I'm really not doing business

Chapter 953 Even Han Wen and Song Ren are no match for Your Majesty.

For most governor-general's offices, they were willing to do business with the Ming Dynasty at that time because after Wanli opened the seas, the prices in the Ming Dynasty were really very fair, and even good quality at low prices.

When Yuegang opened in the second year of the Longqing reign, the Ming court had not yet grasped the situation, and the prices of goods were simply unbelievable.

For example, a Jingdezhen porcelain bowl is worth three taels of silver, while a pound of ivory is worth six coins. A porcelain bowl can be exchanged for six hundred pounds of ivory; a pound of rhubarb can be exchanged for fifty pounds of spices; and an iron pot can be exchanged for three hundred pounds of fur.

The price was so high that smuggling became the mainstream trade method.

Before the Ming Dynasty, the prices of Ming goods in the tribute trade were ridiculously high, while the prices of goods from foreign countries were worthless. The reasons behind this pricing were extremely complex, such as the arrogance of the Celestial Empire and the fact that the scale of official ships and official trade was extremely small due to the bizarre pricing, with most of the trade being smuggled.

Since the full opening of the seas during the Wanli era, the imperial court has repriced goods, and the prices of goods finally fluctuate around their intrinsic value, rather than being determined by the arbitrary decisions of officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue.

Of course, the imperial court still maintained its past arrogance regarding some goods.

For example, a five-masted ocean-going warship was incredibly expensive. Its cost was less than 50,000 taels of silver, but its selling price was as high as 250,000 taels of silver. Firearms were priced separately. Even though it was so expensive, there were still other requirements. Only friendly nations could afford to buy it.

English envoys made several requests to purchase a five-masted ocean liner, but all were unsuccessful.

In addition, there are some goods in the Ming Dynasty that are not open to foreigners. Life-saving old brine and carefully prepared quinine, iron horses on the imperial road, charcoal, fertilizer, and other such goods are strictly prohibited from being exported. They are impossible to buy, and the technology for them is located on the third floor of the Sutra Repository, which even ordinary scholars of natural sciences rarely have access to.

For the governorates of Mexico, Peru, and Chile, the Ming Dynasty, with its fair prices, was an excellent choice.

Even without Pedro's negotiations with the Ming Dynasty to jointly establish a trans-Pacific commercial alliance, it would have naturally formed a de facto trans-Pacific commercial alliance within five years due to trade.

Even if Felipe launched his invincible Armada to conquer, he could not stop this trend. Unless the Ming emperor suddenly went crazy and decided to close the country off from the world, he could not stop this trend.

On the second day of the seventh lunar month, in the height of summer, cicadas began their incessant chirping from morning onward, adding to the sweltering heat and making the atmosphere even more irritating. As usual, a court meeting was being held in the Wenhua Hall, with twenty-seven civil and military officials looking exceptionally solemn.

"The balance of Yin and Yang is disrupted, leading to droughts and floods." Zhang Juzheng uttered eight words that silenced the court officials who had been whispering among themselves.

"Starting in mid-June, the rainy season began in Henan, Jiangzuo, Jiangyou, Hunan and other regions. In just half a month, the rainfall in Kaifeng Prefecture and Guide Prefecture in Henan exceeded 20 inches, which is equivalent to a year's worth of rain in half a month." Zhang Juzheng briefly introduced the strange weather this year.

Zhu Yijun took a deep breath and said, "My ministers, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau told me that the rainy season is in July in Jiangnan and August in Henan, Beizhili, Shandong and other places. But now, in mid-June, Henan and Shandong have started to experience torrential rains."

“Guide Prefecture, a strange thunderbolt illuminates the sky.”

The snow that didn't fall last winter accumulated into this summer, causing floods in the main grain-producing areas of the Ming Dynasty.

What's most frustrating is that the rainy season started almost two months early. In places like Henan, the rainy season is usually not until mid-July, but torrential rains began in mid-June.

The court officials had all heard about the strange thunder that the emperor had mentioned. On June 18th, in Guide Prefecture, Henan, a strange thunder appeared in the sky.

Before the torrential rain arrived, rain clouds from the southeast advanced like a city wall in the sky, quickly covering the entire Guide Prefecture. Dark clouds loomed over the city, and it was dark before evening.

There wasn't even a breeze, and the silence lasted for a full quarter of an hour.

The lightning began to brew and probe from the east, extending like a venomous snake's tongue before quickly retracting, then suddenly bursting forth again, shooting from east to west. It abruptly drew a right angle across the sky, splitting it into north and south halves. Finally, the lightning branches, like a spider web, tore apart the entire sky, making it as bright as day.

Moments later, a deafening roar swept across the land, and then dozens of rolling mines of various shapes appeared in Guide Prefecture, moving with the wind.

Ball lightning is a rare phenomenon; even astronomers at the Imperial Observatory had only heard of it but never seen it in person. Yet, dozens of ball lightnings appeared in Guide Prefecture at once.

The rain poured down, a torrential downpour that lasted for three days and three nights.

"Qi Lei Yao Kong" refers to these rolling landmines.

Minister of Revenue Zhang Xueyan said with some relief, "The summer grain has been harvested, and the autumn grain needs irrigation. After this torrential rain, the weather cleared up for nine days, which is a relief. It will cause a reduction in yield, but not by much."

"Moreover, because we had made preparations in advance, starting in the spring, all levels of government had reinforced the dikes and relocated people from low-lying areas, so there were no floods or plagues, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

It's not that no place was affected by the disaster, but rather that people in low-lying areas were relocated to higher ground where floodwaters could be released, which is why this torrential rain did not cause huge casualties.

The appearance of rolling thunder seemed to indicate that Heaven was truly angry, but because the imperial court had made thorough preparations in advance, the damage caused by this heavy rainfall due to the imbalance between floods and droughts was much smaller than previously expected, or at least within an acceptable range.

"This year may be the best year for climate in the next ten years." Zhu Yijun sighed heavily, looking at the sky outside the window. If there really is such a God of Heaven, if He wants to destroy the Ming Dynasty, He can just burn it to the ground with a heavenly fire. Why make things difficult for the people?

The court discussions mainly concerned issues such as tax exemption for disaster victims, prohibition of farming and residence in flood-prone areas, and local gentry fulfilling their sixty-two commitments to share the hardships with the court and the people.

Everywhere there were corrupt gentry who refused to reduce rents even in years of famine, took the opportunity to annex land, and bought slaves. These behaviors were all highlighted by the government at all levels.

However, most of the gentry kept their promises, reducing rents, refraining from annexing properties, and cooperating with the imperial court in providing relief.

History has proven time and again that no matter how sturdy your mansion is, it will crumble under the onslaught of refugees, leaving you no different from a small landowner—either living in the refugees' pots or migrating with them.

If a civil unrest really breaks out, even the emperor's palace can be breached. How much would your landlord's mansion have to be built to withstand the onslaught of displaced people?

"Expansion of the Suiyuan Highway." Xin Zixiu, the Minister of Works, took out a memorial to the throne.

Pan Jixun, Liu Dongxing, and Lady Zhongshun, the governors-general of Suiyuan, submitted a memorial requesting the expansion of the imperial highways, as the transport capacity of the Suiyuan imperial highways was insufficient.

Goods such as coal, iron, alkali, fur, wool, and livestock accounted for nearly 90% of the transport capacity of the road, which meant that other goods could only be transported by camel caravans, mule carts, oxcarts, and other traditional methods.

When the imperial court first planned the Suiyuan highway, it seriously underestimated Suiyuan's demand for transportation capacity. Even this expansion only alleviates, rather than solves, the problem.

In Suiyuan, the price of imperial roads was lower, while the price of mule carts and oxcarts was higher. Some merchants preferred to wait for months to line up with iron horses rather than hire these mule carts and oxcarts.

The most important factor causing this phenomenon is safety.

Trains pulled by iron horses, with engineering battalions protecting them along the route, rarely suffered damage to goods. However, mule carts and oxcarts could be robbed by bandits as they traveled along the road.

If bandits dare to rob the imperial roads, the Ming army will dare to quell the rebellion.

Therefore, merchants would rather wait than lose both their goods and their customers.

Pan Jixun wrote a very detailed memorial requesting the expansion of the imperial highways. The expansion was not to the entire line, but to the key sections, such as from Womagang to Wuyuan Prefecture, from Shengzhou to Wuyuan Prefecture, and from Guihua City to Xuanfu, in order to increase the transport capacity of the imperial highways at the lowest possible cost.

It's not that the section of the imperial road from Xuanfu to the capital wasn't busy; in fact, it was the busiest. But once you got to the heartland, mule carts and oxcarts became the alternatives because the heartland was safer. The Beijing garrison's anti-bandit campaigns, which had been ongoing for over a decade, meant that caravans didn't have to worry about being robbed.

“The request from Suiyuan is extremely reasonable.” Xin Zixiu stated all the circumstances. Expanding the imperial road was a very reasonable request. The only problem was that the cost of expanding the imperial road was 3.5 million taels of silver, and Suiyuan could only afford 1.5 million taels, leaving a deficit of 2 million taels.

The budget for the eighteenth year of the Wanli reign was completed at the end of last year, and every penny of silver has a purpose.

"The national treasury is in dire straits, so let's use this money from the private treasury." After much deliberation, Zhu Yijun decided to use the money.

Upon hearing this, Feng Bao looked puzzled. The imperial treasury had already emptied its coffers for the Dinghai education system and the gold and silver paper money. Much of the silver had been exchanged for gold in the gold and silver market to issue paper money. Where did these two million taels of silver come from?

Two million taels of silver is quite a lot; that's enough for 3.5 imperial tombs of the late emperor.

"Your Majesty, the silver for Prince Lu's enfeoffment?" Feng Bao suddenly paused, realizing where the silver had come from.

Ministers such as Zhang Juzheng, Ling Yunyi, and Zhang Xueyan were very familiar with the state of the imperial treasury. The imperial treasury really didn't have much silver left, and silver couldn't just appear out of thin air. As soon as Feng Bao said this, everyone knew where the silver came from.

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "Yes, Mother opposes the Prince of Lu being enfeoffed in Jinshan. We'll discuss the matter of enfeoffment later. Let's expand the imperial road first."

Zhu Yijun prepared three million taels of silver for the Prince of Lu to purchase various ships and goods, and recruited righteous men to go with him. All preparations were in place, and as long as Empress Dowager Li gave her approval, everything could begin.

However, Empress Dowager Li refused to agree, so Zhu Yijun had no choice but to use the money for other purposes.

"This..." This was the first time Ling Yunyi had encountered such a situation since he entered the court as the second assistant minister.

He had heard countless times about the emperor taking money from his own private treasury to make emergency payments, but only by hearing about it could he truly appreciate its value through personal experience.

The world belongs to the Zhu family, so it's only natural for the emperor to use his own money, right? That's certainly the logic, but the imperial treasury and the national treasury had already been completely separated during the Jiajing era, and they had begun to keep clear accounts.

It's already a blessing from heaven that the emperor doesn't take money from the national treasury and squander it.

The emperor took out two million taels of silver from the imperial treasury to alleviate the emergency, even though it was a deduction from the silver allocated to the Prince of Lu for his fiefdom. This cannot be explained simply by saying that His Majesty is wise.

"My lords need not worry. I received the memorial yesterday and summoned Prince Lu to an audience. Prince Lu requested three beauties from all over the world, and I agreed." Zhu Yijun explained that Prince Lu had also agreed to this matter, as it would not harm the kinship between the emperor and his brothers.

Prince Lu still wanted to be enfeoffed in Jinshan, but his mother wouldn't allow it, so he could only stay in the Ming Dynasty. Being a prince in the Ming Dynasty meant being a useless person. Apart from wanting a few beauties from all over the world, he was too lazy to ask for anything else.

For Zhu Yiliu, money was useless if he couldn't get freedom. With his status and position, he could get whatever he wanted with just a word.

Prince Lu even planned to go to Iwami Ginzan in Japan to guard the Ginzan. Japan is very close. It only takes six days by water from Iwami Ginzan to Busan in Korea, and only seven days by water from Busan to Tianjin. It would take less than a month to return to the capital.

Isn't this close enough? But Empress Dowager Li still refused.

Empress Dowager Li had only one attitude towards this matter: she avoided discussing it.

"The national treasury is fixed, and the annual budget is set early; expenditures are difficult, and the shortage is unbearable. The generous funds allocated to our own family are used to realize the long-term plan for the nation; the retreat of the imperial family and nobles to the country is delayed, while the trade of the common people is urgently needed. Your subject congratulates the Great Ming and all the people." Upon hearing this, Ling Yunyi stood up, bowed his head, and said.

"We, your humble servants, offer our congratulations to the Great Ming Dynasty and to all its people!" The court officials quickly rose and said in unison.

Singing praises and flattering words filled the Wenhua Hall. When Ling Yunyi was in Korea, he was still wondering why Zhang Juzheng was using such a narrative of gratitude, which was really quite strange.

As a subject, aren't you afraid of backlash for strengthening the emperor's power like this? But when Ling Yunyi returned to the capital and became the second-in-command, he felt that Zhang Juzheng's narrative of gratitude was far too conservative!
Ling Yunyi straightened up, clasped his hands, and continued, "In the past, Emperor Wen of Han abolished the expense of the Terrace Pavilion, and his virtue of frugality was renowned; Emperor Renzong of Song rejected the tribute of lambs, and his reputation for benevolence was widespread. However, neither Emperor Wen of Han nor Emperor Renzong of Song could compare to Your Majesty in the slightest..."

"Stop! That's too much, that's too much." Zhu Yijun abruptly halted Ling Yunyi's second round of flattery.

Ling Yunyi had barely begun when His Majesty stopped him. To Ling Yunyi, Emperor Wen and Emperor Renzong of the Han Dynasty were long gone, and His Majesty was a living sage ruler!
His Majesty spent two million taels of silver, so it's only right that he hears a few nice words. As the Imperial Tutor, Zhang Juzheng is not really suitable to say such flattering things, so Ling Yunyi is the one who should step up.

Zhu Yijun felt that Ling Yunyi's words were a bit excessive. In traditional evaluations, Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Renzong of Song were two moral benchmarks in the long history of the Central Plains.

Emperor Wen of Han wanted to build a terrace, but when he learned that it would cost the equivalent of ten average families' wealth, he chose to cancel the project. This gave rise to the idiom "cherishing the expense of a terrace".

Zhu Yijun spent a whopping 1.2 million taels of silver repairing the bell and drum towers of the Imperial Palace, and another 200,000 taels of silver repairing a pagoda for Empress Dowager Li. Emperor Wen of Han was indeed even more frugal than Zhu Yijun.

Emperor Wen of Han often admonished his crown prince, saying, "The world does not belong to one person, nor does wealth and honor belong to one person. The reason I am able to rule the world is that I am able to share it with the world."

Emperor Wen of Han did not wear brocade, drink fine wine, eat delicacies, ride in luxurious carriages, or live in grand residences. Even after his death, he did not build a tomb or mound of earth to conserve the people's resources.

After Emperor Wen of Han died, many people thought that he did not build a mound on the ground, but instead built a tomb in the mountains, that is, he opened a tomb in Phoenix Mouth Mountain in the northern part of Bailu Plain. Naturally, there was no need to build a mound when digging a tomb in the mountains.

However, Emperor Wen of Han's Baling Mausoleum is not in Phoenix Mouth, but in Jiangcun. Emperor Wen of Han really did not build a tomb or mound.

"I am fortunate to witness this grand occasion and behold Your Majesty's wisdom. My heart is overflowing with gratitude." Ling Yunyi was interrupted, and knowing that His Majesty did not appreciate praise, he bowed again and returned to his seat.

Zhu Yijun did this for a simple reason: those in power must grasp power, just as scholars must truly study.

As the supreme emperor, Zhu Yijun had to personally control power, and all his actions revolved around this goal.

"This matter is settled, there's no need to discuss it further." Zhu Yijun made the final decision. The court had no money to do it, and they needed to implement the Dinghai school system and repair the imperial highways, which were two bottomless pits.

"Grand Minister of State Affairs, I have heard that the family of Li Kaifang, the Doctor of Natural Sciences, is causing trouble again?" Zhu Yijun asked with a furrowed brow, inquiring about the rumors he had recently heard.

Shen Li hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, Li Kaifang's uncle has passed away. People from the Li family have come to ask Li Kaifang to return to his hometown to observe mourning."

Li Kaifang had a tragic past. When she was three, her father fell seriously ill and died when she was six. Her mother erected a memorial archway to honor her chastity and raised her child alone, but she could not support him alone. In the end, her mother took her child and went to seek refuge with the Li family in Yongchun, Fujian.

Li Kaifang was adopted by her uncle. Although her uncle attributed most of Li Kaifang's achievements to his own son, Li Kaizao, Li Kaifang eventually grew up and became successful.

In the eleventh year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, both Li Kaifang and Li Kaizao passed the imperial examination, but His Majesty crossed out Li Kaizao's name.

Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye. The uncle who adopted Li Kaifang has passed away. Now the Li family wants Li Kaifang to go back to observe mourning. Should she do so? Of course she should.

Zhu Yijun was furious and said, "The Grand Minister of State Affairs is well aware of Li Kaifang's act of kneeling before the Chengtian Gate back then. If it weren't for Li Kaifang's plea, given what that fool Li Kaizhao did, it would have been his own fault if I had killed him!"

"Back then, Li Kaifang was willing to submit to the emperor for the Li family, and that debt of gratitude was already repaid. Why must you continue to harass them like this?"

Li Kaifang and Shen Li had an excellent relationship. Before the results were announced, Li Kaifang was reprimanding Li Kaizao, which Shen Li happened to see. That year, Shen Li was also in charge of the imperial examination. Although they did not have the formal title of master and disciple, Li Kaifang was considered Shen Li's disciple.

"Your Majesty, before Uncle Li Kaifang passed away, he made a will dividing his family property in two. Li Kaifang's return to Fujian is not only to observe mourning but also to inherit the family business," Shen Li hurriedly explained.

Li Kaifang's uncle treated her very well, like his own daughter. This time, he returned to Yongchun, Fujian, not only to observe mourning but also to divide the family property.

Li Kaifang was willing to submit to the imperial court for the Li family not just for the ignorant Li Kaizao, but also for this uncle who was closer to her than her own father.

"The Li family of Yongchun is also a wealthy family in half the county. According to the will, Li Kaifang is to inherit eighteen three-masted plank boats, thirty-six two-masted seagoing vessels, seven chicken coop logging factories, six carpentry workshops, and so on, totaling nearly one million taels of silver in assets." Shen Li then reported the detailed contents of the will.

The will truly divided the property in half, with half going to Li Kaifang and half to Li Kaizao. This division was unanimously approved by the elders of the Li family.

The Li family's rapid expansion occurred before Li Kaifang passed the imperial examination and went to the capital for the final exam.

At that time, Li Kaifang worked as an accountant for her uncle. Although she was called an accountant, most of the family business was actually earned by Li Kaifang.

Li Kaifang wasn't even a son of a concubine; he was a nephew from a collateral branch. Yet, he was entitled to a share of the family property, even though he wasn't a Doctor of Natural Sciences and his status wasn't particularly high.

In the case of dividing family property entirely according to the legitimate and illegitimate branches, that was the practice of aristocratic families in Korea and the Ming Dynasty, whose families had been passed down for five hundred years. This was not a coincidence; collateral branches made significant contributions. Unfair distribution would only lead to discord and disunity, and no one would be willing to contribute to the main branch.

The reason they agreed to split the inheritance in half was that they hoped Li Kaifang would still look after Li Kaizao and at least keep an eye on him to prevent the rebellious son from squandering the family fortune.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "That's more like it. When Li Kaifang goes back, he should take thirty guards with him. He can't afford to be taken advantage of."

When Zhu Yijun first heard the news, he thought the Li family was going to continue to coerce Li Kaifang with their favor, so he naturally wanted to find out more. When he heard that it was about dividing the family property, and that it was a huge sum of money, he immediately agreed.

Why not take advantage of it? It's impossible to observe mourning for twenty-seven months; twenty-seven days is more than enough.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Shen Li bowed his head and accepted the order. His Majesty always didn't hesitate to make malicious speculations about these powerful families. There was a small misunderstanding here, but it would be fine once it was explained.

Li Kaifang deserved the emperor's utmost attention. With just a horizontal and vertical coordinate axis, he combined numbers, algebraic expressions, and graphs in his discussions, which enabled the mathematics of the Ming Dynasty to take a crucial step forward.

After a brief interlude, Zeng Shengwu, the Minister of War, submitted a memorial proposing to reduce the number of troops in the nine border regions of the Ming Dynasty from two million to one million.

The reduction of troops received the support of General Qi Jiguang.

The Ming Dynasty had two million border troops in its nine border regions. Nearly half of them did not undertake any military tasks, and were not even considered reserves. They were typical farmers. This troop reduction was more like confirming their status, allowing these non-soldiers to settle down and farm in peace.

The military expenditures of the Ming Dynasty remained unchanged, with the annual military pay for the nine border regions still reaching a staggering six million taels of silver, and the total military expenditures remaining at around twelve million taels of silver.

"Since the implementation of the nine border defenses in the sixth year of the Wanli reign, the combat strength of the border troops has been steadily recovering. Your Majesty, this troop reduction is the first step. My plan for the nine border defenses is as follows: three regular battalions, one special battalion, one reinforcement battalion, one guerrilla unit, and three defensive units." Qi Jiguang stood up and told his emperor his plan for the nine border defenses.

The general commanded three battalions, totaling nine thousand men, which formed the main military force in the field.
The deputy commander-in-chief led a special battalion of three thousand men, the most elite troops, which served as the flank of the main force and played a crucial role in protecting the flank and delivering the decisive blow on the battlefield.

Two brigade commanders led a reinforcement battalion and a guerrilla battalion, totaling 6,000 men, to maneuver and plug leaks within the defense zone, filling gaps and providing support for the main force's operations at any time;

Finally, the Imperial Guard Commander led three Imperial Guard Battalions, totaling nine thousand men, responsible for guarding passes, fortified villages, and other places, but not for field combat.

Qi Jiguang's final idea was to have 30,000 troops in one town and 270,000 professional soldiers in nine towns. Even a million troops would be far too many and would interfere too much with agricultural and industrial production.

The Ming Dynasty was severely lacking in manpower everywhere, and the more than two million beggars who were neither soldiers nor civilians in the nine border regions were really a waste of manpower.

Standing before the geomancer, Qi Jiguang pointed his long baton at the locations of Moscow, Vienna, and Constantinople, and declared, "With the large-scale deployment of firearms, the Ming Dynasty is invincible with a force of ten thousand men."

"To put it bluntly, if we can solve the logistical problem, our Great Ming can deploy 20,000 troops west of the Ural Mountains and crush the Rus' Kingdom, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire in one fell swoop."

The purpose of making such adjustments to military units is primarily to enhance the combat capabilities of the border troops.

Zhang Juzheng frowned as he looked at Qi Jiguang's plans for the Beijing Garrison, the Navy, and the Nine Garrisons, and shook his head, saying, "General Qi, your idea is excellent, excellent in every aspect, but the only problem is, what should we do if there is another An Lushan Rebellion?"

"With the Beijing Garrison still in power, how could An Lushan and Shi Siming combined be a match for it?" Qi Jiguang said matter-of-factly.

An Lushan was able to cause such a huge uproar because the Tang Dynasty's valiant soldiers on the Long March were in the Western Regions, not within the Great Wall. If Li Longji had had a strong army capable of field battles, the An Lushan Rebellion would not have escalated to such a degree.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng continued, "Therefore, this entire military system was actually built around the Beijing Garrison as its core."

"Indeed," Qi Jiguang nodded.

Streamlining personnel, with the same investment, results in stronger combat power. It may seem like troop reduction, but it is actually a way to strengthen the military. The only concern is that if the border troops are too strong, they might rebel. However, as long as the capital garrison is strong enough, the border towns will not become like regional warlords.

This entire military system was built upon the overwhelming strength of the Beijing Garrison.

“That’s it, Your Majesty. I do not agree with General Qi’s strategy of strengthening the borders,” Zhang Juzheng said, bowing his head.

The Ming Dynasty lasted for two hundred years. The Beijing Garrison rose and fell several times, following Emperors Taizu and Taizong in their conquests across the north and south. It was powerful at times, disbanded at times, and reorganized at times, but it gradually weakened after Emperor Wuzong.

Qi Jiguang looked at Zhang Juzheng with a puzzled expression; he couldn't even understand the logic in Zhang Juzheng's words.

"I understand," Zhu Yijun said with a smile. "You think that the strength of the Beijing Garrison is temporary. Once the Beijing Garrison weakens and the border troops become strong, then the Ming Dynasty will become like the late Tang Dynasty."

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng bowed again, and the emperor indeed understood what he was saying.

The Beijing garrison reforms during the Wanli era were a miracle, a miracle created by His Majesty through eighteen years of tireless effort.

Whether this miracle can continue after His Majesty's passing is anyone's guess. Let the border regions deteriorate as they may; it will never escalate to the point of regional warlordism.

"I was too naive." Qi Jiguang was taken aback and quickly bowed his head to apologize. He had taken things for granted. It was no wonder, given that the Beijing Garrison was currently at its zenith.
The Ming Dynasty's border troops have been corrupt for so many years, which is clearly intentional rather than due to a lack of effective strategies to revitalize the military.

"Let's discuss this further. First, we should convert the nominal soldiers on the border into civilians so they can focus on farming and sericulture." Zhu Yijun approved part of the memorial.

Military reduction is a must, but whether to streamline the nine border regions into the battalion system proposed by Qi Jiguang requires careful consideration.

The military garrison system had weakened, degenerating from a major force in warfare to a source of manpower. The battalion system proposed by Qi Jiguang was the best alternative.

Qi Jiguang's camp system was a summary, but in fact, the camp system had already emerged after the Jiajing Rebellion.

However, they appeared in the form of guest soldiers, private soldiers, and personal guards. For example, Li Chengliang's three thousand personal guards were more powerful than the seventy thousand troops in Liaodong; for example, Ma Fang, the general of Datong, had two standard battalions, all of which were cavalry units of ten thousand men each.

But taking that step was a difficult choice for the imperial court.

Maintaining the absolute loyalty of the Beijing Garrison was no easy task. Once the emperor felt threatened by the Beijing Garrison, he would unite with civil officials to suppress military officers and gradually weaken its strength. If the border troops were to become corrupt, that would be one thing, but if the Beijing Garrison was weak while the border troops were strong, the central government would be weak while the local forces were strong, and they would establish their own independent factions, resulting in the transformation of the Beijing Garrison into a regional military governorship.

This was particularly evident in the late Ming Dynasty, especially among the Guan-Ning cavalry after they were transformed into regional military governors in Liaodong.

In fact, by the late Qing Dynasty, as the fighting capacity of the Eight Banners troops continued to decline, the Qing court also had to face this problem.

"Can we transform the entire army into an iron army that can report to the emperor and save the common people?" Zhu Yijun proposed a solution: as long as the border troops are transformed into the same Holy Warriors as the capital troops, there will be no need to worry about the border regions becoming like local warlords!

Zhu Yijun proposed a practical solution.

Qi Jiguang thought about it carefully, then pointed to the location of Moscow on the map and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you take a look at Moscow?"

After careful consideration, Qi Jiguang, the Grand General of the Ming Dynasty and Duke of Fengguo, believed that taking Moscow would be simpler.

Zhang Juzheng smiled. Qi Jiguang was in the same predicament as him back then. When he gave lectures, he always showed His Majesty "Illustrated Explanation of Imperial Admonitions".

　The fever completely subsided yesterday, but I still had a runny nose. Today, the runny nose has significantly improved, and I'm basically recovered. Please vote for me! Aww!!!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)