prosperous age

As early as the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, saltpeter, as a key strategic material for manufacturing gunpowder, was included in the state's strict control system.

The Ming Dynasty's early legal code, the "Great Ming Code," clearly stipulated that saltpeter, sulfur, and other substances were "contraband" and that their private sale, transportation, or possession was strictly prohibited, with violators subject to severe punishment.

This policy aimed to prevent local forces or civilians from manufacturing firearms privately, thereby threatening the stability of the central government.

The mining, purchase, and distribution of saltpeter were monopolized by the government. Private individuals were not allowed to mine saltpeter or engage in saltpeter trade. All raw materials had to be purchased and stored by the government.

At the same time, the government also prohibited the private sale of saltpeter and strictly restricted its flow abroad.

This indicates that the control of saltpeter is a continuous national policy.

Saltpeter was mainly supplied to official military institutions, such as the Shenji Battalion, for the manufacture of weapons such as muskets and cannons. Even if civilians used it in small quantities, such as in the production of fireworks and firecrackers, it had to be done under official permission and supervision.

However, given the state of affairs in the Ming Dynasty, not to mention the changes over time, by this point, the government's control over saltpeter had largely become nonexistent.

Otherwise, large quantities of Chinese saltpeter would not have flowed out of the country through maritime trade and smuggling from neighboring countries.

Saltpeter resources were actually widespread in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the south.

Large-scale mines are rare; most are nitrate caves with very low yields.

These nitrate mines were naturally neglected by the government, and some government officials were involved in illegal mining for profit.

Moreover, there are many folk methods for making saltpeter from manure, which can be used as kindling in the home.

Because it was so widespread, it was difficult for the government to control.

"Saltpeter can be circulated domestically as long as there are documents, and it can be released."

However, the Ministry of War needs to carefully examine the availability of the necessary saltpeter.

The Ming Dynasty's border defense forces were arguably the last line of defense. Only by effectively cracking down on smuggling could the imperial court potentially profit from the sale of saltpeter.

From the production to the sale of saltpeter, the Ministry of Revenue levied commercial taxes, and additional customs duties were levied on exports from seaports.

The Ministry of War's approval would also bring it revenue, effectively providing the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War with two avenues for making money.

In the past, because the imperial court officially prohibited the sale of saltpeter, merchants at the lower levels conducted it privately without going through the official channels.

As a result, the tax revenue from saltpeter was completely lost.

After all, the saltpeter they smuggled in private must not have been recorded in the imperial register.

The imperial court now allows the sale of saltpeter that has been listed in the catalog, but it imposes heavy taxes. As long as merchants are not foolish, they can add the tax imposed by the court to the selling price of saltpeter on top of the original price and still make a profit without having to bear the crime of smuggling.

Of course, even after the price of saltpeter rises, merchants may still smuggle it.

After all, with increased taxes, if smuggling is successful, it's equivalent to increasing their income.

Wei Guangde spoke to Zhang Ke about this matter privately, essentially instructing the Ministry of War to safeguard the final pass.

If border generals are bribed by these smugglers, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War will lose a significant amount of revenue.

The Ministry of War knew about these things, in fact.

Don't think of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty as being completely foolish and unable to control the officers below.

Such incidents can be prevented by rotating border generals regularly and strictly monitoring them.

"I will go back and inquire about the selection of officers by the Military Selection Office, and strictly implement the rotation system for border army officers."

Zhang Ke naturally understood the reasoning behind it and immediately spoke up.

Finding a source of revenue for the Ministry of War would be a significant achievement for a minister like him.

To put it bluntly, whether a minister is influential or not depends most on whether he can bring benefits to his subordinates.

All officials want is money.

If they only relied on the meager salaries issued by the imperial court, many officials in the capital would have starved to death long ago; they all depended on subsidies from their government offices.

Officials who returned to the capital from outside the capital often faced exploitation by local officials; this is the difference in treatment.

Although being an official in the capital city meant high status, the avenues for making money were truly limited.

Unlike in other places, there are more ways to make money.

Even after the tax reform, the imperial court did not dare to take away all the tax revenue. Based on the expenditures of local accounts over the past few years, enough silver had been reserved.

This sum of money was enough for the local officials to live a life of luxury.

Their dissatisfaction with Zhang Juzheng's reforms stemmed primarily from their feeling that Zhang's reforms restricted their actions and made them feel uneasy, as if they were wearing shackles.

Their insatiable greed, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, was the real reason they opposed Zhang Juzheng, not because Zhang Juzheng cut off their source of wealth.

"So, what are your plans regarding the Ministry of Revenue's loan program?"

Zhang Ke asked.

"I'll summon Liu Shouyou and Zhang Xueyan in a moment and tell them that in addition to your two departments, the Embroidered Uniform Guard must also get involved in this matter, otherwise it will be difficult to succeed."

Wei Guangde said, "Perfect timing, let me explain the arrangements in Southeast Asia to Liu Shouyou in detail."

If things are handled well, the imperial court should be able to increase its annual revenue by one or two hundred thousand taels of silver.

Wei Guangde said this because he was unsure how much saltpeter from the Ming Dynasty actually flowed out of the country each year.

After all, these saltpeter stones were not listed in any catalogs, but perhaps the Embroidered Uniform Guard had some information about them.

However, all they needed to do was ensure that the saltpeter known to the court was not lost. Perhaps they turned a blind eye to some discoveries, while secretly seeking personal gain.

As the chief minister, all he could do in this situation was to give a warning.

In reality, if it weren't for the intention of increasing the court's revenue, as long as it wasn't taken seriously, the subordinates would dare to act recklessly.

As long as you can make money, who cares about national affairs?

Zhang Ke finally left the cabinet, and subsequently, the Grand Secretary's office sent messengers to summon Zhang Xueyan, the Minister of Revenue, and Liu Shouyou, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Wei Guangde gave them a general explanation of the arrangements for saltpeter and the South Seas.

In the office of the second assistant minister, Shen Shixing listened to the news gathered by his clerks.

However, all that is known is that Wei Guangde and Zhang Ke discussed for a long time before summoning Zhang Xueyan and Liu Shouyou respectively, but little is known about what exactly they discussed in the Grand Secretary's office.

Once you reach this position, you must be observant and attentive to all sides, constantly keeping abreast of changes in the court.

Shen Shixing was not in the mood to read the memorial at the moment. He was thinking, could it be that Wei Guangde had a new idea from the Japanese side?
Refusing to negotiate and continuing the war is unrealistic, so why summon Zhang Xueyan? Does the Ministry of Revenue really have enough money?
Shen Shixing also knew that Japan's gold and silver mines were definitely not limited to Sado and Iwami; there were many such mines around the Japanese islands.

Several other members of the cabinet naturally shared similar thoughts.

They knew less than Shen Shixing, and were even unaware of the initial report from Japan regarding the progress of the negotiations between the two sides.

As a result, two rumors began to circulate wildly in the official circles of the capital that afternoon.

One piece of news came from the Ministry of War: the government troops had won a great victory in Japan, and Commander-in-Chief Qi Jiguang had begun ceasefire negotiations with the Japanese.

The other rumor, which had been circulating for some unknown reason, was that the government troops might have suffered a defeat in Japan, and the imperial court might soon send reinforcements to Japan.

Two rumors surfaced simultaneously in teahouses and taverns, sparking heated debate.

However, later on, news came from the Ministry of War that the government was indeed considering sending more troops from Shandong and Henan to Japan, which seemed to confirm the rumors that the government troops had been defeated in Japan.

Although the government troops had previously reported victories, the sudden news of their defeat was hard to accept.

But this is probably the gossip that everyone loves the most.

Only by going beyond the norm can one attract people's desire for attention.

In fact, this was often the case among the common people during times of foreign conquest in various dynasties.

One moment rumors were spreading that the army had won a great victory and was about to return in triumph, and the next they were saying that the army had been defeated and the general had been killed in battle. Since the Ming army crossed the sea to fight against the Japanese, this was the first time that rumors of defeat had circulated, which was actually quite rare.

Usually, after a large army sets out, bad news will soon break out, making it difficult to discern the truth from the falsehood.

Such rumors often cause prices to fluctuate wildly in the market.

After Wei Guangde returned to his residence from his official post, he learned about the rumors circulating outside from Zhang Ji.

Thinking back, I realized that I had indeed discussed with Zhang Ke today the matter of transferring those garrisons to replace the troops in Liaodong and Jizhou.

He truly hadn't expected that Zhang Ke's suggestion to the Ministry of Personnel to consider this matter would instead become strong evidence for the rumors of the government army's defeat in Japan.

The most troublesome thing is that prices in the capital market have started to rise today, with increases in grain prices, meat prices, and even cloth prices.

According to rumors, the government troops were defeated, and the Japanese pirates might launch a large-scale invasion.

Jiangnan has always been a major source of grain and cloth for the capital.

With the Japanese pirates rising again, it seemed as if a shortage of goods in the capital was imminent.

Although the rumors appeared suddenly and have not yet caused panic in the market, if such rumors continue to spread, it is hard to guarantee that something will not happen.

Do you know where this information came from?

This time, Wei Guangde did not return to the backyard. Instead, he went directly to the study with Zhang Ji, still wearing his official robes.

Here, it's a bit more private, and you can talk freely.

"The rumors appeared suddenly, and it's still unclear where they came from."

However, I've heard that whenever there's war, the capital city gets all suspicious and paranoid.

Previously, when the adults were fighting the Mongols in Xuanfu, news of the enemy cavalry breaking through Changping often came from the capital.

I've heard that these rumors are mostly fabricated by government officials, while merchants are using them to spread them for profit.

Zhang Ji spoke first.

The war reports received by the imperial court were mostly border skirmishes, and often the battles were almost over before the reports reached the capital from various places.

It can only be said that information transmission is indeed slow in this era.

Of course, being slow has its advantages.

For example, during the late Jiajing period and early Longqing period, the Ming border army clashed with Altan Khan several times. Because they defeated the enemy cavalry along the Great Wall, the news reached the capital, and after a day or two of panic, good news would be reported back.

The capital city then stabilized.

However, if it were a major war, both sides would need to mobilize their troops and make preparations, which would lead to a lot of rumors circulating in the capital.

Even before the battle began, rumors of defeat were already circulating in the capital.

"Letting such rumors spread is extremely detrimental to the court."

Wei Guangde frowned, and after a moment's thought, he understood.

These rumors may have been deliberately spread by some people, but many of them are probably just judgments made by some low-ranking officials in the bureaucracy based on limited information they have.

They didn't verify it, or they never had the chance to verify it, and just said it as if it were a sensational statement.

Then it was overheard and spread widely as inside information about the imperial court.

In reality, at any time, ordinary people seem to have a great distrust of the government, disregard official announcements, and only believe what they believe.

If the information received by the Ministry of War today is released tomorrow, people outside might think that the court is deceiving its superiors and concealing the truth.

"By the way, how are sales for this issue of the newspaper?"

Wei Guangde didn't continue talking about the rumors, but instead thought about the newspaper he had created, which was precisely for guiding public opinion.

The best way to deal with rumors is not to prove anything, but to refute them with newspapers.

When the imperial court tries to clarify the situation, it often backfires. The best approach is to disseminate the information in a transparent and open manner.

As for what ordinary people are willing to believe, that's another matter, but at least it won't cause panic.

"More than a thousand copies have been sold in the capital, but there is still no news about the situation in the surrounding prefectures."

Zhang Ji immediately said.

Because there were no advanced communication methods available in later generations, Wei Guangde's Beijing Gazette ultimately chose to produce more woodblock prints in order to expand its circulation.

The dozen or so woodblocks were transported directly from north to south by postal relay. Along the way, the Wei family's bookstores would print three to five hundred copies as soon as they received the woodblocks, and then continue to deliver the woodblocks southward by postal relay.

Although it was troublesome, Zhang Ji and the bookstore managers decided that this method of delivery was the most suitable.

At the very least, the capital city doesn't need to collect too much paper.

Their bookstores have no shortage of woodblock engravers; once a newspaper issue is finalized, they can quickly engrave more than ten sets of printing blocks.

Except for one set kept in the capital, all the others were spread outwards.

A single newspaper required dozens of printing blocks, and they even made special wooden boxes to hold the blocks, much like the book chests carried by scholars.

The box was tied with hemp ropes on both sides so that the messengers could carry it on their backs and pass it around.

"Sales weren't very good."

When Wei Guangde heard that only a little over a thousand copies had been sold, he frowned slightly and said...

There are many scholars in the capital, and they printed three thousand copies, but not even half of them were sold.

"After the imperial examination, many candidates lost interest in studying and returned to their hometowns because they had failed the examination."

Those who remained in the capital were busy calling on friends and relatives and making outings.

Zhang Ji said in a low voice.

At first, I was indeed optimistic. I thought that with so many candidates gathering in the capital, even if only one-tenth of them bought a copy of the newspaper to circulate, the three thousand copies should be sold out quickly.

After all, the capital still had the Imperial Academy and a large number of officials.

"Tomorrow, have someone deliver ten free newspapers to a government office in the capital."

From now on, ten copies of each newspaper will be sent to the government office every time it comes out.

Wei Guangde suddenly said.

"Master, this..."

Zhang Ji wanted to talk about the cost, but Wei Guangde waved his hand and said directly: "Those candidates who are stuck in the capital are just trying to smooth things over and see if there are any suitable official positions for them."

When a candidate who passed the imperial examinations became an official, he would naturally become a local instructor or similar position.

Their activities are simply about choosing the right place.

Naturally, during this period, I had the most contact with my fellow townsmen who were serving as officials in Beijing.

Deliver the newspapers to the government office so those people can read them in their spare time.

"Once they start chatting and exchange a few words, there's no doubt those candidates will buy a newspaper so they can have something to say to the officials."

Wei Guangde smiled and said, "Also, I hope the next issue of the newspaper will be published ahead of schedule, and I hope it will be finalized within three days."

The key point is that the battle reports sent back by the government troops after their eastern expedition were all copied from the official gazette.

"Give me a list. I'll have someone copy down everything that hasn't been published in the official gazette yet, and then I'll publish it all."

Wei Guangde planned to use the newspapers to appropriately reveal information from the front lines, to avoid unnecessary speculation. (End of Chapter)