prosperous age

By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
I, having received the Mandate of Heaven and ruling over all lands, consider the vast expanse of the Eastern Continent, though far overseas, its fertile land and thriving people truly constitute an extension of the territory of my Great Ming.
"Now, I hereby specially appoint General Li Chengliang of Liaodong to supervise military affairs and lead the troops to the Eastern Continent at 1:15 PM on the 11th day of the eighth month of the eleventh year of Wanli to expand the territory and pacify the people of Suiyuan."

The eunuch's shrill voice echoed across the Huangji Hall square.

Emperor Wanli sat on his throne. In front of him was the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict, and further in front of him was Li Chengliang, the Earl of Ningyuan, who was kneeling to receive the edict.

Not far away, the imposing officials, led by Wei Guangde, stood respectfully.

The most important event at today's New Year's and Full Year's court assembly is the reading of this imperial edict, which also represents the first step taken by the Ming Dynasty towards the Americas.

As Li Chengliang received the imperial decree, the solemn atmosphere in the square dissipated, and all the officials wore smiles.

Finally, this long and pointless court assembly can be over.

I don’t know if the court assemblies in the early Ming Dynasty were really discussing important matters, but after Wei Guangde entered the court, the court assemblies he attended did not seem to be discussing any important matters at all.

During festivals, court assemblies would last a long time, but it was never because anything major was happening; rather, it was to read out congratulatory messages from various parties.

As mentioned before, all major decisions are made by the Cabinet and the Directorate of Ceremonial. If officials have any requests, they do so privately through lobbying; there is no need for them to argue in front of the Emperor.

"General, you have fought for the country. When you return in triumph, I will certainly not fail you for your efforts."

"When General Li sets off, Duke Dingguo and Master Wei, you will lead me to see him off."

After finishing his official business, Emperor Wanli did not hold any formal meetings or give any instructions in person. Instead, he directly arranged the subsequent matters.

Xu Wenbi and Wei Guangde were sent to see Li Chengliang off.

The Eastern Expeditionary Army assembled in Tianjin, and Li Chengliang would take 500 Shenji Battalion soldiers from the capital with him. These were the personal guards arranged for him by Emperor Wanli.

To put it more broadly, Emperor Wanli was worried about Li Chengliang's safety, so he sent the best officers and soldiers from the Beijing Garrison to serve as his guards.

However, in reality, this can also be seen as a check and balance by the imperial court on him.

These people had orders to follow, so it would be quite difficult for Li Chengliang to mobilize them for battle. He could only ensure their safety by protecting them around him.

After Emperor Wanli finished speaking, Wei Guangde and Xu Wenbi stepped forward to receive the imperial edict.

Soon, amidst the eunuchs' announcement of "the court session is over," everyone respectfully saw Emperor Wanli off as he boarded a sedan chair and was carried away by the eunuchs. Only then did they turn around and walk out in twos and threes to return to their respective offices to carry out their duties.

All the officials returned to their offices. The cabinet members, along with the six ministers and Li Chengliang, returned to the cabinet together, and Wei Guangde was on duty in his office.

This is the final meeting, to resolve the issues that Li Chengliang needs to address before setting off.

Undoubtedly, Li Chengliang raised the issue of the Ministry of War's allocation of funds once again.

Zhang Ke's gaze, however, fell on Zhang Xueyan.

"Withdraw the money and distribute it this morning."

With so many eyes on Zhang Xueyan, he remained expressionless and spoke.

He was under a lot of pressure from the department to allocate funds and prevent them from being misappropriated.

Regardless of the reasoning, Wei Guangde and the others simply said what they meant without thinking.

However, it was Zhang Xueyan who actually carried out the task, and the Ministry of Revenue had not had such a "precedent" for many years.

While I dare not refute this, I am certainly capable of delaying and sluggishly taking action.

Don't assume that just because your superiors give the order, your subordinates will bury themselves in their work.

Sometimes, once words are spoken, subordinates may feel resentful and try to create trouble.

“I’ll keep an eye on it myself.”

Finally, Zhang Xueyan said firmly.

He meant that once he left the Ministry of Revenue, he would directly oversee the disbursement of funds, showing no mercy to his subordinates.

In fact, everyone in the room knew what was going on, but with the Minister watching over them, the subordinates dared not delay any longer.

However, doing so still had some impact on Zhang Xueyan's position in the Ministry of Revenue.

"What else? Are the provisions and fodder sufficient?"

Wei Guangde only looked at Li Chengliang, without even glancing at the others.

Half an hour later, the group came out of the duty room, chatting and laughing in twos and threes, the atmosphere seemed very relaxed, only Zhang Xueyan looked serious.

Then there's Li Chengliang, who, despite his high rank, couldn't get along with the civil officials.

Even if he wanted to go, no one would take him.

Wei Guangde politely saw them out of the room, then stood inside and watched them leave.

Only after all the figures had disappeared did Wei Guangde let out a soft sigh.

He had long known that officials in the capital were abusing their power to extort and demand bribes.

It was unexpected that, against this backdrop, when he could practically wield immense power in the Ming Dynasty court, even lower-level officials could still cause trouble.

Even the officials under the Ministry of Revenue could make things difficult for the Minister.

He didn't know how the Ministry of Revenue would handle the cleanup afterwards, but Zhang Xueyan was a military commander, and his methods couldn't be anything but ruthless.

I reckon the Ministry of Revenue will be in chaos for a while.

"Officials, officials, how do we manage these people so they understand the consequences?"

Wei Guangde said softly, then turned and walked towards his desk.

Meanwhile, the old port of Nanyang was surrounded by soldiers. Both the original naval and civilian ship docks had been cleared out.

The original merchant ships at the berths were required to go out to sea to make room for them.

The laborers who made a living on the docks were also driven out of the dock area. They could only gather in small groups outside and peer inside.

Just ten paces in front of them, government troops were stationed, strictly prohibiting them from approaching the port.

The old port garrison commander was standing on the watchtower, looking out at the distant sea.

Yesterday, a fast ship reported that the West Sea Navy and Burmese officers and soldiers, who were ordered to come as reinforcements, would arrive today.

To prevent chaos during disembarkation, he simply ordered the area to be cleared, vacating the entire dock area.

The situation in Old Port has been quite delicate recently, especially on the border, where clashes between Aceh and other states occur from time to time.

Rumors circulated among the people that Aceh had amassed tens of thousands of troops on the border, constantly agitating the nerves of the city's inhabitants.

In particular, there were previous reports that the elite South China Sea Navy had been dispatched to Luzon, and rumors were circulating among the people that the imperial court intended to completely eliminate the Spanish in southern Luzon.

With two rivals emerging in Southeast Asia, no one could say for sure what the court would do. Everyone was worried that the court would focus its efforts on Luzon and abandon Palembang.

That would put them in danger in the city.

Even if the imperial court were to spare the time to rescue Old Port afterward, who knows what their situation would have been like at that time?

People's hearts are unsettled.

This refers to the current situation in Old Port, given that the imperial court had previously abandoned Old Port as a precedent.

Various rumors spread rapidly throughout the city, clearly exceeding the normal range, and it was obvious that someone was fanning the flames.

Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty was powerful. Although there were various concerns among the people, the major families in the city clearly chose to support the garrison.

They are not short-sighted; given the current situation, following the imperial court is their best option.

The only way for the Ming Dynasty to become allied with Aceh is if the Ming army in Luzon is defeated and its South China Sea fleet is completely wiped out.

In that case, perhaps Old Port really was beyond saving.

But is it possible?
They had more intelligence: the Spanish had virtually no military strength in the Philippines and were simply not capable of resisting the Ming army's offensive.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty could recruit soldiers from Southeast Asian countries at any time.

Despite this mindset, these once powerful families who controlled the old port naturally knew how to survive.

Even though they still believed more in the strength of the Ming Dynasty, they treated the recent visitors from Aceh with great courtesy and did not secretly leak the information to the garrison.

Of course, their underhanded actions could not be hidden from the Jinyiwei of Old Port. These details were all recorded in detail and secretly placed on the garrison commander's desk.

It is easy to imagine the immense pressure the defense of Old Port was under at that time.

As long as these people do not openly betray the Ming Dynasty, given their influence in Old Port, even if a reckoning is held afterward, they will not be held accountable.

Therefore, he could only wait for the imperial court's support.

And the imperial court did indeed send reinforcements.

Once the Burmese army arrives, Old Port will be safe.

Little did he know that the Burmese army's orders were not merely to stabilize the situation here, but to completely eliminate the anti-Ming forces on Sumatra Island.

"coming."

Just when the guards were anxious, finally, a sentry pointed to the distant horizon and shouted.

Immediately, the garrison commander raised his telescope, and through the lens, sails gradually appeared, followed by the ship's hull.

"It's finally here! The imperial court's support has arrived."

The garrison commander lowered his telescope and shouted loudly to his men.

Immediately, from the watchtower outwards, Ming soldiers waved their weapons and flags continuously.

What happened to them?

"I do not know."

"What's here?"

Some of the laborers, seeing the soldiers cheering enthusiastically, whispered amongst themselves, unsure of what to do.

However, they soon found out the reason.

On the distant sea, the Ming Dynasty's warships came into their view.

Among the crowd, several laborers who looked like the others noticed a hint of worry in their eyes when they saw the situation on the sea.

In Old Port, there were not only a large number of Chinese, but also many local indigenous people.

Some of these people were naturally spies sent by the Kingdom of Aceh to gather information on various matters, including the deployment of Ming troops in different regions.

In reality, Aceh spies resided near all military camps under various pretexts of making a living.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had some information, but they hadn't made any moves.

After all, what's the point of arresting them?
Then, the other side will send someone over again.

If you find them, keep an eye on them, at least under your nose.

We'll strike unexpectedly when the time truly comes.

On the surface, the border situation is unstable, while behind the scenes, the covert struggle between the two sides is gradually escalating.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard also dispatched many spies; otherwise, they wouldn't have discovered the deal between the Kingdom of Aceh and Temasek, or the intelligence that the Aceh army was constantly gathering near the Old Port.

However, the result of these messages was that the garrison was even more nervous.

Soon, the double-decker gunboats were deployed and stopped outside the harbor, forming a protective line. One after another, large Fujian-style ships were moored at their berths under the guidance of the port officers and soldiers.

The gangplank was erected, and a group of officers escorted a civil official in a green robe off the boat.

The garrison commander and officials of the garrison headquarters were already waiting on the dock, but they were all surprised to see a civil official coming down.

However, they soon learned each other's identities.

After the man shouted "I have the imperial decree," the officers and soldiers around him knelt down in obeisance.

After the imperial decree was read aloud, the garrison commanders, surprised, accepted it.

"Commander Yu has worked hard these days. Today I have come to your aid by imperial decree. Please give my army two days to rest and recuperate."

While we were at it, we also discussed how to defeat the Kingdom of Aceh.

The imperial decree clearly stated that the court intended to destroy the country.

The Kingdom of Aceh is quite audacious, daring to provoke a tiger; this war must result in their complete annihilation.

The officer leading the team was Li Chonggui, the Burmese deputy general, who had served as a guerrilla under Liu Xian in his early years.

When he went to Burma, he was noticed by Li Chengliang, who took his troops with him.

He was promoted to deputy general for his meritorious service in the Ming-Burmese War, and the three thousand soldiers transferred from Burma this time were all his subordinates.

This arrangement is also for the convenience of command.

He had five guerrillas under his command, each leading a battalion of soldiers, and their equipment was fairly good.

However, Yu Shoubei frowned slightly after seeing their equipment.

Well, although they were the elite Ming army in Burma, their rate of firearms adoption was significantly lower than that of the navy, less than 40%.

In terms of equipment, each battalion only had about a hundred muskets and a few cannons, while a navy of the same level had at least two hundred muskets and more than ten cannons.

However, looking back, Commander Yu felt that was enough.

Compared to the navy, their equipment was far inferior.

However, their equipment was much better than that of the Aceh army on the other side.

The firearms on the other side, not to mention the remaining Ottoman firearms whose usability was still uncertain, even if they bought new firearms from the Portuguese, all of them together accounted for less than 20%.

In Southeast Asia, bows and arrows are scarce, mainly because bowstrings are difficult to preserve for long periods.

After all, the humid climate causes the bowstring to loosen when it gets damp, affecting the range and accuracy.

Therefore, it's not that the Southeast Asian countries didn't understand the power of bows and arrows, but they still had relatively few archers; they seemed to prefer throwing short spears.

Under the guidance of the officers and soldiers in Old Port, the soldiers on board disembarked one by one, and then called on the laborers to help carry the supplies brought from Burma.

Li Chonggui was welcomed into the city garrison headquarters by Yu Shoubei and other old port officials, where a banquet had already been prepared to entertain him.

However, while the laborers were vying to be selected and hired to help move supplies, several figures silently disappeared into the distance.

Meanwhile, news of the arrival of government troops spread rapidly throughout the old port.

After all, the city is not far from the port, only a few miles away.

The local people were naturally delighted to hear that government troops had come to their aid.

At least with their arrival, there's no need to worry about those rumors from a few days ago.

Upon receiving the news, the powerful families in the city also issued orders to their retainers that no more lobbyists from the Kingdom of Aceh would be allowed to visit them.

If you were just being hypocritical before, there's no need to pretend anymore.

Back then, I was worried about something going wrong and my own safety, so I tried my best to please everyone.

Now that the imperial court has sent reinforcements, they are no longer worried about the safety of Old Port.

However, the content of the imperial edict delivered from the dock was kept secret.

At the time, the surrounding officers and soldiers were all given a gag order and were forbidden from discussing it in private.

"Bang bang."

Just as the people in the city had settled down, about twenty miles away from the old port city, the patrolling Ming soldiers saw people trying to cross the border and rush towards the Kingdom of Aceh on the other side. The soldiers did not hesitate to open fire on those figures.

After the gunshots rang out, two people were knocked down and their fates were unknown. The remaining people ran away even more desperately.

They crossed the border between Old Port and Aceh.

"Drag the body back and leave as soon as possible. Don't clash with the other side."

Knowing that reinforcements had arrived, Yu Shoubei did not relax his vigilance and ordered the border outposts to strengthen their defenses. (End of Chapter)