I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 776 This Ming Dynasty is mature!
The peaceful and prosperous Ming Dynasty?
Marcelo and Leon looked at the scenery passing by outside the car window in silence.

Perhaps the Zhou family that is welcoming the bride and the Zhang family that is marrying off their daughter are some of the wealthy people in the capital, but the dowries and betrothal gifts carried by the wedding procession today are not considered to be very rare by the people watching.

The tone of everyone's words was cheerful and joyful, just like the wedding procession. There was no envy or jealousy. In their eyes, this might really be just a very ordinary wedding among the people of the capital.

This is enough to illustrate the problem.

Rows of trees, alleys, courtyard walls, wide gates, flying eaves and brackets, and mottled-textured roof tiles, these very characteristic Ming Dynasty buildings flashed past the car window one by one.

The people walking on the street include porters carrying loads, friendly vendors, young and energetic scholars, jumping children, white-haired old people, and women talking while walking.
They are like fish in the water, birds in the sky, deer in the mountains and sheep on the grassland. They add vitality to these landscapes and make this huge city flourish and thrive.

The carriage turned into Xuanwumen North Street, went out of the West City from Xuanwumen, and went into Xuanwumen South Street in the South City. Then it turned left and entered Xuannan Street, and arrived at Liulichang between Xuannanfang and Zhengxifang.

The conductor rang the bell and shouted.

"We've arrived at Liulichang!"

Everyone got out of the car and followed Shu Youliang to a big gate standing on the side of the road.

Marcelo, Leon and others already knew that this was a unique archway-style gate of the Ming Dynasty. When they got closer, they found that it was a little different from the archway-style gates they had seen before.

The style is similar, but the condition is much newer, so it must have been repaired recently.

Looking closer, I found that the pillars were actually cast with cement concrete, with stone bars on the top and cement on the rest. From top to bottom, it was all stone bars and cement, without a single piece of wood.

Marcelo and Leon stood under the archway, speechless.

Does such an archway gate still have a soul?
After hearing the two people's questions, Shu Youliang couldn't help but glared at them: "Why must it be repaired with wood? It is easy to catch fire when it is dry, and it is easy to rot when exposed to wind and rain.

Do you think we like to repair with wood?

It’s because building materials like stone were too difficult to obtain in the past, and materials like bricks could not be used for load-bearing purposes, so they had to make do with wood.

Now that we have reinforced concrete, machine operations, and easy access to stone slabs, why not use these strong materials that will last for hundreds of years?

soul?"

After saying this, he waved his hand. In Sophonia's eyes, he looked like a great poet.
"I feel that such a gate is full of the soul of the Industrial Revolution!"

Amid the shock of the Portuguese, Shu Youliang was the first to walk into this gate, which only had the appearance of the agricultural era but was full of the soul of the industrial age.

Sophnia couldn't help but be the first to follow in.

Marcelo and Leon hesitated, then followed in, and the rest of the group followed them.

Once inside, there is a street that is ten meters wide and has no end in sight.

There are two rows of sycamore trees on both sides of the street. They are not very tall and should have been planted in the past two years.

On both sides are houses in the Ming Dynasty style, three to four stories high, with flying eaves, brackets, carved beams and painted buildings.

But when you get closer, you can see that the walls, pillars and other main parts of the building are all built with reinforced concrete, stone strips and blue bricks, and only the door and window frames are made of wood.

If you continue walking in for another twenty or thirty meters, you will see buildings that represent the agricultural era and the soul of the industrial age. However, these buildings are filled with calligraphy and paintings, most of which are from the Ming Dynasty, and there are also some imported paintings from India, Persia, the Ottoman Empire and Europe.

The bookshelves were filled with books, most of which were from the Ming Dynasty, new editions with simplified characters, vertical punctuation, and beautiful printing. There were also some translated books from ancient Greece, Persia, Egypt, and India.

Leon saw "The Arabian Nights" and "The Divine Comedy", and Condorcet saw a chivalric novel that he had read some time ago and which had just become popular in Spain.

These books were all translated into Chinese characters, and the publishing units were the Tongwenguan of the Hanlin Academy, the Foreign Languages ​​Research Society of Wanli University, the Foreign Languages ​​Library of Nanjing University and the Shanghai Commercial Press.

The former translated and published academic books, while "Arabian Nights", "Divine Comedy" and Condorcet's favorite knight novels were all translated and published by Shanghai Commercial Press.

There are also some thread-bound books in the middle that look ancient and yellowish.

Shu Youliang introduced that this is the only book engraved in the pre-Tang and Song dynasties.

Sophonia found dozens of Persian, Arabic and Latin manuscripts that seemed to be hundreds of years old, and even saw ancient Egyptian and Greek orphans.
There are various antiques on display, including jade, Ru kiln porcelain from the pre-Song Dynasty, blue and white porcelain from the pre-Yuan Dynasty, copper furnace from the Xuande Dynasty, and cloisonné from the Jingtai Dynasty.
There are also gold, silver and bronze statues from India, with different expressions; stone and ivory carvings from Persia; extremely luxurious jewelry from the Ottoman Empire; and very simple wood and stone carvings from East Africa and the New World, which are full of primitive and mysterious beauty.
Sophonia couldn't help but sigh when she saw so many books, pictures and "antique artworks" from different civilizations, regions, scripts, religions and thoughts gathered together.

"I really came to the right place, Ming Country. This is the most unique place in the world, and it is the beacon of human civilization!" She sniffed hard, intoxicated by the special smell of Liulichang mixed with ink and sandalwood.

"Hmm, I smell a lot of artistic bacteria."

Shu Youliang was laughing beside him, very happily and happily.

The plenary meeting of the Advisory Bureau in the left hall of Ziguang Pavilion in Xiyuan was still going on, and Zhang Juzheng was making the final summary speech.

"Your Majesty, everyone, through the above data, specific achievements, and the prosperous scenes in various places, we can see that under the wise leadership of Your Majesty, with the joint efforts of your colleagues in the cabinet and local governors and county governments, the Ming Dynasty is reviving, and a peaceful and prosperous era unprecedented in all dynasties is emerging on the land of China.

On behalf of the six ministries, the temples, and the provincial governors, I am proud to announce today that over the past four years, we have lived up to the care and trust of the Emperor and the earnest expectations of the government and the people.
At this point, the cabinet’s national affairs reports from the first year to the fourth year of the Wanli period have all been completed.

I would like to thank His Majesty the Emperor, and also thank all my colleagues and advisors!"

There was a burst of warm applause. Although everyone was applauding, the expressions in their eyes were different.

Some are happy, some are excited, some feel the same, some are hypocritical, and some smile with their lips but not their eyes.
The applause echoed in the Zuodian conference room for nearly a minute. Zhu Yijun waved his hand and the applause soon stopped.

"The cabinet has finished its national policy report, and now we are entering the discussion phase. If you have any opinions, please feel free to speak up.

Zhang Xianghui will listen carefully to everyone's opinions, make revisions, and formally read them out at the plenary meeting of the Imperial Court a few days later." Zhu Yijun paused, and then continued: "Master Zhang just described the achievements of the cabinet's administration over the past four years, as well as the mistakes and issues that have not been done.

The same is true for subsequent reports on national defense, national discipline, economic work, and finance.

There are gains and losses, and these are the real and macro situations of the Ming Dynasty at present. Everyone should listen carefully and keep them in mind.

Only by understanding the overall situation of the Ming Dynasty, both the good and the bad, can you have a clear idea in the discussion of the next three-year plan, and put forward pertinent suggestions based on your respective fields.

Well, everyone, please share your opinions on Master Zhang’s national affairs report. ”

After waiting for more than ten seconds, eleven advisors successively put forward different opinions. Zhang Juzheng sat in his seat and took notes seriously.

It's just that the way he held the pen to write was a little clumsy, and his eyes would occasionally look out from his brown glasses to look at the person who was speaking.

After waiting for half a minute and seeing that no one had any objections, Zeng Shengwu, who was presiding over the meeting, asked Tan Lun to start his national defense report.

"Your Majesty, colleagues." Tan Lun's Mandarin with a Jiangxi accent rang out in the left hall conference room. His voice was loud and full of energy.

He is a senior fan of Haiyan Opera, Kunqu Opera and Hui Opera, and is good at singing the old man role.

"In the four years from the first year of the Wanli reign to the fourth year of the Wanli reign, we recovered the Sanbao Peninsula, the four islands of Yanzhou, and the two islands of Luzon and Sulu in the south.

In the north and west, we completely destroyed the last remnants of the former Mongol Yuan Dynasty, the Oirat tribes in the Jinshan area.

He then continued his westward expedition, recaptured the Junggar region, the Ili River and Chu River regions, the seven cities of Yarkand, and the northern and southern routes of the Tianshan Mountains including Turpan and Hami.

In the second year of Wanli, the city of Kele was conquered, the Military and Civilian Marshal's Office of Oris was destroyed, the Bolor Thousand Households Office was established, and the U-Tsang Xuanzheng Envoy Office was completely incorporated into the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

In the third year of Wanli's reign, the Kazakh Khanate was conquered and the entire Kipchak steppe was returned to the front and right wings of Mongolia.

In the fourth year of the Wanli reign, there was no longer a single Spanish soldier, sail or ship on the west coast of Gen and Xunzhou.

The Fourth Fleet of the Qinglong Navy bypassed the Autumnal Equinox Strait (Strait of Magellan) and marched to the east of Xunzhou, entering the heart of Spain's main ruling areas in the New World, the Viceroyalty of New Spain and the Viceroyalty of New Granada.

The Viceroyalty of New Granada was the new viceroyalty established by the Spanish in Bogota after we destroyed the Viceroyalty of Peru on the west coast of Sundaland.

In the fourth year of Wanli, in accordance with the emperor's order, the Zhenwei Army was reorganized into 12 field armies of the Ming Army, totaling 61 chariot and cavalry infantry regiments, 11 mountain infantry regiments, 25 artillery regiments, 14 cavalry regiments, and five Solon and Sushen assault infantry regiments, under the jurisdiction of the Zuo Jundudu Mansion.

The Wing Guard was reorganized into four military cavalry armies, namely the Xiaoqi, Huqi, Yunqi and Huqi, with a total of 61 cavalry regiments, which were under the jurisdiction of the Zuo Jundudu's Office.

The camp guards and inland navy were changed into local garrison forces, which were led by the military preparation offices of each province and directly under the control of the military government.

The navies of the East China Sea, South China Sea and North China Sea were reorganized into the East China Sea, South China Sea, North China Sea and Gyeonggi Sea Patrol Command Headquarters, each of which had two to three patrol fleets and several coastal defense regiments, patrolling their respective waters, responsible for near-shore surveillance and coastal defense, and directly under the control of the military government.

The four naval divisions of Qinglong, Suzaku, Baihu and Xuanwu were reorganized into four command headquarters, each with three to five fleets under its jurisdiction.

The name remains unchanged, and the unit is responsible for overseas ocean operations, protecting the safety of Ming's merchant, fishing, passenger, and mail ships in various seas, as well as the lives and property of Ming's people overseas, and promoting the Ming's power to the world.
All of the above are under the jurisdiction of the Right Army Governor's Office.

The Marine Corps will continue to be under the direct control of the Marine Corps Command.

Everyone remained silent, but everyone knew what was going on.

The current Ming Dynasty has indeed returned to the "ancestral system" of separation of civil and military officials.

The Chief Military Commissioner, the Left and Right Military Commissioners, and the concurrent Commander-in-Chief of the Five Armies, a few of whom were civil servants, but most of them were military generals. However, they were all awarded titles for their military merits and belonged to the group of nobles.

There is another point that outsiders do not know, but those present know it very well. The Five Army General Headquarters sounds powerful and influential. The Left Army is in charge of the army, the Right Army is in charge of the navy, the Rear Army is in charge of logistics, the Central Army is in charge of training and operations, and the Front Army is in charge of military registration and discipline.

But the real power is in the hands of the Military Control Office, several Dusi, the General Staff Bureau, and the Political Work Bureau.

The Five Military Commandery mainly played the role of coordination and daily management. The real power of troop deployment and combat operations was decided by the Military Control Office in accordance with the emperor's will and directly issued to the Military Commandery for execution. The General Staff Bureau was responsible for formulating the implementation plan, and the Political Work Bureau was responsible for supervision.
The Rong government was known as the highest military and defense institution of the Ming Dynasty, and the Zhizhisi was under its name.

The Zhizhisi was nominally an institution that provided military and political advisors to Emperor Wanli, but in reality it was the institution that made real decisions and issued orders on military and national defense, and was composed of the chief military and political envoy and several left and right military and political envoys.
Tan Lun paused, looked at everyone, and continued, "National defense is different from national politics, and it involves military secrets.

The national defense and military plan for the next three to five years has been discussed at the plenary meeting of the Administration Office by the Emperor and all the military and administrative envoys, and finally submitted to the Emperor for his sole decision, and has been finalized.

Now I would like to select the key points and report them to my colleagues.”

The meaning of Tan Lun's words was very straightforward. National defense and military affairs were military affairs. The specific plan was formulated by the relevant departments of the military government according to the emperor's will, and then discussed and finalized in a meeting of the Military Administration Office and submitted to the emperor for approval.

Only major military affairs such as declaring war, armistice, and peace talks will be brought to the Advisory Bureau for discussion. As for the rest of the military affairs, I will inform you here so that you can have an idea.

“In the next three years, Ming’s national defense strategy is to stabilize the west and advance eastward.

On the western front, from the Kipchak Steppe to the Siberian Khanate, we prioritized stabilizing the existing front. Internally, we continued to implement plans to build castles, fortresses, and important roads, and digest the existing territory as quickly as possible.

The Military Intelligence Bureau continued to conduct strategic operations against the Siberian Khanate, the Kazan Khanate, and the Crimean Khanate, providing intelligence and military support to support their continued harassment and attacks on the Principality of Moscow.
Similar approaches are taken in the Central Asian region and the Indian region, with the weak supported and the strong suppressed to ensure that the forces in the region remain balanced.

The only area on the western front that needed continued military deployment was Pagan.

The siege of Mang Yinglong of Toungoo continued. In Yunnan, the local chieftains in Mengyang, Mubang and other areas who refused to submit to the king continued to be eliminated, and Mang's wings were cut off.

The Second Fleet of the Suzaku Commandery of the Navy will continue to blockade the coastline of Pagan and not allow even a single sword, a single gun, a single grain of rice, an inch of cloth, a single thread of cotton, or a single ounce of salt to enter the Kingdom of Toungoo."

The navy dispatched its fleet to tightly blockade the coastline, turning it into an iron wall. The Ming Dynasty was well prepared.

(End of this chapter)