The Prosperous Era of Longwan

It was August in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, but the weather was still hot and the autumn wind did not blow away the summer heat.

In addition, the tireless chirping of cicadas in the trees in the yard made Wei Guangde feel very uncomfortable in the house.

Being a cabinet minister in the Ming Dynasty was actually quite boring, with endless memorials to deal with. Wei Guangde had a deep understanding of the difficulties faced by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, and also expressed his understanding of Emperor Yongle's decision to set up a cabinet.

You have to know that he was only handling a part of the memorials from all over the world, and it was already very difficult. Those two emperors, most of the time, held all the power and handled all the memorials by themselves.

Wei Guangde had just finished dealing with a memorial and put it aside. He reached out and picked up another one. He was stunned when he saw the cover, and then a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The memorial was quite thick. Wei Guangde flipped through the front and took a look. It was a memorial from the Ministry of Rites, requesting Altan Khan to confer the title of Dalai Lama on Sonam Gyatso and requesting the court to make a decision. Following it was Altan Khan's memorial, and finally there was a memorial from Sonam Gyatso, expressing his loyalty to the Ming Dynasty.

After waiting for more than half a month, the memorial was finally delivered to the capital.

Wei Guangde carefully read the memorials of Altan Khan and Sonam Gyatso, and slowly guessed their psychological changes from the lines.

To be honest, Wei Guangde was somewhat influenced by that person and showed a bit of distrust towards the Dalai Lama.

However, after reading Sonam Gyatso's memorial carefully, I felt that he might have been severely suppressed by the Tsangpa Khanate at that time and was in urgent need of foreign aid, so the content of the memorial was very humble.

Since the other party showed humility, Wei Guangde did not feel the need to be cautious, although he had already made up his mind about the matter.

However, when the matter really comes to hand, one's heart is still somewhat influenced by one's predecessor.

After taking another look at Altan Khan's memorial, Wei Guangde picked up the slip of paper and spread it out, then began to write a proposal. "The Mongolians' desire for Buddhism is evident. We propose to confer the title of Zen Master for Protecting the Nation and Promoting Buddhism. Please make your decision."

It should be noted that although the Dalai Lama was canonized in the Ming Dynasty, he was not given the title of Dalai Lama.

Strictly speaking, the Dalai Lama at that time was just an honorific title given to Sonam Gyatso by Altan Khan. It was a private title, and it was naturally impossible to write the words "Dalai Lama" on official documents.

"Zen Master who protects the country and spreads Buddhism" is what Wei Guangde thought of after reading the memorial. He is a Zen master who spread Buddhism to the Mongols.

As for adding the words "protect the country", it also makes it seem more noble, after all, it requires an imperial decree and seal from the court.

Putting away the pen, Wei Guangde felt that it was almost done. He waited until the writing on the paper was slightly dry before he picked it up and put it into the memorial.

However, there were some things he had not thought of, that is, after that day, Tan Lun discussed the matter with relevant officials from the Military Affairs Department.

The Zhifangsi made another judgment, that is, after Altan Khan took control of Mongolia south of the desert, if he continued to expand into Qinghai and even Tibet, he would probably become too powerful to be controlled.

That means that Wei Guangde and his men intended to lure Altan Khan to bring the Mongols to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to weaken Mongolia's strength, but they did not know that this would help the Mongols expand their ruling area, increase their population and combat power.

If not controlled properly, Altan Khan's power would probably undergo a qualitative leap due to the acquisition of Tibet, making him even more difficult to control.

In response to this, Tan Lun rushed to Wei Guangde's residence that night and told Wei Guangde the detailed analysis of the Zhifang Division.

Up to now, Wei Guangde is still a little hesitant about this and has not set a final goal.

Yes, sometimes I think things are just like this, I only consider the side that favors me, but forget that things have two sides.

The Mongols' massive influx into Tibet was both a danger and an opportunity, a crisis within a crisis and an opportunity within a danger.

So at this moment, Wei Guangde thought of sending Sonam Gyatso to Mongolia to spread Buddhism.

As I said before, the goal is to make the Mongols "lay down their butcher knives". Either they let them roam free or they go to worship Buddha and stop fighting. What a good thing.

However, Wei Guangde didn't know that this was actually what happened in the original time and space.

The Yellow Sect represented by Sonam Gyatso no longer had a place to stay in Tibet, so it had to seek help from Mongolia and go there to preach Buddhism. At the same time, it strengthened its relations with Mongolia, hoping to use the power of Mongolia to restore the status of Gelug Sect in Tibet.

And he eventually passed away in Mongolia, and the new reincarnated soul boy was Altan Khan's newborn great-grandson.

The fourth Dalai Lama returned to Tibet with Mongolian cavalry in the late Ming Dynasty. The Mongolian forces once again entered Tibet and established the Khanate.

After the Qing Dynasty conquered Mongolia and the Central Plains, the Khanate of Tibet also surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, which gave the Qing Dynasty a reason to interfere in Tibetan affairs. When Tibet refused to obey the orders of the central court, the Qing army sent troops from Qinghai and Sichuan to attack Tibet many times and achieved success.

Ultimately, the military victory made the Tibetan ruling class choose to truly submit to the Qing government. The ministers sent by the Qing government to Tibet were given full power to intervene in Tibetan affairs, thus firmly binding Tibet and China together.

It can be said that the Mongols' invasion of Tibet did not expand the Mongols' strength, especially when facing a more powerful opponent, the Qing Dynasty, they were completely powerless.

It is precisely because of this that it is said that the Qing Dynasty made the greatest contribution to China's territory.

Otherwise, the areas west of Sichuan and Shaanxi and north of the Great Wall might not be within the territory of China.

Putting this matter aside, Wei Guangde continued to deal with other matters. The next one was another matter that he was very concerned about.

The memorial was written by Lao Kan, the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate who was far away in Zhejiang. What he mentioned was naturally the news of Yin Zhengmao's fleet going out to sea.

Also half a month ago, Yin Zhengmao arrived in Ningbo, Zhejiang. After inspecting all the accompanying ships and supplies, he bid farewell to Lao Kan and other officials who saw him off, and set sail with the fleet towards Luzon.

Nowadays, it has become a common practice for ships from Zhejiang, Fujian and other places to go to Luzon as their first stop when heading south.

After all, this place is already considered the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Only the ships from Guangdong and Guangxi that go out to sea secretly will take the route to Annan and Siam.

Their route had to intentionally avoid Luzon and Old Port.

After all, without a guide, it is difficult to explain where they came from.

However, this situation will soon change. After all, the Chinese people's habit of using their brains is ingrained in their bones.

Although it was impossible to obtain the official ship guide of the Ming Dynasty, it was possible to transform one's own ship into a ship of a vassal state in Southeast Asia.

All we need to do is find some Nanyang shipworkers to get on board. After all, with the increase in Ming merchant ships, Luzon and Old Port have gradually become distribution centers for Ming goods in Nanyang.

Some merchants who are unable to reach Yuegang in time for various reasons will choose to stop at Jiugang to purchase goods first, and Luzon secondly.

This also led to a sharp increase in tariffs in the two places. The tax silver from the South China Sea Navy flowed into the navy's purse, so the Ministry of Revenue sent skilled officials from Ningbo and Quanzhou Maritime Customs to the two places to help collect the tax silver.

This income was not collected in the Ming Dynasty, and the Ministry of Revenue and the Inner Court both blocked the news, so not many people knew about it.

Wei Guangde did not draft this memorial to Lao Kan. It was just a written report, and it was enough for the higher-ups to know about it.

It can be sent to the palace intact, and the Imperial Household Department will just need to approve it. There is no need for a Grand Secretary to approve it.

Thinking that the fleet had already set off, Wei Guangde couldn't help but think of Myanmar.

A month ago, Li Chengliang sent a message saying that everything was ready and the army would march westward in the near future to completely eliminate the remnants of the Toungoo Dynasty.

However, during this month, the Ministry of War did not submit any war reports to the Cabinet.

Wei Guangde was not worried that Li Chengliang would make a mistake, but since there had been no news, Wei Guangde couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Feeling annoyed, Wei Guangde picked up the teacup on the table, but found that there was no water in it.

"Lubu, Lubu, come in."

Wei Guangde was unhappy and shouted outside the door.

But this time, there was no scene of Lu Bu walking quickly into the house, and there was no movement outside the door.

"Where has this kid been?"

Wei Guangde cursed softly, picked up the folding fan beside the desk, opened it, and fanned himself to cool down. Then he stood up and walked to the door while fanning himself.

Sure enough, there was no one outside the duty room.

When there was a commotion here, a figure popped out from the room next door.

"Guan Jun, where are the people from Lubu? Where are they hiding and lazing around?"

When Wei Guangde saw the man, he immediately shouted loudly.

Shi Guanjun, who was born as a student of the Imperial Academy, was transferred to the Secretariat because of his capable work. Later, he was selected to serve as a secretary in the cabinet to help with some work.

When Wei Guangde asked, Shi Guanjun hurriedly stood out and clasped his fists towards Wei Guangde and said, "Lord Wei, just now a young eunuch came over from outside, and Lu Bu followed him.

The person who came seems to be guarding the imperial gate. There must be something going on outside."

"Oh, I see. Please give me a refill of tea."

Wei Guangde nodded and gave another instruction.

The Zhongshuke was the government office that Zhang Ke had visited before. It was located next to the Six Ministries, but it was mostly where the servants worked.

Since the Zhongshu Branch no longer had the responsibility of writing imperial edicts, imperial decrees, silver books, iron certificates, etc., these tasks had actually fallen into the hands of the Zhongshu of the Cabinet.

Wei Guangde could naturally order officials of the seventh rank around at will.

He was fanning himself in the yard and resting, while Shi Guanjun had already prepared some tea and brought it over.

"Sorry to bother you, go ahead."

Wei Guangde smiled at him and said something.

"Master Wei, if you need anything, just call me. I'll be in the next room."

Shi Guanjun smiled and said.

Wei Guangde rested in the yard for about half a cup of tea, and finally saw Lu Bu trotting in from outside the yard.

"Master, you are looking for me."

When Lu Bu saw Wei Guangde in the yard, he guessed it.

"Um."

Wei Guangde responded and then returned to the duty room.

No matter whether Lu Bu went out for official business or personal matters, it had to be handled behind closed doors and he couldn't let other people in the cabinet laugh at him.

After entering the room, Lu Bu took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it over with both hands.

"Master, this is what Butler Zhang gave me in the Imperial City. He said to give it to you as soon as possible."

Before Wei Guangde asked, Lu Bu had already explained the reason for his departure.

Knowing that it was Zhang Ji who asked someone to call him out, Wei Guangde naturally knew that something must have happened.

Wei Guangde frowned after taking the letter and taking a look at it.

It turned out that the letter was not from Zhang Ji, but was sent by Ma Fang from Xuanfu.

"What's going on in Xuanfu? Altan Khan is not in the grassland now."

Wei Guangde muttered something, then tore open the envelope, took out the letter and started reading.

It was not until Wei Guangde finished reading the letter that his mood became depressed.

Yes, there was actually no other content in Ma Fang's letter. It was not asking the court for silver and food, but simply telling him to arrange a successor to go to Xuanfu as soon as possible.

Since the beginning of the year, Ma Fang felt that his health was getting worse and worse, and now he couldn't even ride a war horse for a long time.

If a general of a border town cannot even ride a horse to fight, what else can he continue to do?

In fact, he had been stranded on the grassland in his early years and had developed some health problems. He could only have endured them because he was young and strong.

Conditions have improved in recent years, and I planned to keep it alive, but the foundation has already deteriorated.

According to the content of the letter, he probably won't live for many years.

Obviously, his physical condition was worse than Tan Lun's.

As for Tan Lun, at least he is still in the capital, and he can get a lot of nourishing herbs to nourish his body, so even though he felt he couldn't hold on in the past two years, he could still continue to stand guard.

But once Ma Fang's health deteriorated, all kinds of problems began to arise.

Fortunately, the border wall of Xuanfu is quiet now. Altan Khan is not here, and there is no stalemate on the Mongolian side. Ma Fang did not lead the team on patrol this year.

I really had the will but not the ability, but I didn't delay the mission.

But this situation cannot continue, so we have to ask Wei Guangde to make arrangements. He will return to his hometown in Wei County to spend his old age at the latest next year.

I have to say that this letter is really important, as it is related to Wei Guangde's plan for the safety of the capital.

Yu Dayou will be gone for a few years, and the same goes for Ma Fang. By then, the only ones left to use are Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang.

Logically speaking, it is a lot, but the territory of the Ming Dynasty is too large, and people are needed to look after both the north and the south, so it is inevitable that it is a bit stretched.

Wei Guangde now feels that he has too few talented people at his disposal, especially those military generals with combat experience.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde naturally thought of the Ministry of War.

He only grasps the general direction, but as for the understanding of local military generals, the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War is definitely the most familiar.

Wei Guangde didn't believe that there were no famous generals in the Ming Dynasty at that time. There were always talented people in every dynasty.

As for Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou's fame, it was the times that made heroes. They participated in the suppression of the Japanese pirates, so they became famous throughout the ages. In addition, they had strong military qualities and were generals who were powerful in both the north and the south.

We have to start training a new generation of generals. We can't just rely on this group of old generals to conquer the world.

Everyone will grow old.

Perhaps at the beginning, when Yu Dayou said he wanted to retire, Wei Guangde still wanted to let him hold on a little longer until people like Chen Lin were trained and the navy had a new leader.

Now that Ma Fang of Xuanfu has also resigned, Wei Guangde has to pay attention to the issue of talent renewal.

He wrote a note to Tan Lun, asking him to arrange for the Military Selection Division to sort out the generals from all over the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible, select some useful talents, and send them to Xuanfu, Liaozhen and other places for training as soon as possible.

Wei Guangde felt that Qi Jiguang's method of training soldiers should be retained and promoted in various border towns, and he also had to ask the Ministry of War what progress had been made in promoting Qi Jiguang's cavalry, infantry and chariot camps.

Wei Guangde only remembered that it was always said that ten new armies should be established in Jizhen, and that was Qi Jiguang's plan at that time.

Later, Qi Jiguang was transferred north, taking away four well-trained barracks. Wei Guangde had to inquire about the situation of the other barracks, whether they had been replenished, etc.

During this period of time, I have forgotten about this.

“There are so many things left over from the past.”

Wei Guangde sighed, called Lu Bu, handed him the note, and asked him to deliver it to the Ministry of War and give it to Tan Lun, and then he started to deal with official business again.

As for the candidate mentioned by Ma Fang in the letter, he has no one available at the moment, so he can only wait. (End of this chapter)