prosperous age

Wei Guangde's trip to the south of the Yangtze River was not for the purpose of resolving the Hangzhou issue.

According to the secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the memorial from Nanjing, the cabinet, together with the Nine Ministers, had already decided on a solution: Governor Wu Shanyan would be dismissed and Zhang Jiayin would take over his position to stabilize the region.

As for Zhang Wenxi, the deputy commissioner of military affairs who mishandled the situation, he would be demoted and transferred afterward, and would no longer be able to be entrusted with important responsibilities.

To put it bluntly, in the eyes of high-ranking officials in the court, calming down the situation and resolving the matter was a great achievement, while failing to do so was considered a breach of decorum and a case of holding a position without doing anything.

As for whether the news of the successful completion of the task would reach the capital, they did not consider that.

Entrusting them with important local responsibilities means that they are expected to maintain local peace and stability.

If something goes wrong, it's naturally their problem. That's why officials like to cover things up; they don't want anything to happen under their control.

When problems arise, they tend to minimize the severity and ignore the problems altogether. This is all determined by the attitude of those in power when handling events. They don't care about right or wrong, merit or demerit; they only care about the outcome.

So some people hope that by making a big fuss and attracting the attention of higher authorities, they can get "fair" treatment, but they are really delusional.

That's simply not true. It's like when Wei Guangde arrived at the dock, he didn't ask any questions, he just took the person down first.

The rest of the officials in Zhejiang who need to be replaced are Zhang Jiayin's responsibility.

If he stabilizes the situation in Zhejiang, he will be credited; if something else goes wrong, he will always be the scapegoat and have to take all the blame.

After enjoying a lavish welcome banquet at Hangzhou's most famous restaurant, Wei Guangde checked into the arranged residence.

As for the courtesan selected and sent by Hangzhou Prefecture, Wei Guangde was too tired from being on the boat these past few days to accept her and went to sleep alone.

The next morning, after breakfast, the Hangzhou Hundred-Household Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard delivered a secret report.

Wei Guangde glanced at it only once before tearing it apart and kneading it into a ball.

It was not standard procedure for Zhejiang officials to visit the Zhejiang governor overnight; it required investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhang Jiayin needs to control the area and win over a group of people; otherwise, how can he operate alone?

After breakfast, Wei Guangde instructed his attendants, "Arrange a carriage; I'm going to check on the Nine Camps in Hangzhou."

Wei Guangde's main purpose in coming here was to see for himself before he could decide their fate.

Wei Guangde dared not fully believe everything he heard from some officials.

In Hangzhou, Wei Guangde naturally went to the two military camps in the north and south of Hangzhou first. These camps were garrisoned by 10,000 soldiers and were the main force guarding the city of Hangzhou.

When the imperial envoy's entourage entered the Hangzhou military camp, the guards certainly dared not stop him and could only quickly enter the camp to report.

Before long, the battalion commander led a group of officers out to greet him, and they all knelt down in front of Wei Guangde's carriage.

"Everyone, get up."

Wei Guangde got out of the sedan chair and waved his hand to tell everyone to get up.

"This humble general, Luo Qian, pays his respects to the Grand Secretary."

After the general stood up, the battalion commander stepped forward and saluted Wei Guangde again.

"Luo Qian, are you the commander of the Southern Camp?"

Wei Guangde glanced at Luo Qian; he was indeed burly and looked like someone skilled in martial arts.

In battle, tall, strong men like these are often skilled at breaking through enemy lines.

In the end, war is all about having enough strength to break through the enemy's defensive formation; that's what they mean by "one force can overcome ten techniques."

The reason why Ming and Qing soldiers were not good at fighting was largely due to their treatment. They were often underfed and malnourished, making it impossible for them to engage in close combat.

Consider the legends of the Tang Dynasty's Mo Dao (陌刀) troops. It is said that the food of one Mo Dao soldier was equivalent to that of ten foot soldiers, and the equipment was worth the equivalent of three sets of horse tack. It can be said that the Mo Dao soldiers were made entirely of gold.

Without absolute power, how can one "push through the wall and crush men and horses"? It's all about brute force.

Wei Guangde looked around and thought, well, although the troops in the capital were still being embezzled, their treatment was somewhat better than that of the garrison and camp soldiers. But when Wei Guangde looked at the troops in the southern camp of Hangzhou, he was somewhat disappointed.

Slender builds may make them agile, but the battlefield offers no room for maneuver. Such soldiers are only good for cheering and boosting morale.

However, as a civil official, Wei Guangde couldn't really interfere too much in the military's affairs, as it involved too many things and the circles had become solidified.

All he could do was select capable generals and build several strong armies for foreign wars.

"General Luo, there's no need for such formalities. I've come here simply to see the officers and soldiers of the Southern Camp."

"I heard that you, like Luo Muying, have had your military pay embezzled by Governor Wu?"

Wei Guangde first reassured him before asking his purpose.

"Reporting to Grand Secretary Wei, the officers and soldiers of this camp were only entitled to 70% of their pay originally. Last month, our superior sent word that another 20% would be deducted."

Actually, those were just Luo Muying's soldiers. Various units in Hangzhou were in great turmoil over this, and I was merely doing my best to maintain order.

Luo Qian lowered his head again at this point.

Looking at his age of over forty, Wei Guangde guessed that he must have participated in the anti-Japanese war during the Jiajing reign, so he asked about his background.

Sure enough, Qi Jiguang, who came from a military background, was rewarded and promoted for his military achievements.

As for a soldier being promoted to battalion commander, that's already quite good. He couldn't have gotten to the position of battalion commander without putting in some effort to show off.

It might be due to connections, bribery, or recognition; in short, it's almost impossible to rise from a lowly soldier to a battalion commander.

"And then what? Will the military commissioner be able to reimburse the withheld 20% of the salary?"

Wei Guangde continued to press for answers.

"The arrears and this month's salary were delivered the day before yesterday, but have not yet been issued."

Zhejiang tried to remedy the situation, but it was no use; no one could save them.

"Now that we're here, let's distribute the pay. I'd like to see the joy of the officers and soldiers receiving their pay."

Wei Guangde smiled faintly.

Upon hearing Wei Guangde's words, Luo Qian could not refuse and had no choice but to obey. He immediately ordered the soldiers to be gathered at the drill ground to receive their pay.

"Let me see the documents."

Sitting in the tent, outside was the spacious drill ground, where squads of officers and soldiers, led by their officers, were already entering to receive their pay.

Those were documents sent by the Military Commissioner for the handover of military pay. They bore the seals of both the Military Commissioner and the Southern Camp, making them official handover documents.

"Yes, Your Excellency, please take a look."

Luo Qian dared not delay and immediately handed the document to Wei Guangde with both hands.

"General Luo, there's no need for that. My father and brother also came to Hangzhou to help fight against the Japanese pirates in their early years, so they're not outsiders."

It was no secret in official circles that Wei Guangde came from a military family.

However, once they arrived in Hangzhou, these soldiers, in particular, naturally had no idea.

Therefore, when Wei Guangde said that his father and brothers had fought against Japanese pirates in Hangzhou in their early years, Luo Qian still looked somewhat suspicious.

Shouldn't the family members of the Grand Secretary all come from scholarly families?
How could he possibly be a lowly soldier, sent to suppress the Japanese pirates?

Leaving aside the beginning, during the middle of the Japanese pirate raids, the garrisons and military posts in various parts of the Ming Dynasty were unwilling to send troops to the southeast coast to suppress the pirates, and they had no choice but to recruit a large number of soldiers to fight.

Even Hu Zongxian sometimes had no way to deal with the garrisons, even though he was the governor-general.

As for asking Yan Song for help, that would be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Wei Guangde ignored his surprise and read the document himself. The full salary was nine qian of silver per person.

"In the past, did soldiers actually receive 50% of what they were entitled to?"

Wei Guangde suddenly asked out of the blue.

Luo Qian, who had just relaxed, immediately became nervous and stood up, saying, "Yes, they are all paid at 50% of the actual amount."

Nodding slightly, Wei Guangde put down the document in his hand. Without asking who took the missing 20%, he went straight out of the tent and walked to the silver cart that had arrived.

"Open."

Wei Guangde didn't bother looking at the roster of soldiers receiving their pay; he had already scanned the drill ground. The Southern Camp soldiers had already filled half the drill ground, and more were marching in; he estimated there were about two thousand men.

More people came in after that. Judging from their positions, Wei Guangde estimated that the difference in numbers among the five thousand people was not significant.

I know that there are serious problems with empty salaries in Jiangnan and the north as well, but it seems that there aren't many in the southern camp, which is quite strange.

Luo Qian, who followed behind, hurriedly ordered the soldiers guarding the silver cart to open the silver box.

The box was opened, and Wei Guangde reached inside and grabbed a few Tongbao coins, all of which were small silver coins minted by the Ministry of Revenue.

He put it back, then reached deeper and grabbed a handful, but it was still the same.

After tossing the silver ingot back into the box, Wei Guangde pointed to the other boxes and said, "Open them all."

More than a dozen large silver chests were opened, and Wei Guangde examined each one one by one.

Wei Guangde only stopped when he saw several boxes filled with copper coins in the back.

If it were a full set of coins, these copper coins wouldn't be needed.

But if you haven't gone through the rafting, then naturally you'll need it.

Looking at the gleaming gold coins in the box, Wei Guangde nodded and glanced at the drill ground again.

The soldiers had already filled most of the training ground, and it was estimated that there were nearly four thousand men, with more troops still moving in.

How many people are in the camp now?

Wei Guangde asked casually.

"Four thousand five hundred men, with five captains leading the guards of the city gates and walls, can only be repaid when they return from their shifts."

Luo Qian stepped forward and answered.

"Distribute it according to your rules."

Wei Guangde had no intention of interfering with the old system. The fact that these people were willing to stand here meant that they accepted 50% of the military pay.

If Wu Shanyan were to cut another 20%, it would mean they would only receive 30%.

If 30% is too little, then there will be a commotion.

Besides, they were battalion soldiers, recruited, not garrison soldiers; they had to come whether they wanted to or not.

Subconsciously, Wei Guangde reached out and grabbed a handful of copper coins from the money box beside him.

"what."

Wei Guangde didn't pay much attention at first glance, but when he grabbed it and brought it up to his eyes, he noticed that the copper coin seemed slightly different from the ones he had used before.

When placed on the ground, the bright yellow coin was not particularly eye-catching, but when Wei Guangde held it up to his eyes, he noticed that the color of the coin was slightly darker than the ones he had seen before.

Wei Guangde beckoned to a follower and ordered, "Take out the copper coins you have on you."

"Yes, sir."

The attendant hurriedly took out his money bag and found two copper coins.

The coins from the capital were naturally copper coins minted by the Baoyuan Bureau in the capital. Comparing the two, Wei Guangde noticed that the copper coins from the capital had a more accurate color.

The Jiajing reign marked a turning point in Chinese copper coinage. Before Jiajing, copper coins were mainly cast in bronze, while afterwards they were mainly cast in brass.

In other words, the newly minted copper coins in the Ming Dynasty are all brass coins, and the Ministry of Revenue has regulations on how much lead and zinc to add.

However, the two types of copper coins in Wei Guangde's possession, though slightly different, were still easily distinguishable at a glance.

"Was this coin minted in Quanzhou or Nanjing?"

Wei Guangde asked.

"It should be Nanjing. The copper coins minted in Quanzhou circulated in Fujian and Jiangxi, while these silver coins were sent by the military commissioner. They must have been minted in Nanjing and then shipped here."

Luo Qian said cautiously.

"Sir, there are significant differences between the North and the South, so the copper coins minted vary somewhat."

It seems that the amount of lead and zinc added in Nanjing is a little higher, but only by two or three tenths.

One of the advisors who had come with the Wei family leaned close to Wei Guangde's ear and whispered something.

Like other officials, Wei Guangde also hired advisors from Shaoxing. However, they were mostly used to handle matters within the mansion. Major matters of the court were discussed by him and Zhang Juzheng, and many required secrecy, so these advisors were not allowed to participate in the discussions.

However, not consulting with them doesn't mean we don't need to.

Moreover, they are more familiar with the unspoken rules of the imperial court, and often need to be reminded of them.

"How could this be? The Ministry of Revenue has already set the standards. We should just mint coins according to the standards."

Wei Guangde was still somewhat puzzled. The Baoyuan Bureau was minting coins according to the Ministry of Revenue's requirements, so why were there separate coins for the North and South?

"Sir, the Baoyuan Mint in both Beijing and the capital has been minting coins for a long time. However, the Beijing Baoyuan Mint has been intermittently minting coins due to the difficulty in finding copper, and its technology is not very good."

Because the Baoyuan Bureau had an abundance of copper in the south, and especially when it was unable to procure copper from Yunnan, it never stopped minting coins.

Comparatively speaking, the coins minted by the Nanjing Baoyuan Mint were of better quality.

The clerk whispered in Wei Guangde's ear, "As for the fact that the copper content of coins minted in Nanjing is lower than that in Beijing, that's an unspoken rule."

Upon hearing this, Wei Guangde understood a little: Nanjing was taking advantage of its technological superiority to withhold some copper materials.

Well, it seems that each government office in the Ming Dynasty had its own way of making money, and the Baoyuan Bureau would definitely focus on minting coins to make money.

"Does the Ministry of Revenue know?"

Wei Guangde muttered something under his breath.

"They must have known and approved of it, otherwise Nanjing wouldn't have minted so many copper coins."

The advisor replied in a low voice.

"I know you. Remember this. Go back and write me a letter. Silver and gold ingots must not be made outside the capital. They must be kept consistent."

Since Nanjing has excellent coin-minting technology, let them be responsible for minting copper coins from now on.

Wei Guangde then realized that there were some differences between the copper coins circulating in the north and south, but as long as it did not affect circulation, he didn't bother to care.

However, monetary law is too important for stabilizing national finances.

Copper coins had small denominations, so ordinary people didn't care. But gold and silver coins were better left alone; even if Beijing's technology was a bit lacking, it didn't matter.

If the coins were sent to the Nanjing Mint and they were shortchanged, the reputation of Ming Dynasty coins overseas would be damaged, which would be disastrous.

Wei Guangde thought this matter was very urgent.

Before leaving Beijing, he had seen a memorial from the Ministry of Works requesting that the Nanjing Baoyuan Bureau be allowed to mint gold and silver coins.

It's not too late to find out now; send a message to the capital immediately to stop this.

Meanwhile, Luo Qian remained frozen in place, unsure of what to do next.

"Send it."

Wei Guangde looked back at the drill ground. There weren't many vacancies, so Luo Qian's position was safe.

After observing the southern camp for only a short while, Wei Guangde left for the northern camp.

News of the Southern Camp had already reached them, so the commander of the Northern Camp was well prepared.

Wei Guangde only inquired about some issues related to defending and patrolling the city before ordering the Northern Camp to begin distributing soldiers' pay.

"One of the two battalions, one in the north and one in the south, can be disbanded. As for the flood control battalion, we can't keep up with seven battalions; that's too many."

On the way back to his residence, Wei Guangde made up his mind.

Although the soldiers were stationed in Hangzhou Prefecture, their pay came from the governor's office, so the orders also came from there.

His mission in this southward campaign was to reduce military power. (End of Chapter)