prosperous age

Wei Guangde had no idea that he was about to inadvertently create a Burmese warlord.

Yes, the Liaodong military group began to take shape with Li Chengliang, because he had many sons, all of whom joined the army.

With him as the Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong, his official rank would naturally not be low.

In various places, they were all generals leading troops.

Naturally, the Li family formed a military group.

In their presence, an imperial edict might not be as effective as a father's word.

Since the pacification of Burma, Wei Guangde had been worried that Li Chengliang would keep sending letters urging the court to send someone to Burma to take over the affairs.

However, there was no news from Myanmar for the past three years, so Wei Guangde was not in a hurry to select a general to replace him.

If Wei Guangde had known that the Li family had become local tyrants in Myanmar and had begun to divide up the benefits of Myanmar, he might have made some arrangements immediately.

But he didn't know that.

Moreover, to be honest, Wei Guangde was not familiar with Myanmar at all. Apart from knowing that it produced jade and some gemstones, he knew nothing about Myanmar's rich resources.

After all, during the time he lived, Myanmar was already considered a poor country in Asia.

Who could have imagined that a country with such abundant resources would fall into such a state?

There isn't much fertile land in the country, but with three harvests a year, there's a considerable surplus of grain each year.

There are also forest resources, and the soil is rich in gold, silver, copper, and iron ores, as well as various gemstones.

The reason why Myanmar became poor in later generations is probably because its abundant resources were monopolized by oligarchs who seized the vast majority of the profits, which led to the country's current state.

It's worth mentioning that Myanmar's forest resources are a huge complement to Dongfan Island, which he values ​​highly.

Teak from Myanmar was used as the keel material for many British warships in the 19th century.

The demand for this technology decreased significantly only after warships became steel monsters.

However, it will be several hundred years before steel warships can be built. At present, the steel production capacity of countries around the world is simply not enough to build usable iron ships.

The next morning, Wei Guangde entered the cabinet, his expression as usual.

However, only he himself knew that his heart was not as calm as it appeared.

The provincial examination has been underway for some time now, and the discussions among the common people have finally shifted from this year's examination to various news items that had been overlooked in the previous period.

Among them, Hao Jing's report was the most discussed topic among the street readers.

Opinions on the situation regarding the luxury mirror varied among both scholars and businessmen.

Now, everyone knows that in the southernmost part of the Ming Dynasty, the government actually rented out a large area of ​​land to foreigners to live in.

Well, when the news came out a few years ago, everyone made a fuss about it for a while.

Now, I've accepted it.

However, many people don't understand the court's actions against Haojing this time.

In particular, Haojing, which had already been fortified, was not upgraded to a county, and the imperial court sent officials to govern it.

Instead, following the management model of the barbarians, a council was set up, with elected representatives managing the affairs together.

This is absolutely unprecedented in history.

It is said that the imperial court decided to adopt the management model that the local people were familiar with, taking into account that there were already thousands of Yi people living there.

But in the eyes of the common people, since they live on the land of the Ming Dynasty, they should naturally be governed according to the court's practices, and certainly not according to their own customs.

"Has Grand Secretary Wei lost his mind?"

This has been the most discussed topic among scholars and officials in Beijing over the past two days.

For the merchants in the city, however, their feelings were quite the opposite.

Astute businessmen have seen in the Mirror Council system their opportunity to rise to higher levels and even influence local governance.

What's in the luxury mirror?
It was just a place where Portuguese maritime merchants gathered, and the residents were just like them.

However, they were able to steal local management rights for a long time afterward.

If the Portuguese can do it, why can't they?

If these Ming Dynasty merchants had to obey the government's administration while in the Ming Dynasty, what would happen if they left the Ming Dynasty?
In vassal states outside the territory of the Ming Dynasty, could they also negotiate with each other to rent a piece of land?
Unbeknownst to many, colonial ideas had already begun to quietly take root in the minds of some Ming Dynasty merchants.

Although, at this point they valued not only the profits, but also the management rights of the leased land.

They were merchants, but they had no ability to challenge the thousands of scholars in the Ming Dynasty who could enter officialdom through the imperial examinations and become superior people.

However, this does not mean they do not want to be officials.

Throughout the history of the Ming Dynasty, there was no shortage of people who used opportunism to transform themselves into officials.

Although these people are despised by the officialdom, they are still officials after all.

Why would a wealthy merchant be willing to donate money to acquire the title of "Yuanwai" (a title not easily attained by ordinary gentry)?

Without donating money to the imperial court, one could at most be addressed as "Master" in the local area. However, "Yuanwai" was an abbreviation of "Yuanwailang" in the imperial court, a position with no real power that could be obtained by donating money.

The practice of donating money began during the reign of Emperor Yingzong.

At that time, Emperor Yingzong of Ming was defeated and captured during his northern expedition against the Oirat Mongols, plunging the court into a severe financial crisis.

In order to raise military funds, the imperial court officially announced the implementation of a donation policy in the first year of the Jingtai reign, allowing people to exchange "official titles" or the qualification to enter the Imperial Academy by paying for grain, horses or silver.

It was a precedent established a hundred years ago, so Wei Guangde naturally wouldn't refuse it, especially since they were all honorary titles that wouldn't affect the court.

At most, Wei Guangde's plan was to raise the price and increase the amount of donations.

However, he has been quite annoyed by the criticisms he has received these past two days regarding his "foolish" behavior.

As soon as I entered the duty room and sat down, I heard voices outside.

Wei Guangde looked towards the door, and a moment later saw Lu Bu leading Wang An, a eunuch from the Qianqing Palace, into the room.

"Eunuch Wang."

Wei Guangde stood up and greeted him with a smile.

"Greetings to Grand Secretary Wei."

Wang An hurriedly bowed to Wei Guangde before taking out a memorial.

"This morning, His Majesty gave me this memorial to deliver to Grand Secretary Wei, requesting him to draft an imperial edict for issuance."

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Wang."

Wei Guangde smiled as he took the document, opened it, and saw that it was the memorial he had submitted earlier regarding the Haojing.

The emperor had already approved and stamped the memorial with his red seal.

It's worth mentioning that the memorial was submitted several days ago before Emperor Wanli finally approved it.

As the locals have said, although it's just a small place, it has set a precedent after all.

Instead of sending officials to govern the area, the imperial court allowed the locals to govern themselves.

The cabinet's concerns are valid: Haojing has never been a prefecture or county; calling it a village would be an understatement.

When the Portuguese arrived, Haojing was just a barren wasteland, completely uninhabited.

In ancient times, it was a tacit rule that imperial power did not extend to the countryside, and rural areas were managed by clans and gentry.

Wei Guangde's explanation to the outside world was that although Haojing had developed, it was still a fishing village and could not even be considered a town. Strictly speaking, the people living there were all outsiders who were just temporarily staying there to make a living.

Naturally, this also applies to the established rules and conventions between the imperial court and the common people, which are managed locally.

However, this time Emperor Wanli's approval was not just a few words on an ordinary memorial, but rather a considerable amount of writing.

He wasn't interested in the port or anything like that in Haojing, but he was very interested in the fact that there was a cannon foundry in Haojing.

It should be noted that although the cannon foundry in Haojing was not as large as those in the two capitals, its cannon-casting technology was very advanced.

The cannon-casting bureaus of the two capitals actually stole other people's cannon-casting technology. They sent craftsmen to learn it in the early years and then used it in their own cannon-casting technology.

Such workshops should not be allowed to continue to exist among the people so easily.

Emperor Wanli wanted to relocate the cannon foundry directly to Nanjing, or at the very least to the vicinity of Guangzhou, for easier government management.

Wei Guangde frowned slightly when he saw this part of the red-inked approval.

He overlooked the existence of the Bugalau Cannon Foundry, where cannons were cast to meet the needs of the Guangdong government, and maritime merchants also ordered a large number of cannons from there.

Emperor Wanli's attention to the cannon factory was clearly the result of careful consideration.

Whether or not to relocate is a question.

After thinking for a moment, Wei Guangde stopped worrying about it.

Let's follow the imperial edict drafted by Emperor Wanli. As for whether Bu Jialao should move away from Haojing, moving the cannon foundry to Guangzhou Prefecture would not affect their business.

The cannon foundry could be moved closer to Guangzhou Port, so that loading and unloading of cannons on ships would not be affected.

At most, Portuguese merchants would have to go from Haojing to Guangzhou port to load cannons, unlike now where it can be done in one stop at Haojing.

Once the decree is issued, if Bu Jialao has any objections, he can raise them again.

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Wang. Please have the Cabinet draft the decree and send it to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs immediately."

Wei Guangde had a plan, so he smiled and said to Wang An.

Wang An showed no intention of leaving, but instead turned his head to look at Lu Bu, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Lubu, why hasn't the tea been served yet? You dare to slack off in front of me."

Wei Guangde understood and immediately spoke to Lu Bu.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'll go right away."

Lu Bu bowed and answered with feigned fear and trepidation, then turned and quickly left the duty room.

"Eunuch Wang, is there anything you wish to say to Shan Dai privately?"

Wei Guangde then looked at Wang An and asked in a low voice.

"This time, Eunuch Liu asked me to bring a message to Grand Secretary Wei."

Wang An took two steps forward, getting closer to Wei Guangde, before lowering his voice and saying, "The Eastern Depot is investigating the Grand Secretary's lending activities. Grand Secretary Wei should be careful in dealing with this."

Upon hearing this news from Wang An, Wei Guangde was initially taken aback.

He hasn't done anything illegal or disorderly lately, so why would the Eastern Depot dare to investigate him?

He was the Grand Secretary, and the Eastern Depot was an agency that supervised the inner court and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. In reality, it did not have the power to investigate court officials.

When later generations saw the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard arresting court officials, they were actually using the name of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to carry out their actions; the Eastern Depot had no such authority.

This is why the Eastern Depot didn't have its own interrogation office or even a prison; it relied entirely on the channels of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In an instant, Wei Guangde thought of the one on the dragon throne.

Without his approval, even if Zhang Jing had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to act on his own.

It's likely that Liu Ruoyu overheard the conversation between Emperor Wanli and Zhang Jing.

He felt this was a sensitive time and it was inconvenient to contact Wei Guangde alone.

He had taken good care of Wang An, who was also very honest and kind, so he asked him to pass on the message.

These messages actually helped to bring him closer to Wang An.

Helping each other, even on highly sensitive matters, is essentially a pledge of loyalty—getting on each other's side.

Wang An has frequently relayed similar sensitive information in the past.

It can be said that Wang An was one of the more reliable people in the Qianqing Palace.

Wei Guangde quickly understood the reason. It was nothing more than what he had told Emperor Wanli earlier. The emperor had learned about the exorbitant profits of lending, so he wanted to investigate him to see if he was as open and honest as he appeared.

A person can pretend when speaking and acting in public, but only by seeing whether those below them truly follow their words can one see the true nature of that person.

"No need, I roughly know why, haha."

Wei Guangde simply chuckled and said, "If His Majesty has concerns and wants to see the truth, then let him see."

I, Wei Guangde, have never lied in my actions. Having the Eastern Depot's backing is actually a great benefit to me.

Seeing Wei Guangde's nonchalant attitude, Wang An was only slightly taken aback, and naturally didn't say anything more.

Anyway, he has already completed Liu Ruoyu's request.

"In that case, I will take my leave so as not to delay Minister Wei from carrying out his duties."

Wang An bowed to Wei Guangde and took his leave. Wei Guangde saw him off at the door and watched his figure disappear into the courtyard before turning back into the house.

After Wang An left, Wei Guangde immediately drafted an imperial edict and had Lu Bu deliver it.

In fact, Wei Guangde still had a memorial in his sleeve today, but he wanted to hand it to the emperor in person.

Wei Guangde paid no attention to the news brought by Wang An.

He repeatedly instructed that he should check the account books frequently, whether there was anything to do or not. The debts issued by his household were settled at a monthly interest rate of three percent, and never exceeded the interest rate stipulated by the imperial court.

It just so happens that he originally intended to place his subordinates into the Daming Money Shop, so that they could work there in the future, which would also give them a future.

Now that Emperor Wanli has ordered the Eastern Depot to investigate, it would be perfectly logical for him to bring these people into the money shop to manage affairs, citing their familiarity with the procedures.

Now that the emperor has ordered the Eastern Depot to investigate, Wei Guangde has abandoned his plan to take the case file to the Qianqing Palace.

"It would be better to let Zhang Jing finish his investigation and report to the young emperor before I hand it in."

Wei Guangde muttered a few words to himself and gave up the idea of ​​going to the palace today.

After that, the cabinet did not receive any important memorials.

The Ministry of War did present a report: as the weather warms up in the north, some grassland tribes are beginning their journey back to their traditional northern pastures.

Although there are established rules regarding the pastures of each tribe, conflicts frequently erupt between the grassland tribes every year due to the struggle for pastures at the borders.

However, these conflicts are generally small in scale and are resolved through internal mediation.

Wei Guangde originally intended to take advantage of the fact that so many tribes were gathered together and had grudges against each other, so he thought he could create trouble.

The Ming court could then take the opportunity to intervene and directly use imperial edicts to help the Mongol tribes divide up their pastures.

However, Wei Guangde was disappointed. Huang Taiji had taken the initiative to set aside his pride and go to Datong to seek the help of the Ming Dynasty, saving the tribes and thus increasing his prestige. This allowed him to suppress the conflicts between the tribes regarding pastures.

The Ming Dynasty lost an opportunity to deeply intervene in the power of the grasslands, but Wei Guangde was not angry.

Wei Guangde estimated that the grasslands would continue to suffer from famine for the next few years, which would present plenty of opportunities. (End of Chapter)