prosperous age

On the tranquil North Pacific Ocean, dozens of Ming-made warships suddenly appeared.

The fleet was enormous. Although it was not as large as Zheng He's fleet two hundred years ago, it was still unprecedented and unparalleled in the world's oceans today.

At least, apart from the South China Sea Fleet deploying its main force, it would be extremely difficult to find a second fleet that could rival it.

The fleet was escorted by imposing double-decker gunboats at the front, rear, and sides, with their outward-facing gun ports revealing the dark muzzles inside.

Inside the gunboat encirclement, more than forty large Fujian-style ships, led by a super-large enclosed ship at the head, slowly sailed eastward.

This is the Ming Dynasty's eastern expeditionary navy led by Li Chengliang, which was massive in scale.

After more than a month, the fleet had passed near Japan and successfully entered the North Pacific Ocean with the help of the northeast trade winds. As it entered the westerly wind belt, the fleet's speed slowed down, but its direction changed from northeast to west, and it sailed slowly.

Having sailed alone on the high seas for a long time, all the ships reported that their soldiers were running out of energy.

Yes, it's not that sitting on a boat will make you feel better because you're well-rested.

On the contrary, the loneliness at sea made many soldiers seem listless.

The sailors were alright, adapting somewhat, but the long, lonely voyage inevitably made some of them irritable.

Li Chengliang would have each ship report on the soldiers' condition every day. As the commander, his biggest concern was the morale of his soldiers.

Chaos in the military is a disaster.

"Gaga gaga gaga."

Li Chengliang, who was on the upper floor of the sealed boat, suddenly saw several black dots fly across the distant sky and neigh.

"Seabirds?"

Li Chengliang raised his binoculars and looked over; sure enough, several seabirds were flying across the sky.

"General, the presence of seabirds indicates the presence of islands nearby."

Seabirds aren't always visible on the open sea; they also have energy.

Too far from the mainland, with no place to land, they cannot survive.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengliang nodded slightly.

The journey through Japan was alright, but these past few days at sea have been truly lonely.

Besides this fleet, perhaps only the fish in the water remain.

But since the thing was invisible and intangible, the soldiers had no chance to pass the time.

"Pass down the order: each ship should assign musketeers, and if any seabirds are spotted, they should be shot down and eaten."

Li Chengliang gave the order.

After he gave the order, and as the flag bearer signaled to the ships, some people appeared on the decks of several nearby ships.

The seabirds didn't taste very good. To relieve the boredom on the way, Li Chengliang had given orders that people could fish and hunt birds.

However, once they entered the deep ocean, the seabirds disappeared.

As for fishing, well, it seems like everyone's luck isn't very good.

According to the sailors, unless the ship stops, there might still be a chance to catch some fish.

They traveled non-stop, never daring to stop.

The ship had very little supplies, and if it couldn't reach the Americas soon, the entire fleet would likely face annihilation.

Whether now or for centuries to come, getting lost at sea and losing supplies are the most deadly things, putting everyone on board at risk.

"Have the lookout keep an eye on the surroundings. Judging by the time, we should be getting close to that island they mentioned soon."

Li Chengliang was referring to the Aleutian Islands, which extend from the Alaskan Peninsula into the Pacific Ocean.

Following the route left by the expedition team, they continued sailing in this manner, and should have appeared in that vicinity by now.

The sight of seabirds in the sky is natural evidence that they are heading towards some island.

"Yes, Commander."

Immediately, someone relayed the message down, and the lookouts on the mast widened their eyes and used their telescopes to observe the surroundings.

Although the Aleutian Islands are large, according to the records left by the expedition ships, these islands were actually of no use other than serving as weather vanes.

The island is low-lying and small in area, and has never had a freshwater lake.

Some islands have small swamps, but they are completely useless, and the water is unusable.

However, if there were a piece of land where people could set foot on the mainland and take a walk, perhaps their feelings of frustration could be alleviated.

Another half day passed before a lookout on the mast finally signaled that something was amiss.

As the lead ship relayed the message, the sailors on the flagship began to cheer.

Yes, they saw islands ahead, one on each side, neither of them appearing very large.

"General, we should have arrived at the archipelago that the expedition team mentioned."

We've already completed half of our journey.

"Once we pass through here, we can continue sailing northeast in search of the eastern continent they recorded."

The lieutenant beside him said with a chuckle.

After more than a month at sea, we finally found a coordinate.

Yes, at sea, their biggest fear is getting lost.

The fact that they were able to find the archipelago in the records means they did not go the wrong way.

It makes sense. The expedition ships left behind logbooks. As long as the ships sailed according to the logbooks, although there might be some deviations in the orientation, the general direction would not be wrong.

"Let the lead ship move closer, and we'll rest around there tonight."

Discuss with the thieves how to arrange things.

There are only two small islands, and it would be difficult for everyone on the boat to get ashore.

Well, now that we're here, let's rest for two days before we leave.

Let everyone go to the island for a walk and do some fishing.

I remember the logbook said there were lots of fish around here, so I caught a lot and wrote it down so everyone could have a treat.

I just hope it rains in the next couple of days; that would be great if we could get some fresh water.

After going to sea during this period, Li Chengliang gradually evolved from a land-based general to a commander of both the land and naval forces.

Previously, in Liaodong and Myanmar, it was not necessary.

But now, he commands a huge fleet, and the situation is completely different.

It's essential to learn some naval warfare tactics. Although we may compete with the Spanish for supremacy on the eastern continent in the future, naval battles will definitely be frequent.

Otherwise, the strongholds on the Eastern Continent would not be able to be defended, and the Ming Dynasty would not be able to maintain this shipping route.

Without air routes, they would not receive continuous support from the imperial court, and these people would likely only have one path left: to die far from home.

This is not what he wants; he still hopes to return to the Ming Dynasty one day.

Soon, the fleet approached the archipelago.

The two islands, one large and one small, were located on opposite sides. Most of the Ming warships were anchored near the larger island, using sampans to transport people to the island.

Some warships were also arranged near the island, but since there were no dock facilities, they could only stay nearby and people were transported to the island by sampans.

Li Chengliang didn't send anyone to the distant island.

It's too far, and it's inconvenient to contact them.

After all, this is not their final destination.

Over the next two days, several thousand Ming soldiers crowded onto the island.

Although I still feel a bit lonely, I've finally seen so many people, and everyone's mood has gradually improved over the past two days.

With no enemies around, Li Chengliang was unusually generous and allowed his men to play cards and drink.

The ship had limited supplies, so the huge catch from fishing couldn't be turned into a delicious meal.

Of course, this was not a big deal for him.

The seafood the soldiers ate was bland, but what he ate was specially grilled by the cooks, with plenty of seasoning.

Both of his sons were with him at the moment. When they were at sea, Li Chengliang had assigned his two sons to guard the two double-decker gunboats that were escorting him.

The Ming army rested in the Aleutian Islands, and had completely occupied Sumatra. By controlling the generals of Aceh, luring and killing officers loyal to the Aceh royal family, and reorganizing their forces, they gradually gained control of tens of thousands of troops near Palembang.

Although the Ming army was far outnumbered by the Aceh army, the morale of the Aceh army had already collapsed, and even those generals with ulterior motives were helpless at this point.

Without any trustworthy soldiers around, they are powerless to get things done.

The South China Sea naval reinforcements have completely taken over the area around the docks from the Aceh army, restoring the connection between the old port city and the port.

Two large military camps were built, which could be used for both offense and defense.

After the reorganization of the Aceh army was completed, it began to gradually expand its control area under the command of Ming generals.

The entire Kingdom of Aceh collapsed under a series of Ming military tactics, and the city garrisons in various places chose to surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

The fall of Aceh had the greatest impact on the surrounding kingdoms.

The Ming army destroyed a country with a large army with only a small number of troops.

The news was devastating, sending shivers down the spines of all the vassal states in Southeast Asia.

If they were instinctively submissive to the Ming Dynasty before, showing the weak's awe of the strong, now they are truly fearful, worried that they might end up like Aceh.

No one believed they had the strength to fight the Ming Dynasty, nor did they dare to attempt it.

Nanyang (Southeast Asia) has finally settled down.

Meanwhile, the capital city was chilled to the bone, both inside and out.

After considering it for a day, the Wanli Emperor finally approved the memorial and sent it back to the cabinet.

When Wei Guangde saw it, he was so surprised that his mouth dropped open.

The Wanli Emperor's imperial edict did not order the authorities to arrest and prosecute the person, but directly convicted the monk Deqing.

"The unauthorized construction of temples shall be strictly investigated."

This was the imperial edict written in red ink by Emperor Wanli himself. Once this memorial was released, Wei Guangde would know what the consequences would be.

The one in Cining Palace had been slapped hard by the emperor.

Now that the trial has been going on, everyone knows that the temple built by Monk Deqing was because he received a gift of money from a concubine in the palace. It was said that he had previously planned to live in a hut in Laoshan and had no intention of building a temple.

Because we don't have money.

Ancient engineering projects required a large amount of timber and stone, which constituted significant expenses.

Labor costs money too. Ordinary laborers are worthless, but master planners and designers are also quite expensive.

Because of the Empress Dowager's favor, she gave the monk two thousand taels of silver, which resulted in trouble.

Was Emperor Wanli wrong in his imperial edict?

It seems not.

The emperor is not wrong, nor will he be wrong.

Was the emperor's mother at fault?

Well, it's hard to say, but it wasn't mentioned in the official document.

All that's left is Monk Deqing; he's not just wrong, he's guilty.

"Your Excellency, shall we go to the Qianqing Palace and say something?"

At this moment, Shen Shixing moved closer to Wei Guangde and whispered something.

In Shen Shixing's view, the emperor's strained relationship with the empress dowager was a stain on the emperor's reputation and could potentially affect his prestige.

"What do you mean? You're saying that His Majesty backed down because of that matter?"

Wei Guangde glanced at Shen Shixing. He had considered going to the palace to ask the emperor to change his mind.

But he didn't.

"The memorial was left in the Qianqing Palace for two days. His Majesty must have made up his mind to approve it in this way."

Wei Guangde turned to Shen Shixing and said with a wry smile, "We are both at fault. As the chief minister and deputy chief minister of the cabinet, we actually overlooked this matter and forgot that the monk Deqing built the temple privately."

Imperial edicts of the Ming Dynasty were all issued through the Grand Secretariat.

Those who do not go through the cabinet are called those appointed by imperial decree.

This item is useful to those in the palace and among the nobility, but outside the capital, few dare to accept the imperial decree.

So, none of them had handled this matter; they should have discovered it much earlier.

However, they also made a mistake that displeased the emperor: they simply assumed that the emperor had agreed because the empress dowager had issued an imperial edict.

Or rather, no matter what the emperor thinks, he will eventually have to accept it reluctantly.

But now, Emperor Wanli's imperial edict tells everyone that he is himself, and the Empress Dowager is the Empress Dowager.

"If you send it out, the palace will be in complete chaos."

Following the Empress Dowager's past practice, Shen Shixing immediately spoke to Wei Guangde.

"not necessarily."

However, this time Wei Guangde disagreed and shook his head slightly, saying, "If the Empress Dowager still had any sense, she would choose to remain silent and say nothing about this matter."

Why?

Shen Shixing asked, puzzled.

"His Majesty has come of age and is now in charge of the government. He can no longer be controlled by women."

As cabinet ministers, you and I should understand this even more.

Wei Guangde looked at Shen Shixing and said, word by word.

Upon hearing Wei Guangde's words, Shen Shixing also realized his own attitude.

At least, before the Empress Dowager made trouble in the palace, these ministers should have stood on the Emperor's side.

How could anyone disobey the emperor and instead fawn over the empress dowager?

This was the case during Zhang Juzheng's time; it could be said that His Majesty was young and ignorant, and needed adults to help him handle state affairs.

But we can't say that now. The emperor has been ruling in his own right for three years, and according to the rules, the empress dowager should no longer interfere in the affairs of the previous dynasty.

This matter pertains to government affairs, and the rule that the harem should not interfere in politics is an ironclad law.

"His Majesty wants to establish rules for the palace, and there's nothing we can do but follow His Majesty's decision."

At least, His Majesty's decision was not wrong.

Wei Guangde looked at Shen Shixing and said calmly.

"Then, let them all know."

Shen Shixing was referring to cabinet ministers such as Yu Youding and Wang Jiaping.

"Alright, let them take a look, and then send it to the Criminal Division to have the Ministry of Justice oversee the resolution of this case."

Wei Guangde never expected that his attempt to deal with Zhang Jing would actually cause a rift between the emperor and the empress dowager.

This was truly beyond his expectations.

The other cabinet ministers, Yu Youding and Xu Guo, were more tactful and immediately understood the situation, choosing to remain silent.

Wang Xijue, however, was somewhat dissatisfied and believed that he should go to the palace to advise the emperor.

After being prompted, Wang Jiaping also chose to remain silent.

Seeing this, Wang Xijue changed his attitude.

Unbeknownst to them, every word and action of the cabinet ministers in the duty room had been reported to the Qianqing Palace by the people of the Inner Court.

Shen Shixing and Wang Jiaping received a neutral rating, while Wang Xijue received a negative rating.

Wei Guangde's position in the emperor's heart remained unshakable, while Yu Youding and Xu Guo's positions were greatly enhanced.

Emperor Wanli liked to use such trivial matters and the attitudes of officials to define their character.

What he needs are loyal subjects, not officials who only know Confucianism.

Before the memorial could be sent from the Six Ministries to the Ministry of Justice, Empress Dowager Li in the Cining Palace already knew about it.

Although the Empress Dowager seems to have stopped interfering in politics and left everything to the cabinet and the emperor, the spies she had planted long ago are still there.

She hadn't thought much of giving gold to Monk Deqing before, and was even slightly displeased that he occupied the temple grounds. (End of Chapter)