly to produce, and each garrison could only equip a small number of them.

In fact, the most expensive part was the naval warships. Not only did they need to be built, but cannons also needed to be cast. They were veritable money-devouring behemoths.

Historically, although Zhang Juzheng's reforms were not entirely successful, they did complete tax adjustments in most provinces, resulting in a significant increase in the national treasury.

However, the Ming Dynasty at that time did not build a large navy, so it had a fiscal surplus.

Now that Wei Guangde is a time traveler, the national treasury's revenue has increased, but so have its expenses.

The Ming Dynasty's finances, which should have had a surplus for three consecutive years, were still generally in deficit during those three years, let alone any surplus.

This is still based on the premise that the Burmese garrison does not consume a large amount of the imperial treasury.

The expenses of the Myanmar military are currently covered by local taxes, but there is not much surplus, and most of it is retained for building bridges, roads, city walls and ports.

Zhang Ke had been in the capital for quite some time and was naturally aware of the financial difficulties facing the imperial court.

People in the local area didn't realize this before, always assuming that Fujian and Zhejiang were the ones suffering from disasters, while other places must be prosperous.

"The Ministry of War will support the Cabinet's decisions."

Finally, Zhang Ke spoke up.

"Sir, there is an urgent report from the Xuanfu."

Just as Wei Guangde breathed a sigh of relief and was about to take his leave and return to the cabinet, someone came in to report.

"Bring it here."

Zhang Ke received the urgent report from Xuanfu, examined the sealed envelope, opened it, and said, "Anda Khan has fallen ill." (End of Chapter)