prosperous age

Wei Guangde hadn't expected the Portuguese to have cracked his plans for the future political structure of the Haojing, but he wouldn't find out too late.

Upon learning of the request from the Portuguese in Haojing, the magistrate of Xiangshan County and the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi wrote memorials that same day and sent them to the capital by express courier.

During the Ming Dynasty, the fastest delivery time from Guangdong to the capital was approximately 90 days, calculated based on the official minimum time limit and the actual postal routes.

The journey from Beijing to Guangzhou via Guilin required 84 relay stations, and from Beijing to Guangzhou via Nanchang required 86 relay stations. Under normal circumstances, it would take about 90 days to deliver the goods. The relay soldiers would change trains and relay the goods, covering a distance of about 500 li per day.

However, this memorial concerned matters of great importance to the military and the state, so Liu Yaohui used his highest authority, which meant sparing no effort. The messenger had to travel at full speed, so the time limit was set at 12 days.

However, because the memorial the messenger was carrying was urgent, all the post stations along the way were prepared for the transfer according to the highest standards. The messenger rode into the capital on the eighth day after traveling five thousand miles.

When the messenger arrived at the Ministry of War, he was exhausted. He managed to dismount in front of the Ministry of War and fell to the ground because he was unsteady on his feet.

The soldiers at the gate rushed over to help him up. Well, in the Ming Dynasty at this time, there was no question of whether or not to help someone up; helping those in distress and being happy to assist others was the prevailing social norm.

The messenger pulled a token from his pocket, opened his dry lips, and his throat was so hoarse that he could no longer make a sound.

The soldier took the token and removed the bamboo tube from his back.

"Carry him to the gatehouse to rest, give him some water and porridge, and I'll take it in right away."

In fact, the soldiers at the gate had already realized something big was about to happen when they saw him rushing in on horseback.

In the capital, no one is allowed to ride horses except for urgent military matters; violators will be punished, even the princes and nobles of the capital.

Therefore, their first thought upon seeing the messenger was that a war had broken out somewhere.

Only news related to the war would be sent to the Ministry of War so urgently.

The team leader quickly entered the Ministry of War with the token and the bamboo tube containing the memorial, and the news soon spread throughout the Ministry.

Naturally, the contents of the memorial were copied and filed by the Ministry of War and sent to the Grand Secretariat as soon as possible, and handed over to Wei Guangde.

After reading through the memorial, Wei Guangde couldn't help but smile. How could he not see through the barbarians' little tricks?

The reason for restricting the Ming and Portuguese from sharing the positions of council members in the Haojiang Council was precisely to consolidate Haojiang's power.

The Portuguese barbarians wanted to transform themselves into Ming people, definitely because they wanted to take up quotas allocated to the Ming people.

Given their status and position, winning the election in the luxury mirror would be a piece of cake for them.

If the barbarians were to gain a majority, wouldn't the council hall in Haojing become their personal fiefdom?

"Bu Jialao, the master of cannon making."

However, upon seeing the later parts, Wei Guangde frowned slightly.

He never expected that a master cannon maker would be willing to serve the Ming Dynasty and become a Ming citizen.

For example, if a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences were to defect to a foreign country, the Chinese people would frown upon such a thing.

"Reed cloth, reed cloth".

Wei Guangde shouted twice towards the door, and only after Lu Bu hurried into the duty room did Wei Guangde continue, "Immediately send someone to the Ministry of Works to invite Minister Jiang over."

"Go and invite a few senior officials to my office for a meeting later. Go now."

It seems that this is just a trivial matter, and it really is trivial. How serious can the affairs of the outer vassal states be?

This was the nature of the Ming Dynasty's foreign diplomacy. It was not actually willing to actively intervene in the internal conflicts of its vassal states, but rather to look down on them from a superior position.

This was actually the attitude of the Ming Dynasty court towards the disputes among the Three Xuan and Six Wei in the southwest.

Their internal strife is not a bad thing. It weakens each other and makes them hate each other, so they need the support of the Ming Dynasty more and will be more respectful to the Ming Dynasty.

However, it goes without saying what would happen if an uncontrollable accident occurred within this force, enabling it to defeat surrounding powers and achieve unification.

To be honest, the Ming Dynasty was very poor at diplomatic balancing; it often only took action when the problem became too big to handle.

Just as Lu Bu turned and walked to the door, Wei Guangde suddenly realized that this matter should be reported to the Ministry of Rites.

"When you come back, please ask the Minister of Rites to come over. Go ahead."

Wei Guangde spoke very quickly; Lu Bu only had time to turn around before he finished speaking and then waved his hand.

Lu Bu turned around 360 degrees at the door of the duty room before walking out to deliver the message.

While the cabinet was dealing with the unforeseen events at the Haojing, and Wei Guangde was convening a meeting with relevant government departments, Liu Yaohui was also receiving Wu Dacheng, the deputy commander of the South China Sea Fleet, in Xiangshan County.

The South China Sea Fleet has arrived at the Pearl River Estuary, and its warships are currently anchored in Chiwan, which is the sea area between Nanshan District of Shenzhen and Tuen Mun of Hong Kong in later years.

This location is close to the mirror, but also some distance away, making it well-hidden and difficult to spot.

Since the Haojing merchant ship started sailing out to sea every day, Liu Yaohui has sent people to contact the South China Sea Navy fleet and hide in the vicinity.

He has already made the arrangements for Xiangshan County public to the barbarians. The navy is his backup plan. If the barbarians do not obey orders, then he will truly advance by both land and sea to suppress them with all his might.

Although subduing the enemy without fighting is considered the best strategy in military tactics, Liu Yaohui had his own considerations.

Since he was appointed Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, it was never a good thing to have such an uncontrollable factor under his jurisdiction.

Now that the imperial court has opened up many seaports, he felt that Haojing was no longer necessary to exist.

It would be easier to unify the management of the area if we took back the moat and drove the Portuguese merchants stationed there to Guangzhou.

Wei Guangde did not tell him that the Haojing was being used as an experimental field to pilot democratic deliberation.

These days, in centralized China, trying to promote democracy will only get you attacked by intellectuals, who see it as a way of taking away their rights.

This would also displease the emperor. What is this all about? Is imperial power inferior to civil rights?

The French Revolution was a bourgeois revolution that was completed only after the king was sent to the guillotine; it was definitely not something that could be accomplished with just a few slogans.

That was in France, where democracy was awakening. In the Ming Dynasty today, even if you tell the people that you have the right to vote and participate in politics, they will only think you are a fool.

Many people think that it would be foolish not to rebel if you traveled back to ancient times, believing that with your foresight, you would definitely succeed in rebellion. But that's treating everyone else as fools.

In the Ming Dynasty, the only suitable time for rebellion was after the fifth year of Chongzhen's reign. At that time, imperial power was weak, and even the emperor could not decide the future of military generals and had to try to win them over.

Moreover, the rebellion had to take place in the north, not the south, because the south was still orderly and had not been invaded by bandits.

In the South, rebelling is tantamount to courting death; the gentry can crush you, let alone the government.

Because the vast majority of ordinary people are just ordinary people who only want to live and work in peace and contentment, not to fight and kill.

"Your Excellency, when exactly should we launch our attack? The naval fleet has been adrift at sea for several days."

Wu Dacheng asked Liu Yaohui.

Although Liu Yaohui was a second-rank governor-general of the imperial court, they were not on the same level. He belonged to the South China Sea Navy and was directly under the control of the Ministry of War. He did not need to be subservient to Liu Yaohui, the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi.

Of course, Liu Yaohui is now the nominal highest-ranking official here, so when he speaks, he still maintains the respect that a military officer always shows to a civil official, bowing slightly.

"Wait, wait for the imperial decree." Liu Yaohui looked at Wu Dacheng in front of him and said irritably.

He has made two trips in the last three days. Last time, he told him that the situation in Haojing had changed and that he had to wait for the imperial court's order before deciding what to do.

What if we rashly start a war at this critical juncture, and the imperial court approves the Portuguese proposal?
That would mean he was incompetent as governor, and his future career would be over.

"The imperial court's order is for me to command the navy and station it at Haojing, instead of waiting at sea."

Wu Dacheng maintained his bowed posture and said.

"The situation in Haojing is different from what we expected. They do not object to your entry into Haojing, but they have some ideas about the council hall and are negotiating with Xiangshan County."

I have already submitted the details to the capital, and now we must await their decision.

Liu Yaohui also hoped that the Portuguese would refuse outright, and then start a war, thus resolving the matter simply and directly.

Unfortunately, no. They directly stated that they did not oppose the government sending troops to Haojing, but only hoped to complete a contract through negotiation to determine the rights and responsibilities of both parties.

Moreover, Frank visited Xiangshan County almost every day during this period, adopting a very humble attitude.

To this day, the imperial court has not explicitly stated that it intends to tear up the land lease agreement previously signed between the Yi people and Xiangshan County, and it has been paying the rent to the county government on time every year. It can be said that it has done a perfect job in this regard.

China has always presented itself as a nation of etiquette to the world, and the other party's actions left them with no reason to refuse to renew the contract.

Ultimately, they were foreign vassals, not one of their own, which made the Guangdong government somewhat hesitant in making a decision.

"Then when will we have to wait?"

Wu Dacheng looked up at Liu Yaohui and asked.

"The memorial should be sent to the capital in the next two days. Given the speed at which the court handles government affairs, the Ministry of War will report to the palace immediately, and there should be a reply within ten days."

Liu Yaohui was also unsure whether this matter would cause any disputes in the capital, since it was a military matter and under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.

However, since it involved foreign vassal states, it was handled by the Ministry of Rites.

It seems there's been some trouble between the Ministry of Rites and the Cabinet lately.

Although Liu Yaohui was far from the emperor's reach, he still received news about the capital's movements every month.

Some of these messages were obtained by his servants in the capital, while others were passed on by his fellow townsmen and classmates who were officials in the capital.

An official would never put all his eggs in one basket. When he was an official in Jiangxi, he maintained a good relationship with the Wei family, and as a fellow townsman, he did not forget the residence of the then-Grand Secretary.

Officials in the Ming Dynasty were actually very adept at maneuvering before they accomplished anything.

Those officials who are righteous and stubborn will never go far in the court.

For example, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, and Yan Song all maintained a good relationship with the Yan family during Yan Song's tenure as Grand Secretary. Gao Gong was often invited by the Grand Secretary to banquets to drink and discuss poetry and literature.

However, when it comes to resorting to underhanded tactics, Gao Gong is absolutely ruthless.

This is also why, after realizing that Wei Guangde's presence in Yu Zhi's heart might affect his position in Yu Wang's heart, he decisively wanted to get him out of the capital.

Of course, in Gao Gong's view, this was his way of promoting Wei Guangde, not cutting off his chance to enter the cabinet.

With him in the cabinet, that's enough to keep the court clear and efficient. People like Chen Yiqin and Wei Guangde can just assist him.

"Ten days? Then I will come to pay my respects to you again in ten days."

After a slight hesitation, Wu Dacheng bowed and took his leave. After all, he was a superior official. Although the navy was no longer under local jurisdiction, he still dared not act recklessly in front of civil officials.

After Wu Dacheng left, the magistrate of Xiangshan County was already waiting outside the door.

After he entered the lobby, he recounted the conversation he had with Frank that day.

"They need a lot of food? How can they need so much food when there are so many people in Haojing now?"

Because the status of Haojing was still undecided, merchants dared not go there to trade, which caused Haojing, which relied on the Ming Dynasty for supplies, to start to experience a shortage of supplies.

Well, although the warehouse of Haojing was filled with all kinds of goods from the Ming Dynasty, most of them were silk fabrics and exquisite porcelain.

In the past, Haojing relied on Ming Dynasty grain merchants to regularly transport grain there, but now these grain shops have long since closed down.

"Frank said that the food reserves in the city of Haojing are only enough for three days, so it is imperative that we ensure the food supply in the city."

The magistrate of Xiangshan County said in a low voice.

“But five thousand shi is too much. It’s enough to feed ten thousand people for a month.”

Liu Yaohui shook his head. Now that Haojing is facing a food shortage, this is a good opportunity for the Ming Dynasty to gain a significant advantage in this game.

To put it bluntly, if we don't attack them, they'll run out of food. The meager catch from their fishing trips at sea won't be enough to feed the thousands of mouths in the city.

"But Frank has been talking about this for the past two days, so it must be true."

When I came here earlier, I asked a few grain merchants, including Zhao Haojing, about their grain reserves. Based on the daily consumption of two thousand people, they should be almost finished in the next few days.

The magistrate of Xiangshan County reported this in a low voice.

"He said there are still more than two thousand people in the city?"

Liu Yaohui asked a question in return.

"Yes, that's what he said."

The magistrate of Xiangshan County hurriedly replied.

After silently calculating in his mind, Liu Yaohui finally made a decision: "Have the grain merchants gather three hundred shi of grain and transport it over. I estimate that it should last for about ten days."

"My lord, I'm afraid this isn't enough."

The magistrate of Xiangshan County hurriedly said.

Three hundred bushels of grain are only enough for a strong man to eat for seven or eight days, not even enough for ten days.

"Can't it last for another two or three days? That makes ten days in total."

I imagine the court will send word, and then we'll talk to them according to the court's orders.

However, the risk of their supplies running out might make them more willing to make concessions.

Although the imperial decree had not previously required Hao Jing to pay taxes, since all land under heaven belongs to the emperor, why should he not pay?
Not only were they required to pay taxes, but they were also forced to perform military service, which was directly converted into silver.

"The Portuguese merchant ships that entered and exited the moat, which you never paid any tariffs on before, were all taken by them to build fortifications and city walls."

Liu Yaohui got up and paced back and forth in the room a few times before saying, "Although the court allows their council hall to exist and allows them to govern themselves in the city, don't you think this is against the rules?"
I don't know what the cabinet is thinking, but as parents in Guangdong, we have to consider this.

As the magistrate of Xiangshan County, acting on behalf of Heaven to govern the people, how can you relinquish your jurisdiction so easily? Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the literati?

Liu Yaohui only realized in the last two days that there was a problem with the cabinet's order, and a significant one at that, as it allowed foreigners and Ming people to govern themselves—a right reserved for scholars. (End of Chapter)