prosperous age

"We've finished discussing what we called everyone here for today. Next, we'll talk about the matter of Japan."

Lord Wang Xijue's achievements in governing Japan are remarkable.

Now that the army is about to return in triumph, we also need to figure out what to do with him upon his return.

In the cabinet office, Wei Guangde sat in the seat of honor and spoke eloquently.

Today's cabinet meeting, convened with cabinet ministers and heads of the six ministries, is a very solemn occasion.

The main discussion focused on the current situation within the Ming Dynasty, particularly the Ministry of Revenue's document regarding tax incentives for the construction of workshops in the northern provinces.

As was customary before, the news was leaked out to test the reactions of the officials.

Opinions on this policy are naturally mixed.

Southern officials generally opposed the idea, arguing that taxes should be levied fairly regardless of whether it's north or south.

If the North reduces or exempts commercial taxes for workshops, then the South should do the same.

The northern gentry did not react much to this, and even if they did support it, their voices were very quiet.

However, after continued opposition from southern officials, northern officials eventually realized the situation.

As a result, there has been a great deal of controversy between officials from the North and South recently, and the fact that we have gathered everyone here today is actually the final decision.

The outcome was self-evident: the policy promoted by Wei Guangde, aimed at maintaining economic balance between the north and south of the Ming Dynasty and narrowing the income gap, had to be passed.

Even if Shen Shixing and others are from the south, their positions give them more information and the knowledge to make the right choice.

In particular, Wei Guangde asserted that since the income gap between the North and the South had led to the equal collection of taxes, the people in the North were living in poverty while the people in the South were living much better. He predicted that if anything changed, the North would probably be the first to fall into chaos.

If the north falls into chaos, then the capital city can be besieged directly.

Although it may sound alarmist, everyone had a general idea of ​​the numbers given by the Imperial Guards.

Why have Shandong and Shanxi, in particular, always been the main areas of activity for the White Lotus sect?

Although the White Lotus sect's activities were not limited to the north, and were occasionally found in the south, the rural areas of the north were generally the main area where the White Lotus sect spread.

Very few people in the South spread the White Lotus sect.

It must be said that there are economic reasons behind this.

Farmers in the south have high incomes and are not very interested in the doctrines of the White Lotus sect.

The situation was different in the North. The North was poor, and poverty breeds change, which led to the flourishing of the White Lotus Religion.

Therefore, in later generations, when the economy developed rapidly and everyone had money, many problems were covered up.

But once economic development is hindered and everyone becomes poor, problems will emerge one after another.

To maintain the stability of a dynasty, all that is needed is to enrich the people, and the world will be at peace.

Even if someone tries to cause trouble, the people will be the first to object.

Because they don't want to give up their comfortable lives.

Besides the influence of climate, the high income in the south is also largely due to the developed industry and commerce in the south.

The reason why urban residents have high incomes is that many of them make a living by working.

The situation is similar in the north, but income from this area is lower, so the income is nearly half less.

To solve this problem, we need to free people from the limited land and let them work in workshops to earn money.

With fewer people working in the fields, the remaining farmers will see an increase in income given their limited earnings.

This view was not only endorsed by the cabinet ministers, but also by the six ministers after discussion, who all nodded in agreement, thus acknowledging Wei Guangde's perspective.

After the meeting, everyone would return to their offices to suppress their previous opposition to tax cuts in the northern regions.

“Wang Jinglue has made great contributions in Japan. After returning to the capital, he will probably only be able to become a cabinet minister.”

Since Shen Shixing was not in a position to speak at this time, Yu Youding stepped forward and proposed it.

“The positions of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers are all full. He is both talented and has military merits. He has been appointed as a member of the Hanlin Academy and is indeed qualified to enter the cabinet.”

The reason why Wang Xijue left the court was something that everyone was sensitive about and didn't say. It was because he offended Zhang Juzheng and opposed the decision to "seize the opportunity to mourn" and was "driven away".

Wang Xijue was able to be reinstated because of this incident.

In truth, the only appropriate way to reward merit is to directly send someone to the cabinet.

After all, the two men like him are now in the cabinet.

The one who said this was naturally Chen Jingbang, the Minister of Rites.

One is a full-fledged cabinet minister, and the other is a half-step cabinet minister; their statements carry significant weight.

Xu Guo's lips twitched, but in the end he didn't say anything.

Actually, he really wanted to send the person to Nanjing.

For Wei Guangde, bringing in one more person to the cabinet might not mean much.

He is the Grand Secretary, and can make decisions with a single word when it matters.

But not in Xu State. If someone comes, it's like taking away a portion of his power.

Wei Guangde, who held the most influence here, had already privately informed them, so Zhang Ke, Jiang Zhi, and the others remained silent, which was considered an admission of their opinion.

Zeng Shengwu frowned at this moment, somewhat surprised.

He initially thought that with Wang Xijue's return, the Six Ministries might be reorganized, and that he might have to retire in Nanjing.

At best, he could be transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing.

However, unexpectedly, instead of considering adjusting the six ministers, everyone decided to directly appoint Wang Xijue to the cabinet.

It wasn't that he hadn't heard the rumors, but rather that his current position was somewhat awkward.

Without the emperor's trust, Wei Guangde and he had become somewhat estranged, and he thought it was time for him to get out of there.

Since he could continue to stay in Beijing, Zeng Shengwu didn't say anything more.

Actually, he was still a bit naive and didn't understand Wei Guangde's intention in keeping him around.

Emperor Wanli mentioned Zeng Shengwu more than once because of his relationship with Zhang Juzheng.

However, Wei Guangde stopped them all.

If Zeng Shengwu were also transferred, even to head the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing, those who oppose Zhang would probably be even more excited.

Not only will Zeng Shengwu be in trouble, but many others will also be implicated because of their past close ties with Zhang Juzheng.

The court needs stability, not chaos.

It would be better to wait two years, until the Zhang Juzheng affair is more or less over, before making adjustments to Zeng Shengwu.

Influenced by Wei Guangde, the Wanli Emperor accepted it.

In fact, after making up his mind to confiscate Zhang Juzheng's property, Emperor Wanli's anger subsided considerably.

"Since no one objects, then this matter is settled. The Ministry of Personnel will handle the follow-up."

Wei Guangde continued, but unexpectedly, Yang Wei, the Minister of Personnel, suddenly interjected, "Court officials should be selected by the Ministry of Personnel, and cabinet ministers are no exception."

"Let's have the Ministry of Personnel make a list later, and then His Majesty can make the final selection."

Yang Wei was a senior scholar; there were very few people like him who had passed the imperial examination in the 26th year of the Jiajing reign.

Because of his seniority, he had a lot of influence, and he was also a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel selected by the Wanli Emperor.

For a moment, many people's eyes flickered, wondering if his attitude was influenced by the person in the palace.

"With the Ministry of Personnel making the selection, can't the cabinet's decision be finalized yet?"

Yu Youding stared at Yang Wei and said, word by word.

"According to regulations, it should be the Ministry of Personnel that presides over the court recommendation."

Yang Wei retorted.

Wei Guangde glanced at Yang Wei, not understanding why he had come out to stop him today.

He knew about this before; Wei Guangde had mentioned it to him privately, and Yang Wei hadn't objected at the time. However, that doesn't seem right either.

His words now do not express opposition, but rather suggest that the matter should be recommended by the Ministry of Personnel.

There were two main ways in which cabinet ministers were selected in the Ming Dynasty: one was through special appointment by the emperor, which meant direct appointment.

Secondly, there was the court recommendation, which was indeed presided over by the Ministry of Personnel, but they did not make the decisions; they were only responsible for organizing the recommendation process.

Over the years, Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde used their control over the Six Ministries to determine the appointment of both high-ranking officials in the court and cabinet ministers.

I almost forgot that the selection of cabinet ministers actually involves going through the Ministry of Personnel.

Previously, most of the Ministers of Personnel were Zhang Juzheng's men, and those who came to power later all followed the lead of the Grand Secretary. Wei Guangde, however, seemed to have forgotten about this.

"In that case, the Ministry of Personnel should organize a court recommendation process as soon as possible to determine the candidates for the cabinet."

I recommend Wang Xijue as the candidate for cabinet membership; the subsequent process should involve the Nine Ministers and the Censorate in making further recommendations as soon as possible.

Wei Guangde said this time with absolute certainty.

"The Ministry of Personnel will hold the court recommendation for cabinet ministers at Wenzhao Pavilion in the next two days."

At this moment, Yang Wei cupped his hands to Wei Guangde and said in a firm tone.

Wei Guangde realized that Yang Wei was relying on his seniority and would never be able to enter the cabinet. However, many of the problems that had arisen in the Ministry of Personnel in recent years were more or less related to the cabinet's abuse of power.

His stepping forward this time was actually an attempt to "set things right" and take back the power of the Ministry of Personnel.

Regardless of whether it's just a formality or not, it has to be the Ministry of Personnel, not the Cabinet, that handles the formalities.

Wei Guangde couldn't do anything about these veterans, so he just smiled and pretended not to care.

"There is one more thing that I need to discuss with you all."

It seemed that they had covered most of the day's business and their gathering should be over, but Wei Guangde spoke up again.

After everyone recovered from their surprise and focused their attention on Wei Guangde, he slowly said, "According to the intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Huang Taiji, the Shunyi King of Mongolia, has fallen ill. For the time being, Lady Gongshun is managing all affairs of the various Mongolian tribes."

However, she was, after all, a woman, and without a strong leader to suppress them, the Mongol tribes were showing signs of instability.

Upon hearing Wei Guangde's words, Zhang Ke reacted the most strongly, asking, "What happened? Are the Mongol tribes unstable?"

He really hadn't received the message.

Actually, it's not surprising that Huang Taiji fell ill.

After all, he's an old man, and he's reached the age of knowing his destiny. Who knows when he might pass away.

However, if the Mongol tribes are unstable, then it is no small matter.

The peace in the border towns is mainly due to the results of the Longqing Peace Treaty. After the Mongols accepted the investiture from the Ming Dynasty, although there were occasional frictions between the two sides, they did not escalate significantly due to the suppression by the leaders on both sides.

In particular, the grasslands suffered an ice storm last year, and it was only thanks to the Ming Dynasty's support of grain and fodder that they survived.

It hadn't even been a year when the leader fell ill, and the people below started getting restless, which was bound to cause big trouble.

The structure of Mongolia was unique, with each tribe governing itself, only obeying the Great Khan's orders.

The Great Khan would not interfere in the internal affairs of the various tribes, or at least not arbitrarily.

“The Yongxie and Oirat tribes, among others, are showing signs of instability.”

I have instructed the Embroidered Uniform Guard to intensify its intelligence gathering on the Mongol tribes, especially several major tribes.

Small tribes are manageable, but if a large tribe causes trouble on the border, it can easily trigger other tribes to follow suit, and even the Third Sister might not be able to stabilize the situation.

Ultimately, the losses suffered by various departments last year were too great, and they needed to find places to replenish their strength.

Wei Guangde spoke up.

Although the population loss was greatly reduced due to the support from the Ming Dynasty last year, the loss of cattle, sheep and other livestock was still enormous.

This loss was nothing short of a catastrophe for the tribe.

The Ming Dynasty's act of saving the population of various tribes may seem like an act of kindness, but it also placed a heavy burden on each tribe.

Wei Guangde's initial plan was to bestow favors, but he would also become a burden to the Mongol tribes, ultimately making them more dependent on the Ming Dynasty.

According to the news we received earlier, some tribes are looking to return to their old ways and engage in business with no initial investment.

"In general, the Ministry of War needs to issue documents to all towns to be on high alert regarding the Mongol tribes in the west."

In addition, the Ministry of War should strengthen its support for the western towns and allocate more resources there.

Wei Guangde continued to Zhang Ke, "If the Mongol tribes really dare to make a move, the border troops must ensure a complete defeat of the enemy cavalry, as a warning to others."

When Wei Guangde spoke his last sentence, his tone was very serious.

This is no longer about whether the border troops can resist the plundering of the Mongol tribes, but about launching an attack and inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.

"That would require mobilizing troops from several towns in the Northwest, and who knows, it might even require the support of the Xuanda New Army."

However, if the troops of Xuanfu and Datong are mobilized, the armies of Liaodong and Jizhou are currently isolated overseas, and the area around the capital will be in danger.

Zhang Ke answered hesitantly.

"With Third Sister here, there's nothing to worry about on the Xuanda front."

She still maintained extremely strong control over the Tumed tribe, not to mention the watchful eyes of the various fortresses outside the pass.

Wei Guangde was referring to the tribes that had close ties with the Ming Dynasty.

They settled in the castles that the Ming Dynasty had originally built on the grasslands, becoming the Ming Dynasty's eyes and ears and a shield on the grasslands.

The urgent report that Wei Guangde saw was only delivered by Liu Shouyou yesterday afternoon, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had just learned of it.

The main issue is that the Yongxie tribe has shown signs of instability, and secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard believe that they may be planning to plunder Xining in the south in the near future.

The reproduction of cattle and sheep takes time, and the Yongxie tribe, eager to restore its strength, either annexed surrounding tribes or went south to plunder the wealth of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Wei Guangde's biggest concern right now is naturally the safety of the military towns in the Northwest, especially Xining.

"The barbarians are cunning; we shouldn't have helped them in the first place."

Chen Jingbang began to speak.

"If we hadn't helped back then, and had pushed them too far, war would have broken out last year."

Zhang Xueyan spoke up at this moment.

At that time, the Ming Dynasty's assistance to the Mongols was not out of benevolence, but out of security considerations.

If they can't get enough food to survive from the Ming Dynasty, then war is the only option.

So now, of course they can't sit here and have a calm discussion.

Even the plans against Japan would be affected, and the main force of the Ming army would definitely have to return to reinforce them.

Whether they can make it or not, no one will put the safety of the capital behind them.

"Peace is forged with the blood of soldiers."

The reason Anda Khan was willing to negotiate peace was because he was old.

Huang Taiji, on the other hand, was distracted by the various factions on the grasslands, and also because of the attitude of the obedient lady, and because he had long been terrified by the government troops.

Now that the Tumed tribe's control over all parties has weakened, sooner or later, other tribes will also step forward.

This has nothing to do with whether or not aid was provided to Mongolia last year.

Although it is a crisis, danger also contains opportunity.

If we can truly frighten the Yongxie tribe this time, other restless steppe tribes will dare not make any further moves.

Wei Guangde looked at Zhang Ke and said, "The Ministry of War informed me of its plans immediately, and the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works are fully cooperating."

Looking around at everyone, Wei Guangde continued, "Siyun suggested that we inform Third Sister about the news, hoping that she could intervene."

I stopped it.

The Ming Dynasty has no need for women's protection. (End of Chapter)