prosperous age

"Your Majesty, please do not overwork yourself for the sake of the country and take good care of your health."

"We, your humble servants, shall take our leave now."

Inside the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, Wei Guangde and Zhang Ke bid farewell to the emperor.

"Master Wei, I am in very good health."

It is you who, with the affairs of the nation weighing heavily on your shoulders, should be more mindful of your status.

Thus, Ruoyu, Xuan Taiyi Hospital, shall set aside a day each month to provide regular medical treatment and health care for officials of the third rank and above in the court.

"Use the best medicinal herbs available in the palace."

At this moment, Emperor Wanli was in a good mood. The biggest war since he took power had ended, and the eastern expedition against Japan had been a great success in just six months.

Once the news gets out, his prestige as a young emperor will surely soar.

Don't think that prestige might be useless to an emperor. On the contrary, the public's opinion of an emperor is often accumulated through his major victories during his reign.

Do you think it's possible for a so-called holy ruler to suffer defeats during his reign?

Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong are examples of this. How could they have made a name for themselves in history if they hadn't written their defeats as victories?

However, their victories were all questionable, and after each major victory, their so-called Qing Dynasty would relinquish a disputed territory.

This time, the Ming Dynasty achieved a real victory, seizing the Sado Gold Mine and Iwami Silver Mine from the Japanese and acquiring what Japan called "China."

Once the news is officially released, the emperor's prestige will surely increase greatly.

To this day, the emperor still remembers the scene of the people of the capital kneeling and bowing to him under the imperial city walls during the Lantern Festival, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

This is what the young emperor was pursuing.

Zhang Jing was indeed adept at flattering the emperor, making him extremely pleased with his flattery. No wonder he was able to escape unscathed from the corruption case at the Aoshan Lantern Festival, with the emperor not even holding him accountable.

The two walked out of the main hall. As they walked, Wei Guangde instructed, "The matter with Japan may seem to be completed, but we cannot relax our vigilance against Japan."

When I return to the cabinet in a little while, I will summon Liu Shouyou and have him continue to strengthen intelligence gathering against Japan.

Intelligence work was crucial to this easy victory, from pre-war intelligence gathering to the destruction of Japan's gunpowder depots during the war.

In addition, you should urge Jiang Zhi to expedite the construction of the gunpowder town and get the Ministry of Works to complete it as soon as possible.

I was always worried about having so much gunpowder piled up in the city.

If some villains cause trouble and blow it up, neither of us can bear the consequences.

Zhang Ke nodded repeatedly upon hearing Wei Guangde's words.

The main reason why Japan was so eager to make peace with the Ming Dynasty was that they were no longer able to fight in the short term.

In the late Warring States period, the major daimyo of Japan were already using firearms extensively in battle, and their reliance on firearms even exceeded that of the Ming Dynasty.

However, Japan's samurai tradition means that their troops, especially junior officers, are filled by professional samurai, so they still retain a certain level of close combat ability.

As for soldiers, there is a saying: a bad soldier is just one bad soldier, but a bad general makes a bad army.

Officers' willingness to fight and fight to the death can greatly boost the morale and combat effectiveness of the army.

This is why armies that are willing to fight often have a high casualty rate among their junior officers.

A large amount of gunpowder was destroyed, and the remaining gunpowder in the army was exhausted during the attack on Daejeon Castle. The last gunpowder reserves that the daimyo brought out were, in their own opinion, insufficient for defense, let alone fighting the Ming army again.

If the war continues, they will have no choice but to fight the Ming Dynasty's metal storm head-on.

It's really impossible to continue fighting.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard once again played a crucial role in the negotiations with Japan by gathering intelligence on the true state of the Japanese army.

Japan is incapable of continuing the war.

As for whether the Japanese would collect gunpowder after a few years and launch another offensive against the Ming army, Wei Guangde was not worried.

As the East China Sea Fleet approaches Japan, as long as it strictly monitors merchant ships that smuggle goods to Japan and controls the trade in saltpeter, Japan will still be unable to produce gunpowder, no matter how much sulfur and charcoal it has.

Previously, the Ming Dynasty was unable to inspect merchant ships near Japanese waters. When Japan had previously contacted the Ming Dynasty, Wei Guangde had added a condition to the negotiations with Japan: Japan would cede territory to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty would assume responsibility for Japan's coastal defense.

As a result, the Ming Dynasty already had the right to inspect merchant ships traveling to and from Japan.

As long as the inflow of saltpeter is strictly controlled, it will be almost impossible for the Japanese to collect enough saltpeter to make gunpowder.

Wei Guangde couldn't believe that the navy could really sever the trade of saltpeter with Japan completely; that was impossible.

The mere thought that the price of saltpeter in Japan would skyrocket at that time, and merchants, eager to profit, would certainly try every means to smuggle contraband into Japan.

All he can do is control the total amount.

Actually, the Ming Dynasty didn't have much saltpeter, but there were saltpeter mines in Southeast Asia.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde couldn't help but recall the Southeast Asian strategy that Zhang Ke had just mentioned.

When Wei Guangde and his group came out of Qianqing Palace, they didn't go straight out; they passed through the three main halls.

Normally, the three main halls are not open to the public.

Because the Qianqing Palace is located directly behind the three main halls.

They exited from the Jingyun Gate on the left and walked towards the outside of the palace, passing the Wenhua Hall. Only Wei Guangde would continue back to the Grand Secretariat, while Zhang Ke would exit from the Huiji Gate and go directly out of the palace through the Meridian Gate.

At that moment, they passed by the Wenhua Hall, and the two were about to part ways.

"Jinqing, I have something else to say. Come with me to the cabinet first."

Wei Guangde suddenly called out to Zhang Ke and said.

"Is there anything else?"

Zhang Ke was taken aback, not expecting Wei Guangde to suddenly call him for something.

"This is no small matter. I remember reading reports from the navy and the Embroidered Uniform Guard earlier, which mentioned that Annamite merchants were smuggling saltpeter from the southwest, and that there were saltpeter mines on the islands of Southeast Asia."

The two talked as they walked and soon returned to the cabinet.

Shen Shixing was somewhat puzzled when he received news that Wei Guangde had returned to the cabinet with Zhang Ke, the Minister of War.

However, since the Grand Secretary did not summon him, he could not go directly there. He simply had someone keep an eye on him and gather information.

Similarly, the other cabinet ministers also made similar small moves, sending clerks to keep an eye on Wei Guangde's office.

"You mean you want the South China Sea Navy to use force to coerce the Southeast Asian countries into handing over all their nitrate mines?"

Inside the duty room, Zhang Ke stared at Wei Guangde in shock.

Previously, when he mentioned the Southeast Asian strategy, Wei Guangde was very worried and unwilling to let the Ming Dynasty get too involved in the Southeast Asian countries, especially Annam.

But not long after, Wei Guangde actually wanted the navy to make such a significant move in the South Seas. "As far as I know, the nitrate mines in the South Seas are scattered and very difficult to control."

Moreover, there are also saltpeter deposits in the caves of the southwest and southeast regions, but they are also scarce, making it difficult for the imperial court to control their production.

This is why saltpeter is so expensive. Are you worried that domestic saltpeter will be smuggled to Japan by unscrupulous merchants?

Zhang Ke asked urgently.

"Japan's saltpeter certainly comes from our Great Ming Dynasty, but even more comes from Southeast Asia."

As far as I can remember, the Embroidered Uniform Guard reported long ago that the Annamese would trade saltpeter with the Portuguese in their trade with Annam.

The saltpeter they sold actually came from the southwest region.

Wei Guangde began, “There is indeed a lot of saltpeter in Southeast Asia, but although it is widely distributed, the output is scarce. Moreover, it is said that the foreigners transport most of the saltpeter they acquire back to Europe and only sell a small amount to Japan at a high price.”

This at least illustrates one point: apart from our Great Ming Dynasty and Southeast Asia, no other places in the world have yet discovered large quantities of saltpeter.

If the imperial court could control saltpeter, it could indirectly control the production of gunpowder in various countries.

At this point, Wei Guangde stared at Zhang Ke and said mockingly, "Minister of War, aren't you tempted?"

Zhang Ke immediately said seriously, "Shan Dai, if that's really the case, even if we fall out with the vassal states of Southeast Asia, it's worth it as long as we can control the vast majority of saltpeter production."

No one valued gunpowder more than the Ministry of War; gunpowder was the biggest expense for the Ming army in battle.

Even Ma Fang, who originally rose to prominence through cavalry warfare, had cavalrymen under his command, except for a few knights who were proficient in archery, the rest were all equipped with three-barreled guns and arquebuses.

Use a musket to repel enemies at long range, a three-barreled gun when charging, and only then for close combat.

This was already the standard tactic of the Ming Dynasty's elite cavalry, and it was also summarized by Ma Fang.

Although only a small number of elite cavalrymen in Qi Jiguang's cavalry battalion used this tactic, it was not because Qi Jiguang thought it was bad, but because the Qi family army's cavalry battalion, strictly speaking, was mounted infantry with relatively poor horsemanship.

Furthermore, the training methods of Qi Jiguang's cavalry were very likely the same as those of the Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry.

The Manchus' claim of unparalleled horsemanship and archery skills was actually a boast. Their horsemanship and archery skills could not possibly surpass those of the Mongols. The elite Manchu troops' tactics were essentially cavalry infantry.

Using horses for mobility, the heavily armored infantry charged into the battlefield, and the Mongols' light arrows could not penetrate their armor, making them easily defeated by the Manchu Eight Banners.

Apart from the Mongols and the northern barbarians, the world's major ethnic groups are actually transitioning from cold weapons to firearms.

This led to a huge demand for gunpowder raw materials.

What many people don't know is that before the discovery of nitrate mines in the Americas, especially in Chile, Europe's main source of nitrate imports was Asia.

It was initially obtained from China, then from caves in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, and later from nitrate mines in India.

Saltpeter was called "foreign saltpeter" in the late Qing Dynasty, giving the impression that China did not produce saltpeter.

In reality, China, as the inventor of gunpowder, even though saltpeter was scarce, it was by no means rare.

Before the 17th century, China was a major supplier of saltpeter in international trade.

China's methods of exporting saltpeter can be broadly divided into two categories: one is that foreign countries obtained the qualification to purchase saltpeter through gifts or permission from Chinese dynasties.

Due to a shortage of saltpeter, during the Ming Dynasty, Korea repeatedly sent envoys to China to request saltpeter and other gunpowder weapons for use by its army.

Emperor Taizu of Ming bestowed 500,000 catties of saltpeter and 100,000 catties of sulfur upon Goryeo.

During the Wanli era, when the Korean War broke out, Emperor Shenzong of Ming bestowed military supplies such as bow horn and saltpeter to aid Korea in its fight against the Japanese pirates. Korea was granted the right to purchase 3,000 catties of saltpeter annually, and could request additional purchases in special circumstances.

However, due to the limited domestic production of saltpeter in the Ming Dynasty, the official trade in saltpeter between China and foreign countries was always under strict control.

Emperor Xizong of Ming once said: "Glazing and flaming iron are China's superior technologies, and ancestral regulations strictly prohibit their export to foreign countries."

It is evident that the Ming court at that time also recognized the value of saltpeter, an important raw material for making gunpowder.

Secondly, smuggling of saltpeter through informal channels often goes unnoticed in historical records.

A small percentage of Chinese saltpeter was officially exported; the majority was smuggled abroad.

Huang Zhongyun's "Collected Works of Mr. Dongming" records the prohibited trade in Korea, and the amount of saltpeter smuggled was more than twice the amount that Korea was allowed to purchase from China.

Japan was also highly dependent on Chinese saltpeter. During the Jiajing era, Japanese pirates were closely linked to the secret trade of saltpeter between China and Japan. For example, Wang Zhi, a ship owner from Wufeng, built ships along the coast and "carried prohibited goods such as saltpeter, yellow silk, and cotton to trade with Japan, Siam, and other Western countries."

Saltpeter was one of the main commodities exported from China to Japan. Smugglers obtained permits under the guise of transporting goods, fishing, trading, and purchasing grain in other regions, but in reality, they were smuggling lead, saltpeter, and other materials to Japan.

During the Korean War, Kato Kiyomasa obtained military supplies such as saltpeter mainly through three channels: smuggling by Chinese maritime merchants from the Chinese coast, exporting from Macau by the Portuguese, and purchasing from Korea, Vietnam, and Luzon.

At that time, Europeans were also important buyers of Chinese saltpeter. In order to encourage the smuggling of Chinese arms to Luzon, the Spanish colonial government stipulated that military supplies such as pig iron, saltpeter, and copper cannons imported from China to Manila were exempt from import duties.

At that time in Europe, the enormous amount of saltpeter consumed could only be extracted from manure at high cost in small quantities, or transported back from the distant East.

Therefore, for a long time, saltpeter was a luxury item in Europe.

European countries typically produce their own saltpeter, which usually accounts for less than 20% of their demand.

Although Wei Guangde was unaware of these things, he saw an opportunity in the fact that Japan was unable to produce gunpowder in large quantities due to the shortage of saltpeter. He saw a way to effectively restrain other countries, which was to strictly control the saltpeter.

Annam and North Korea both smuggled Chinese saltpeter for profit. What does this tell us?
This stuff is really in high demand.

"The Ministry of War must inform all relevant authorities to strictly inspect the circulation of saltpeter and verify the documents."

Furthermore, I also plan to convene relevant government departments to strictly control saltpeter mines other than those under government control and to impose heavy taxes on saltpeter exports.

Wei Guangde said, "Since they need it so urgently, they should be able to accept a higher price."

This price represents the imperial court's customs revenue.

Wei Guangde had no intention of blocking the export of saltpeter. From a global perspective, there should be no shortage of this substance, otherwise there would be no "foreign saltpeter" entering China.

Since there is no shortage, but it has just not been discovered, then the Ming Dynasty can take this opportunity to make a fortune.

"Issue a document to the navy, instructing them to gather information on the saltpeter mines in the South Seas. I will have Liu Shouyou come over in a bit. The Embroidered Uniform Guard should do the same thing."

Next, we need to take over these saltpeter mines, or at least control their production. All saltpeter can only be sold to the navy, and we will then decide where to sell it.

Seeing Zhang Ke about to speak, Wei Guangde waved his hand and continued, "In addition, I will inform all maritime merchants that they must report their future trade in saltpeter. This matter will be handled by the Ministry of War."

Wei Guangde realized that saltpeter was mainly used in traditional Chinese medicine and the fireworks industry, and had few other uses.

At present, the greatest use of saltpeter is still in the military, so it is best to put it under the management of the Ministry of War.

Moreover, the Ministry of War, which was in charge of the Ming Dynasty's border defenses, was indeed the most important government agency in managing saltpeter.

"The circulation documents were definitely issued by the Ministry of Revenue and approved by the Ministry of War."

Wei Guangde continued.

The Ministry of Revenue would issue permits, which were naturally subject to taxation. Just as salt permits were subject to salt tax, permits for saltpeter would also be taxed, and heavily. (End of Chapter)