I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 777 I want to talk about a very serious issue!
Looking back at the accounts, everyone remembers that the Kingdom of Annan was first blockaded and its strength was greatly weakened. It was unable to resist and was quickly recovered.

Then the blockade caused the economic collapse of Korea, which eventually led to a civil uprising that swept across the country, causing it to fall to the Ming Dynasty.

Dongwo is still under blockade, and it is said that it has degenerated greatly and is almost as primitive and backward as the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

Well, Confucianism respects the rule of three generations under two emperors and three kings, and it is always about restoring the past.

Now the Emperor has transformed East Japan into the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and has sent many stubborn Confucian scholars there to let them practice and see for themselves how to govern the Three Ages.

Now Toungoo Mang is also enjoying this, it just depends on how long he can hold on.

Tan Lun continued, "We will continue to support Siam and Nanzhang. We will send troops and they will send men and horses. We will continue to attack the Kingdom of Toungoo from the east, constantly bleeding Mang Yinglong.
On the eastern front, that is, Genxun and Xunzhou, we must take active measures. The three fleets of Xuanwu, Suzaku, and Baihu, as well as the four major patrol fleets, will be transferred to Genxun and Xunzhou in batches to join the Qinglong fleet and take turns in combat.
So far, the Ming Dynasty's Eastern Expedition Army stationed in Genzhou has controlled an area of ​​approximately 200,000 square kilometers in the western coastal area of ​​Genzhou.

The local indigenous peoples, including the Pomo, Tolowa, Miwok, Maidu, Kato, Winton, Kawila, Chemewe, Chumash, Karok, Mohave, Yokut, Paiute and Modoc, a total of fourteen tribes, were conquered.

The Ming Dynasty's temporary administrative agency in Genzhou, the Eastern Expedition Governor's Office, divided each tribe into their own areas, and each tribe built a city, namely Moyang City, Luoshan City, Wotu City, Duguan City, Tuodong City, Wenyang City, Weishan City, Meiyang City, Chuma City, Luojiang City, Dingwei City, Yuehe City, Youjiang City, and Kerong City.

A county was set up in each city, and a county magistrate was appointed. A county government was established, which was temporarily under the jurisdiction of the Xiazhou Xuanzhengshisi. At the same time, a thousand households were set up, and the Ming immigrants implemented a military settlement system, which was under the jurisdiction of the Xiazhou Zhihuishisi.
Starting this year, our Eastern Expedition Army organized the remnants of the Xia and Shang dynasties, as well as the immigrant armed forces, to form an advance detachment, which will open up to the southeast by land, establish contact with the remnants of the Xia and Shang dynasties in the Shangzhou area, and save them from danger.

At the same time, they also launched an attack on the Spanish New Spain Viceroyalty, with the main target being the three large Spanish silver mines there.
In Xunzhou in the south, we took over the Portoviejo and Juancota silver mines left by the Spanish, and liberated the Incas who were brutally oppressed by the Spanish. They were also the remnants of the Xia and Shang dynasties, and our brothers from the same ancestry.
Due to manpower issues, we can only use Spanish prisoners of war and Inca traitors who sell their country for fame and fortune as miners. We can barely maintain the production, and the output cannot be restored to the heyday of the Spanish.
In the southern Pacific, in October last year, the Navy’s surveying fleet spent two years and seven months to finally map Fangzhou Island (Australia).”

Before Tan Lun finished speaking, Qi Yan and two eunuchs hung a large map on the side wall so that everyone could see it.

Pointing to the map, Tan Lun said, "It can be seen that Fangzhou should be a large island with a circumference of more than 35,000 kilometers and an area estimated to be more than 7 million square kilometers."

Everyone couldn't help but talk quietly.

Seven million square kilometers, almost as big as the Western Regions (including Tianshan, Jinshan, Hezhong and Kipchak Steppes). I never thought there is such a big island in the world.

"We conducted several preliminary surveys along the coastline and found that the island was very desolate, with many deserts and no grass in many places. There were many strange animals, and the natives only saw a dozen or so, so they did not try to capture them for the time being.

In the southeast corner of the island, the surveying team discovered a small island. Of course, compared with Fangzhou Island, it is a small island. In fact, the area of ​​the island is estimated to be more than 50,000 square kilometers, which is larger than Qiongzhou Island.

There, the surveying team encountered several duck-billed monsters swimming in the water, so they named the island Fuzhu Island.
After the surveying fleet returned to China, it submitted the surveying data to the General Bureau of Surveying and Mapping of the Rong government. I also reported it to the emperor as soon as possible. The emperor personally met with the backbone of the surveying team and listened to their report. "

Zhu Yijun interjected, "I saw on the map they drew that the shape of this island resembled a square tripod, so I named it Dingzhou.

How can such a large island, seven million square kilometers, be called an island? You are putting other islands to shame!"

All the ministers burst into laughter.

"I have designated it as a continent, parallel to Genzhou, Xunzhou, and Kunzhou. The north is divided into Fangzhou, and the south is Yizhou."

Tan Lun continued, "This imperial decree has been issued to the General Administration of Surveying and Mapping and the Geographical Society. In the future, according to this imperial decree, all islands discovered around Dingzhou will be included in the scope of Dingzhou.

In the next three years, our strategy for Dingzhou is to build port fortresses at suitable locations in the four directions of southeast, northwest, and northeast to serve as outposts for continued exploration inland.
In the next three to five years, the General Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation, the Navy and the Imperial Astronomical Observatory and Geographical Society will work together to focus on exploring the sea area between Shenzhou and Genxunzhou, that is, the central Pacific region.

Specifically, it is the sea area east of Luzon and Sulu Island, north of Yuanxu Island and Dingzhou, and west of Genzhou and Xunzhou. We are going to divide it into ten surveying and exploration teams, divided by latitude, and conduct exploration from west to east in parallel.

Tan Lun finished reporting the military plan of the Ming Dynasty for the next three years and put down the manuscript in his hand. "Now the envoys of the Ottoman, Persian and Portuguese countries have arrived in the capital, waiting to negotiate with the Ming Dynasty.

The Rong government meant that these three countries could negotiate and develop into partners of the Ming Dynasty.

The initial idea was that the Ottomans would attack Moscow in the north and suppress Spain's influence in the Mediterranean in the east; Persia would contain the Ottomans in the west and suppress Afghanistan in the east; and join forces with Portugal to attack Spain from both sides.

Wang Yi'e asked, "Mr. Tan, are we just partners, not allies?"

"Yes. Ming needs to take responsibility for its allies. Partners should work together when it is beneficial, and separate when it is not."

Wang Yi'e nodded, "I understand. The strength of these three countries is not yet qualified to become an ally of the Ming Dynasty."

After Tan Lun finished his national defense report, none of the advisors had any objections.

Next, Zhao Zhenji made a report on national discipline.

Two or three years later, this Ming Dynasty Censor-in-Chief had aged a lot, his face was thin, and his hair, which used to be only gray, was now almost completely white.

All the ministers saw it and said, it is not easy to be the Chief Censor.

Inspecting official discipline and impeaching officials are all jobs that offend people.

In recent years, the emperor has repeatedly launched major cases, and tens of thousands of officials have been implicated and punished to varying degrees. Zhao Zhongcheng must not only punish the guilty officials fairly, but also appease the frightened people in the court and the local areas, so that they can continue to perform their duties and build the new Ming Dynasty peacefully.

He worked hard and expended countless efforts and energy, but his reputation was not well-known and his political achievements were not recognized.

There were rumors circulating in the court and the country that the emperor was not satisfied with Zhao Zhongcheng's tenure in recent years.

The tasks of rectifying official discipline and supervising all officials were all done by the Performance Evaluation Steering Committee headed by Zhang Xiang of the Cabinet, while Zhao Zhongcheng and the Censorate were just a sideshow.

The person who spread this rumor is really a trickster! There are also rumors that the emperor thinks that Lord Zhao is too flexible and too smooth, and is not suitable to be the Chief Censor, so he is preparing to replace him.
Zhao Zhenji's accent was thick with Sichuanese accent, and his voice was dry and hoarse, so many words could not be heard clearly.

But it doesn't matter, no one likes to listen to his report.

In particular, many of the names of officials who were questioned and severely punished were acquaintances present, either old friends from the same hometown, or good friends from the same department, or former colleagues.

Everyone's expression was very solemn and serious, as if Zhao Zhenji was not reading a national discipline report, but a eulogy for someone.

Finally, when Zhao Zhenji finished reading, everyone expressed with deafening silence that we have no opinions and no suggestions.

The next topic was Wang Chonggu’s economic work report.

Since a large part of Zhang Juzheng's national affairs report was a summary of the economic work of the past four years, Wang Chonggu's report was relatively simple and focused more on the plans for economic work in the next three years.

“The economic work in the north is mainly to build five centers.

Build a heavy industry center with Luanzhou as the core, and Qinhuangdao as its supporting transportation center; a coal industry center with Taiyuan as the core; a wool textile industry center with Shenyang as the core; a light industry center with Tianjin as the core; and a new coal, iron and heavy industry center with Liaoyang as the core, taking into account Anshan and Weining (Benxi).
The economic work in the central region is led by Shanghai and linked by the Yangtze River, and the Yangtze River Industrial and Agricultural Cooperation Belt is established. Shanghai continues to build itself into a light industrial center with textiles as its core, as well as a commercial and transshipment center connecting the river and the sea.

Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hubei, and Sichuan provided cotton, minerals, tobacco, tea, silk cocoons and other agricultural and sideline products and mining resources to Shanghai along the Yangtze River. These were then industrialized and reprocessed in Shanghai factories to produce high value-added industrial products, which were then sold back to the above provinces along the Yangtze River and sold to other provinces and overseas through river and sea transportation.
In the southern region, agriculture vigorously developed the planting of cash crops. In Fujian, Ryukyu Island, Guangdong, Qiongzhou Island, Jinghai, Rinnan and other provinces and counties, sugarcane was widely planted and the sugar industry was developed.

In Guangdong, Qiongzhou Island, Jinghai, Rinan, Sanbao County, Yanzhou and other places, rubber trees are widely planted and the rubber industry is developed. "

Wang Chonggu raised his head and explained a few words, "Rubber trees are seedlings obtained by the Qinglong Navy and the Eastern Expedition Army from the Portuguese-controlled areas in the New World (Brazil), and transplanted to Sanbao County, Yanzhou, Luzon and Sulu Island. The survival rate is very high and it is still widely planted.

Rubber trees are very useful. The Imperial Observatory used the collected natural rubber juice to make gloves and rubber hoses for medical use. Then they used a secret method to make cooked rubber for wheels and machine seals, which worked very well.
The Imperial Observatory submitted a report to the cabinet, suggesting that the rubber industry be vigorously developed, believing that it could help the Ming Dynasty's industrial revolution go further.
The economic work in the southern region is also based on mineral resources.

Using the coal in Hongji area of ​​Jinghai Province, the iron ore discovered in Qiongzhou Island, the copper ore discovered in Luzon Island, and the tin and antimony ore discovered in Yanzhou South Island, we are preparing to establish a southern smelting center in Xinhui area of ​​Guangdong.

After Wang Chonggu's report, everyone started discussing it heatedly.

Everyone was talking at once, their words were sharp, and the scene was heated. But in fact, when it came down to it, they were all trying to get more projects for the place where they were in office or the sphere of influence of their faction.

Everyone has seen clearly that if we can secure good, large projects, our political achievements will soar.

During the Wanli Dynasty, only those with political achievements could have a chance to rise to a high position.

The most typical example is Hai Rui, who sat there in silence but no one dared to ignore him.

Huzhou was separated from Jiangsu to form a direct-controlled prefecture, and Nanjing became Yingtian Prefecture on its own. People in the government and the public thought that Jiangsu was half-crippled and only had Huai salt left. The road ahead would be difficult, and the political achievements of Jiangsu Governor Hai Rui in the next few years might be ugly.

But no one would have expected that the upright Hai Rui was so shrewd that he could see the key point at a glance and find ways to get the project before others could react.

Over the years, Yangzhou established the Jiangbei cotton planting base, became the largest cotton supplier for many cotton mills in Shanghai, and also became one of the top light industrial centers in the south.

Suzhou not only continued to be the largest silk textile center in the Ming Dynasty, but also became one of the country's leading art and cultural centers under the support of Hai Rui.

Every year, millions of people from all over the country flock to Suzhou just to watch plays and attend literary gatherings, bringing millions of yuan in consumption to Suzhou.

Suzhou also became the second largest printing center after the capital, and exported more Chinese books overseas than the capital and other places.
It truly achieved what Hai Rui said at the beginning: culture provides the stage and the economy performs the show.

Now he is not only the most honest official in the Ming Dynasty, but also one of the few capable ministers in the Wanli Dynasty.

We must learn from him and find ways to get projects.

After a heated argument, which ended with both parties getting red in the face, Zhang Juzheng finally came out to smooth things over.

“Ladies and gentlemen, today we are only discussing the direction and outline of economic work for the next three years. Please wait until the cabinet meeting to finalize the specific projects, and we will discuss them in detail.

Please don’t waste your time, there are several more topics to come.”

Everyone saw Zhu Yijun's silent expression again and shut up.

Next, Qi Jiguang's report on the construction of the army and navy was dull and similar to a report. After reading it, no one had any opinions.

After Wang Guoguang finished reading the financial report, the ministers discussed it intensely for more than half an hour, all for one purpose: to get money!

But this time everyone knew what was going on and had learned their lesson. Seeing that their attitudes had been revealed and that the time was almost up, they all shut up.

All the ministers were silent, and Zhu Yijun spoke first.

"Master Zhang just finished reading the national affairs report, Wang Zuocheng finished reading the economic work report, and Wang Youcheng finished reading the financial report. All three items are related to the Wanli New Deal.

Since this is all about the New Deal, I want to emphasize a very serious issue, a matter of life and death for the New Deal reform.”

These words were very serious and the conference room immediately became extremely silent. Everyone held their breath and looked at Zhu Yijun, waiting for what to come next.

(End of this chapter)