prosperous age

Even without Hideyoshi Hashiba saying these things, Terumoto Mori could have guessed the reason from the lack of effort the daimyo showed in attacking Ota-sou at the end of the year.

If they cease hostilities with the Ming Dynasty, they will not suffer too much loss; they will only consume some of their military rations.

In the previous battles of Ōta-sō, the losses were all suffered by hastily armed light infantry; the elite troops of the various daimyo were not deployed to the battlefield.

This is the source of the Japanese people's confidence.

Although their attack on Datianzhuang failed, their elite troops were still intact and could still fight the Ming army again.

However, most of them no longer wanted to continue fighting.

It must be admitted that the powerful firearms displayed by the Ming army at the beginning shocked and delighted these people.

These firearms would become their spoils of war if they captured Datianzhuang.

However, after a fierce battle, these firearms will probably soon become useless sticks, and will lose their appeal.

Naturally, they were unwilling to commit more troops. After all, the territory they conquered would still belong to the Mori family, and they wouldn't get much in return.

Even knowing that from this point on, the Mori family would inevitably fall from the top tier of Japanese daimyo to the second or even third tier.

But he had no other choice but to silently swallow this bitter pill.

The saying "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime" illustrates this point.

The Mori clan did nothing wrong; they became targets of the Ming army simply because they had the Iwami Silver Mine in their territory.

Just as Toyotomi Hideyoshi began to quell internal strife in Japan and prepared to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible, Wang Xijue's memorial arrived in Tianjin.

Subsequently, the courier horse sped to the capital.

The memorial was delivered to the Grand Secretary Wei Guangde early the next morning.

After the Ming army had already begun several rounds of negotiations with the Japanese, Wei Guangde finally learned about the recent situation in Japan.

"The Japanese are seeking peace?"

Because they do not know the true attitude of the Japanese, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has not yet been able to find out the details.

Therefore, Wang Xijue was not entirely certain.

They dared not use the term "peace negotiation," but instead reported a request for peace.

However, Wei Guangde was still very surprised.

After all, the area now occupied by the Ming army is already very close to one-tenth of the size of Japan.

Having lost nearly a tenth of its territory, how could he not be surprised that the Japanese would choose to initiate peace talks so quickly?

In Wei Guangde's view, seeking peace was a last resort, a choice made only after demonstrating unparalleled military strength and desperation.

Although the battle reports indicated it was fierce, they were certainly not strong enough to destroy the Japanese pirates' ability to fight again.

"A delaying tactic?"

Faced with what seemed like an imminent victory, Wei Guangde became increasingly suspicious.

However, the contents of the memorial were extremely important, so Wei Guangde had no choice but to summon Lu Bu and solemnly instructed him: "Go and invite Grand Secretary Shen and Grand Secretary Wang over immediately. We have important official business to discuss."

"Yes."

Lu Bu agreed and turned to run outside.

Lu Bu knew what was good for him; he had placed the Japanese war report on his desk this morning.

The fact that the Master has summoned the Grand Secretaries to discuss this matter must be related to the Ming army's eastern expedition, so it cannot be delayed.

In reality, whether he walks or runs there, it doesn't interfere with important matters.

However, the appearance still needs to be perfect.

A moment later, Shen Shixing and Wang Jiaping hurriedly entered Wei Guangde's duty room one after the other.

"I heard that Japan has sent back battle reports; I wonder if they're good or bad?"

As soon as he entered the house at Shenshi (3-5 PM), he asked a question.

"It's a good thing, but it's a little too good to be true."

Wei Guangde had already come out and was sitting in the reception area outside.

After gesturing for them to sit down, he handed Wang Xijue's memorial to Shen Shixing and said, "Rumo, take a look first. According to Yuan Yu, the Japanese have already sought peace with the Eastern Expeditionary Army, and the two sides have made initial contact at the foot of Daejeon Castle."

"what?"

How long has it been since the Ming army attacked?

One winter.

The two sides engaged in large-scale battles, and it seems that apart from the initial battle, the only other engagement was a battle of attack and defense at Daejeon Castle.

Who could have predicted that the Japanese pirates would be so easily defeated, and so hastily sued for peace?

It was Wang Jiaping who spoke up. He thought that the war against Japan would take at least half a year, or even more than half a year, if not a long one, and would only end after a large number of young and strong Japanese soldiers had been exhausted.

In response, in addition to urgently dispatching a large amount of gunpowder to Japan as reinforcements, the Ming court also had a large number of elite firearms manufactured by the Ministry of Works.

It can be said that in the past six months, most of the Ministry of Industry's total production capacity has been invested in this.

Now, the Japanese have sued for peace.

It should be noted that the border troops had previously been redeployed once, and the Ministry of War had also gathered six or seven thousand men from the Northern Army and five or six thousand men from the Southern Army, bringing the total to more than ten thousand men stationed in Tianjin and Songjiang Prefecture, ready to be transferred eastward to support the battlefield if the fighting in Japan intensified.

"Could this be a signal deliberately released by the Japanese to lull our troops into a false sense of security?"

Although they hadn't seen the battle report, Wang Jiaping's reaction was remarkably similar to Wei Guangde's.

"The Japanese pirates were brutal, so how could they choose to submit so easily? It's hard to believe."

Wang Jiaping continued, seemingly explaining the reason for his doubts.

At this moment, Shen Shixing had quickly finished reading the memorial, closed it, and handed it to Wang Jiaping.

Shen Shixing had overheard their conversation. Although he had his doubts, he chose to believe his classmate.

So he spoke up, saying, "Your Excellency, we should still trust Yuan Yu and Yuan Jing."

Being on the front lines, they have a deeper understanding of the battle situation.

Since Yuan Yu reported this matter, I think it's possible that the Japanese realized they were no match for the Japanese, and therefore chose to negotiate.

Don't forget, the Japanese are constantly embroiled in internal strife.

In the past, their lords and daimyo had fought each other for decades.

I imagine their relationship is bound to be strained.

The land captured by the government troops was merely the territory of a few powerful families.

Other daimyo might not be willing to truly provide them with assistance or help them reclaim their lost lands.

Wei Guangde nodded slightly. Although he hadn't expected this to happen, Shen Shixing's reasoning was indeed very sound, and he couldn't find anything wrong with it.

"Even if peace talks are held, I believe Qi Yuanjing will definitely not let his guard down and give the Japanese an opportunity to take advantage of him."

Shen Shixing continued.

Before Wei Guangde could speak, footsteps came from outside, and a moment later Lu Bu appeared at the door of the duty room.

"What's the matter?"

Wei Guangde asked the person outside.

"My lord, the Ministry of Rites has sent a document from Hangzhou. Commander Yu... he's gone."

Lu Bu stood outside the duty room, bowing as he reported inside.

Upon hearing Lu Bu's report, Wei Guangde's face stiffened.

"Bring it in first."

Shen Shixing then realized what was happening and beckoned to Lu Bu.

Lu Bu then stepped into the duty room and handed the document sent by the Ministry of Rites to Shen Shixing.

After quickly glancing through the official document, Shen Shixing sighed, then handed it to Wei Guangde, saying, "Shan Dai, you should take a look."

This is an official document from Hangzhou Prefecture to the Ministry of Rites. When an official dies while in office or after retirement, the local government must investigate and report to the Ministry of Rites.

The Ministry of Rites then submitted another memorial to see if there was any imperial relief available.

"General Yu fought for the country for decades. Now that he has passed away, the court should bestow generous gifts upon him."

Shen Shixing continued.

Wang Jiaping also stopped reading the Japanese memorials, looked up at Wei Guangde, and nodded slightly as Shen Shixing finished speaking. In fact, as long as someone died while in office, the court would provide generous compensation, and offering sacrifices at altars was a matter of course.

In addition, retired officials will also express their gratitude.

It all depends on the emperor's intentions; there are differences in how much favor is shown and how little is given.

Wei Guangde was only shocked for a moment, and he had already come to his senses.

After all, for a long time, Wei Guangde had placed his hopes for stability in Jiangnan on Yu Dayou.

Now that the pillar of strength he relied on in Jiangnan has collapsed, it will have some impact, but the most crucial thing is to find a successor for the commander-in-chief of the South China Sea Fleet and stabilize the situation in Jiangnan.

He quickly flipped through the reports sent by the Hangzhou government, but did not see Yu Dayou's memorial at the end. He knew that this was just an official document that had been sent first, and the formal document should arrive tonight or tomorrow.

Yu Dayou's last memorial would certainly recommend a successor, which is what Wei Guangde cares about.

"Then, I sent both memorials into the palace."

Shen Shixing was right about the first memorial; regardless of the Japanese, the Ming Dynasty should continue its own preparations.

We will continue to deploy troops and prepare weapons and supplies as needed.

Whether it was a genuine surrender or a feigned one, that was a matter for Wang Xijue and Qi Jiguang.

If something goes wrong, those two will be implicated, and there's no need for me to get involved.

Wang Xijue's report was merely a formality to the capital, an announcement that they had begun contacting the Japanese to avoid being impeached later for allegedly colluding with them.

If the imperial court is unwilling to discuss this, it will naturally issue a document to prevent it.

Conversely, they could continue negotiating with the Japanese before receiving an imperial decree.

As for the document concerning Yu Dayou, it was not mentioned again.

The saying "when people leave, the tea cools" is probably quite apt.

All Wei Guangde could do was to say a few good words for the Wanli Emperor when he presented the documents, hoping that the Yu family could receive some more favors.

Unbeknownst to Wei Guangde, the mansion had already received the Yu family's personal guards and settled them in.

In winter, sending mail from the south to the north is a tough job.

The canal is impassable, and even riding a horse in the freezing cold is slow, which would delay the delivery of goods.

Even with urgent official documents delivered by courier, they still couldn't travel more than 200 li per day.

The snow this year is unusually heavy, which seems to be a sign of a bumper harvest.

When Wei Guangde came out of the Qianqing Palace, he looked much more relaxed.

Considering Yu Dayou's contributions to the court in its many campaigns, Emperor Wanli immediately issued an edict to the Ministry of Rites, instructing them to show him great compassion and consideration.

Not only was an altar bestowed, but the Left Army Grand Commander was also granted the title, allowing him to be buried with the highest military rank. Furthermore, his family's hereditary military rank was elevated to the level of Guard Commander.

In his early years, Yu Dayou inherited only the title of Marquis of a Hundred Households, but later, due to Hu Zongxian's framing, the hereditary title was temporarily revoked.

Later, due to his merits, his hereditary title was restored. During the Burma campaign, he was again granted the hereditary title of commander of a thousand households. Now, his family's hereditary military rank has been further promoted to the rank of guard commander, which can be considered the highest rank of hereditary military rank.

Within a day, two pieces of news spread from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, naturally tempting some people.

Regardless, the position of Commander-in-Chief of the South China Sea Fleet is still very attractive.

In particular, the South China Sea Fleet, which oversaw three overseas territories of the Ming Dynasty—Dongfan Island, Luzon, and Palembang—was no longer a figurehead commander-in-chief but a powerful figure who could influence trade in the South China Sea and wield considerable authority.

Yu Dayou is gone, but his successor is highly sought after.

Naturally, many people, including nobles who had accomplished nothing, also wanted to try their best to compete for it.

As for the Japanese seeking peace, most officials didn't think too much about it, assuming that the Japanese had already given in after the government army's great victory.

Naturally, those who wanted to go there also started to get restless.

Picking the peaches is impossible.

Wang Xijue and Qi Jiguang were both not to be trifled with.

Behind Amen stand the Prime Minister and the Second Prime Minister.

However, it seems reasonable to go there as a reward for the troops, or under some other pretext, and share some of the credit.

This is actually an unspoken rule that has formed over a long period of time.

Some people with connections often need to go through a process when they reach the threshold for promotion.

The practice of gilding is definitely not a modern invention.

Even people in ancient times were very good at handling things.

However, these were all officials; ordinary people, or officials who had no right to think about these things, all focused their attention on the examination hall.

Today, more than 7,000 candidates entered the examination hall to begin the imperial examination of the eleventh year of the Wanli reign, and this was their focus.

In the public sphere, the betting odds for this year's candidates are in full swing, with everyone gambling on who will come out on top.

This is crucial for the upcoming betting on the top three champions.

Wei Guangde certainly knew all this, but it was a pity that he didn't remember who the top scholar of this year's imperial examination was, otherwise he would have spent several thousand taels of silver to try his luck.

As for his fellow townsmen who had passed the imperial examinations, Wei Guangde did pay attention to one of them, but after meeting him twice, he shook his head.

This man is named Liu Yingqiu, a native of Jishui County, Ji'an Prefecture. He is talented, but somewhat stubborn and fond of making comments.

At a gathering at the Jiangxi Guild Hall before the Lunar New Year, he launched a scathing attack on the government, without noticing that no important officials of the court were present.

It should be noted that he criticized the court for being too lenient towards the northern Mongols over the years, especially the Ministry of Works for providing manpower and resources to help the Mongols, which he found very annoying.

What can Wei Guangde say about this?

Indeed, the Ming court allocated a large amount of building materials and craftsmen to enable the Mongols to build the temple, paying a considerable price.

But can the purpose be openly stated?
Of course not, so Wei Guangde, Jiang Zhi, and the others could only remain silent with gloomy faces.

Nima, like Jin Da, who was born in the same year as Wei Guangde and was from the same hometown, had a bad temper and cursed Yan Song in front of him.

Wei Guangde certainly wouldn't dare to give such a person a chance.

When Wei Guangde returned to his residence after his shift, Zhang Ji presented him with Yu Dayou's letter.

"When did you arrive?"

Wei Guangde did not open it immediately, but asked calmly.

"The messenger arrived shortly after the city gates opened in the morning."

Zhang Ji replied.

"Hmm, the person has moved in?"

Wei Guangde continued to ask.

"They've arranged for us to stay in the west courtyard. We'll wait for the master to return and see if he replies."

Zhang Ji immediately replied.

"Treat us well, and we will definitely reply later."

After thinking for a moment, Wei Guangde gave the order.

When he returned to the backyard, he tore open the envelope and took out the letter.

After reading the letter, Wei Guangde remained silent.

It is only right and proper to take care of the Yu family; it is nothing special.

However, in addition to sending a reply to the widowed mother and her orphan in the Yu family, it was also necessary to inform the government officials in Fujian and Quanzhou.

A local official is more powerful than a distant one, and even though he's far away in the capital, he can't always take care of things.

"Do you have a chamber of commerce in Quanzhou Prefecture?"

Wei Guangde suddenly asked.

"There are a few in Yuegang. Is the master asking about this because of Lord Yu?"

Xu Jianglan asked.

"Yes, now the Yu family consists of only an orphan and a widow, and he entrusted me to take care of them, so I must make proper arrangements."

Wei Guangde said calmly.

The government needs to make arrangements, and the chamber of commerce also needs to ask for help. (End of Chapter)