Stealing the Ming Dynasty [Complete] - 29

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

Can the towering peak bear the weight of this heavy

responsibility September 12th, Tianqi 6th year, Changsheng Island.

Recently, the cannon-casting level on Changsheng Island has improved further. The final design of the cast iron six-pounder cannon has been finalized, and the first mass-produced cast iron six-pounder cannon has been manufactured. This cast iron cannon has been tested and performed very well. Furthermore, if most of the parts are replaced with iron, the overall weight of the cannon carriage will be greatly reduced, and the three-pounder cannon seems to be obsolete.

The application of hydraulic machine tools and metallurgical furnaces has greatly improved the production capacity of Changsheng Island. Currently, the military industry can cast one six-pounder cannon every three days, theoretically producing hundreds of cannons a year. Unfortunately, Huangshi simply does not have enough troops to use such powerful firepower, even with the addition of the Choshu Domain of Japan, so most of the production capacity will inevitably be idle.

Experimental prototypes of both the nine-pound and twelve-pound cast iron cannons were cast. After watching the firing demonstrations, Huang Shi was reasonably impressed with these two types of cannons. However, with the cannon carriages attached, these two cannons were still too heavy to keep up with the marching columns.

Huang Shi felt that the twelve-pound cast iron cannon, in particular, was unnecessary for land warfare, but its power was somewhat insufficient for siege warfare. In general, rather than producing such a useless weapon for siege warfare, it would be better to directly cast eighteen-pound or even twenty-four-pound cannons. Since they couldn't keep up with normal marches anyway, it was better to simply pursue power.

Although the nine-pound and twelve-pound cannons would not be issued to the troops for the time being, these achievements still made Huang Shi very happy. Over the years, Changsheng Island had finally trained a group of professional cannon-casting technicians. Over the years, Huang Shi had consistently encouraged the Ordnance Department to carry out detailed internal division of labor, and now the technicians in each department were becoming increasingly specialized.

The cannon-casting regulations on Changsheng Island were gradually perfected, and with the improvement in tool manufacturing, the cannon-casting capabilities of the Changsheng Island Military Industry Bureau had become quite considerable. Several years ago, when Duncan first arrived on Changsheng Island, it already possessed the ability to independently cast cannons. Currently, most of the cannon-casting technicians on Changsheng Island do not yet possess this comprehensive skill level, but their expertise in their respective areas far surpasses that of Duncan.

Since the technology for six-pounder cast iron cannons was mature, the old-fashioned cannons were no longer needed, so Huangshi sold them all to Nobuyoshi, the magistrate of Choshu. According to news from Japan, relations between Choshu and the shogunate had deteriorated further, reaching a point of near-impossibility, with the shogunate's "Conquest of Choshu Order" potentially being issued at any time.

Previously, the shogunate stipulated that the lords of each domain should visit Edo every two years, staying for several months or even a year, but this year the lord of the Choshu domain dared not go to Edo under any circumstances. Currently, Choshu has already constructed three new-style artillery positions in the border region. They were equipped with numerous cannons, making these fortifications extremely powerful even when defended by the old-style troops of Choshu, as the Tokugawa Shogunate's army lacked artillery.

The 1,200 Japanese ronin sent by Nobuyoshi had recently completed basic soldier training, and Huangshi dispatched a 200-strong officer and non-commissioned officer corps to return to Japan with them for command, preparing for the defense of Choshu. This army, trained according to the Chosei Island regulations, was also divided into three infantry units and one artillery unit, following the Chosei Island model, and received several three-pounder cannons recently phased out by Chosei Island.

In addition to the three-pounder cannons, Nobuyoshi also paid for helmets for each soldier (including the 200 Ming Dynasty volunteers sent by Huangshi), as well as 700 rifles and 500 Chosei Island muskets.

Liu Qingyang and Kuroshima Kazuo were both optimistic about the likely outbreak of war, believing that the Tokugawa Shogunate's army was merely a feudal army not much stronger than the Ming Dynasty's military households.

When Huang Shi asked Liu Qingyang about his impression of the Japanese Tokugawa Shogunate army, Liu Qingyang immediately showed a disdainful expression: "The army of the Tokugawa Shogunate is an army lacking fighting spirit. Most of the officers and soldiers were hastily formed before the battle. Apart from a very small number of samurai, most of the soldiers were farmers in peacetime. I don't believe such an army can withstand arduous battles."

Besides Liu Qingyang and Kuroshima Kazuo's reports, Huang Shi also obtained intelligence about Japan through other channels. For example, the group of pastors from the "Loyal Patriotic Catholic Church" that Huang Shi sent to Choshu continuously transmitted large amounts of Japanese intelligence back to Changsheng Island. This intelligence included not only Japanese military intelligence but also information on local products, geography, and customs. These missionaries were like the sensitive tentacles of Changsheng Island, allowing Huang Shi to perceive the actual situation in Japan.

Huang Shi now possessed an intelligence register compiled by the Imperial Guard. As he flipped through the records, he confirmed with Liu Qingyang, "Brother Liu, the Tokugawa Shogunate's army seems to lack combat experience as well."

"Yes, sir, you're quite right. Japan hasn't fought a war in over a generation. Apart from a few old men, most of the soldiers' combat experience comes from brawls in taverns. Officers and soldiers have basically never seen a battlefield. Although the samurai are professional soldiers, their martial arts are mostly only useful in individual combat. As far as I know, most of them haven't received training in coordinated operations."

This assessment perfectly matched the intelligence Huang Shi had received. Liu Qingyang had spent more time in Japan than in China in recent years. Since he shared the same views as the priests, Huang Shi was basically reassured about the war between the Shogunate and Choshu. If the Choshu Domain were fighting on its home turf, it could easily mobilize tens of thousands of feudal troops with combat strength comparable to the Shogunate's army. Although the new-style army trained on Choshu Island was smaller in number, it would certainly play a crucial role.

Liu Qingyang's view was basically the same as Huang Shi's. Moreover, the equipment of Changzhou's new army was extremely superior, even surpassing the average level of Changsheng Island.

Starting at the end of July, Zhongdao had begun mass production of breastplates. Production capacity reached 100 units in early August, increased to 120 units in mid-August, and reached 180 units in late August, for a total of 400 units produced that month. Two days ago, when Bao Bowen reported to Huang Shi, he told him that breastplate production had increased to 200 units in early September, and that this month's daily output was expected to reach around 25 units.

Previously, even the easiest leather armor required more than ten days for a skilled worker to manufacture a set of armor, while iron armor, due to

its long forging process, was even more time-consuming. But now, thanks to water-powered forging machines, three or four skilled workers could manufacture a set of breastplates almost effortlessly. Only the carburizing process was time-consuming; the shaping, which was previously the most labor-intensive step, was only a matter of minutes on the water-powered forging machine.

In his work report to the Military Industry Department in early September, Bao Bowen predicted that, given the availability of machine production, this breastplate would "eventually become as cheap as waste paper." Seven hundred sets of breastplates were expected to be produced in September. These future "waste paper" were pre-sold by Huang Shi to Shou Sui Xinji at one hundred taels of silver per set, and would be shipped to Japan the following month.

Therefore, if the Later Jin did not launch an attack on Changsheng Island, Huang Shi estimated that the Changzhou New Army would adopt breastplates even earlier than Changsheng Island. Since this armor could withstand attacks from steel swords, iron bows, and spears, there was no reason why it couldn't withstand bamboo bows, muskets, and bamboo spears.

"The Japanese shogunate doesn't have the capacity to provide standardized equipment to its army like our Ming Dynasty does. Needless to say, the peasant soldiers who were temporarily recruited, and even the so-called samurai, all had their equipment purchased individually; the wealthy were better equipped, and the poor were worse off."

Like all officers accustomed to the Changsheng Island model, Liu Qingyang now scoffed at the fighting capabilities of feudal armies: "The Japanese shogunate's army's offensive capabilities are highly questionable, and its defensive capabilities are unreliable. Attacking cities would likely only be possible through prolonged sieges. They are far from being able to contend with the Choshu Domain army we trained, even with numerical superiority."

"Yes, Brother Liu's words have put my mind at ease." Even if the Tokugawa Shogunate were to attack Choshu, its most likely course of action would be to call upon the surrounding lords to besiege the Mori clan. This would give the Choshu army the opportunity to defeat them piecemeal. Huang Shi believed that in this era, a well-equipped and well-trained modern army could certainly rely on insider operations to obliterate its scheming neighbors.

After seeing Liu Qingyang off, Huang Shi reviewed the report from the Chosei Island Military Industry Department again. Anyone with discerning eyes could see at a glance that there was no need to wait for Bowen to build windmills on Nakajima denser than a forest. With enough money, the current production capacity alone was sufficient to re-equip Huang Shi's three elite battalions within a year.

"According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, private possession of armor is tantamount to treason. Although firearms are not strictly prohibited, and both escort agencies and individuals can purchase them, given the immense power of the firearms from Changsheng Island, the court probably wouldn't allow them to circulate in the market... It's truly a headache. If I were to manufacture so many weapons, who would I sell them to?"

...

In the blink of an eye, it was September 17th. The court sent an envoy to Changsheng Island. After the eunuch who came to read the imperial edict landed on the island, incense was quickly burned and an altar was set up. Huang Shi also hurriedly changed into black gauze hat and boots, a python robe and jade belt, and then, holding his official robe, personally welcomed the envoy and his entourage through the gate.

"This humble general was unaware of the arrival of the imperial envoy and has failed to greet you properly. I humbly beg the imperial envoy

's forgiveness." The eunuch who delivered the edict didn't reply, but simply strode in through the gate with his head held high. He walked straight to the incense altar with his chin raised. Spears and halberds stood like a forest on both sides, and all the officers and soldiers of Changsheng Island had changed into bright armor. Everyone held their breath, gripping their guns tightly and staring straight ahead.

The envoy stopped right in front of the incense table, turned around with a flick of his official robes, his face expressionless and devoid of any emotion, and called out in a drawn-out voice, "Huang Shi, receive the decree—"

Huang Shi lifted his crimson official robes and knelt down before the envoy in front of everyone, bowing: "Your subject is here." "

By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:..."

Huang Shi listened with his head bowed, and gradually something seemed amiss. When Ping Diao finished speaking, even the Changsheng Island generals standing behind Huang Shi showed expressions of surprise. But the envoy continued reading. This imperial edict was indeed written with great enthusiasm, because Tianqi had high hopes for Huang Shi's command of the four southwestern provinces and his swift suppression of the She'an Rebellion.

"...Since I ascended the throne, I have been clear about laws and punishments, eager to achieve good governance... Huang Shi is loyal to the emperor and courageous in serving the country. If you can pacify the southwest, why should I hesitate to grant you a high position? This is my decree."

After the envoy finished reading the imperial edict, he waited for Huang Shi to kowtow, but after a while, there was no movement. The envoy couldn't help but show displeasure on his face.

According to the rules, Huang Shi should immediately kneel down and shout "Long live the Emperor!" when he heard the word "this is my decree." However, although this imperial edict was a benevolent decree, once Huang Shi accepted it, he would no longer be able to interfere with the development of Liaodong. Although the She'an Rebellion was also a great disaster, history had proven that the Ming court was fully capable of quelling it. The Later Jin was completely different. Huang Shi could not rest easy until he saw the Later Jin regime breathe its last.

However, Huang Shi was not a civil official. As a military general, it would be too unreasonable for him to refuse to accept the edict. Furthermore, the imperial edict issued by Tianqi to Huang Shi had gone through the entire process of the emperor issuing a decree, the cabinet drafting a proposal and an edict, and then the emperor affixing his seal and the chief and deputy chief ministers signing it. Even civil officials had no right to reject this edict.

Moreover, the Tianqi Dynasty, where Huang Shi was now, was still relatively well-governed. He recalled the arrogant and self-serving behavior of Ming Dynasty military generals, which all occurred after the mid-Chongzhen era. If Huang Shi refused to accept the edict now, he would likely be condemned by everyone, and the good reputation he had painstakingly built up would be lost.

Huang Shi thought it over. If he absolutely refused to accept the edict, then the only option was to resign from his post. However, as a military general, Huang Shi could not easily resign, and he would never choose such a path.

Unwilling to accept this, Huang Shi couldn't think of a plausible reason, so he could only bow deeply in submission: "Wishing you peace, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!

Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! "

"May Your Majesty be well." Upon hearing this, Huang Shi straightened up from his kneeling position, paused for a second, and then bowed deeply again: "Thank you for Your Majesty's grace! Long live the Emperor!

Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" "Your Majesty's grace is boundless."

After repeating the kneeling and bowing motion once more, Huang Shi bowed his head and responded to the decree: "I will forever obey Your Majesty's command! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Be diligent and sincere."

After the third shout of "Long live the Emperor! " Huang Shi finally completed the entire process of receiving the imperial edict. As he stood up, the messenger who had delivered the edict put on a smiling face, stepped forward, and presented the edict to Huang Shi with both hands, repeatedly saying, "Congratulations, Commander Huang! Congratulations, Great Commander Huang!"

Huang Shi took a deep breath and accepted the edict, which was heavier than Mount Tai. Just as he was about to order his men to give the messenger a reward, the messenger's face hardened, and he stepped back, loudly proclaiming, "Wu Mu, receive the edict!"

...

The messenger, having received two rewards, was invited to the central command tent of the main camp. Since the edict was no longer in his possession, the eunuch's status was immediately far lower than that of Huang Shi and Wu Mu. However, Huang Shi and Wu Mu naturally wouldn't be presumptuous; they insisted that the messenger sit in the chief seat. The messenger, being just a minor eunuch, naturally hesitated and dared not sit down. In the end, Huang Shi and Wu Mu, one on each side, forcibly dragged the messenger to the chair and forced him to sit down, as if sitting in this position was not his right, but his responsibility and obligation.

Although Huang Shi was secretly plotting his next move, he dared not show the slightest displeasure on his face. Today's imperial edict was truly a great favor, containing the deep expectations of Emperor Tianqi. If Huang Shi were to say anything that spoiled the mood, it could easily be labeled as "harboring resentment" by the civil officials once it reached the capital. Even Emperor Tianqi himself might be disappointed.

Since his first audience with the Emperor in Beijing, Emperor Tianqi had been Huang Shi's greatest support. Now, regardless of their wisdom or folly, no one in the court dared to speak ill of Huang Shi before the Emperor. Huang Shi was well aware of this situation, so he naturally wouldn't undermine himself by openly defying the edict.

"When Your Excellency read out the edict just now, I was overjoyed! My head just went blank for a moment, and I didn't know anything for a while," Huang Shi said, holding a wine cup to toast the envoy while gesturing to his head with the other hand, desperately trying to describe his excitement and emotion.

The envoy, his face full of understanding and kindness, smiled and said to Huang Shi, "General Huang's loyalty to the emperor and his love for the country are well-known. His appointment as Governor-General of four provinces is truly well-deserved. When I was announcing the decree, I was genuinely happy for him." "I'm

such a crude man, I even forgot to acknowledge the decree for a moment. Please forgive my rudeness, sir," Huang Shi said, scratching his head and giving an embarrassed smile.

"That's only human nature," the envoy chuckled dismissively, then couldn't help but boast, "General Huang, you may not know this, but in the past, when I went to read imperial decrees, some people jumped up from the ground with joy. General Huang, your conduct today was perfectly normal; there's no need to take it to heart."

"Sir, you are indeed very knowledgeable. I admire you greatly. " Unlike Huang

Shi, who forced a smile, Wu Mu was genuinely happy. Years ago, he had been forced into the palace due to desperation. At that time, the Ming court planned to recruit three hundred new eunuchs, but over two thousand people flocked to the Forbidden City to register. Having gone without food for days, Wu Mu abandoned all pride and pleaded desperately with the supervising eunuch, but was almost thrown out.

To this day, Wu Mu still remembered the sudden change. A eunuch who seemed to be a high-ranking official happened to be inspecting the palace. Perhaps in a good mood, or perhaps feeling sorry for Wu Mu, the official casually pointed and said, "I think he's alright."

After the important figure finished speaking, he left with his retinue, and Wu Mu successfully entered the palace. As he walked into the inner palace with three hundred other lucky individuals, carrying his small bundle, the head eunuch patted Wu Mu on the shoulder, his expression a mixture of mystery and envy, and said, "You've really struck gold today, buddy. Do you know who bestowed this title upon you?"

Wu Mu, of course, didn't know. The head eunuch gave a thumbs-up, puffed out his chest, and loudly proclaimed, "That's Eunuch Wei! His Majesty and Lady Fengsheng's most favored man!"

In Wei Zhongxian's eyes, Wu Mu was nothing more than an ant. He quickly forgot the reason Wei Zhongxian had kept him, and even the whole affair itself. Although Wu Mu hadn't forgotten, after entering the palace, he was merely an ordinary sweeping eunuch, living a life of dependence on others within the Forbidden City.

Two years passed in a flash. When Dongjiang Town was established, Wu Mu was no longer the penniless pauper he once was. This time, he used all his savings and mobilized all the connections he had built up over the past two years to finally secure a position as a military supervisor. On the eve of his departure from the capital, Wei Zhongxian addressed all the eunuchs sent to Dongjiang Town as military supervisors. At that time, Wei Zhongxian clearly didn't notice Wu Mu; his head remained arrogantly held high, and he never gave these lowly subordinates a second glance.

Once again, Wu Mu dressed in his travel gear, shouldering the bundle he had prepared himself. He bid farewell to the Forbidden City, and along with two disillusioned junior Imperial Guards, received their travel expenses and badges from the authorities before embarking on their long journey. After finding an official ship in Tianjin, the three of them finally encountered some knowledgeable people and asked the sailors for the approximate location of Changsheng Island.

Upon arriving on Changsheng Island, although life was initially harsh—they even had to eat with the horses—this wasn't too much of a problem for Wu Mu, who had experienced hardship before. Most importantly, on Changsheng Island, he was no longer a lowly ant being ordered around. Huang Shi and the generals below him treated him with great respect, and most of them flattered him like stars around the moon, calling him "Ambassador Wu." This already made Wu Mu very satisfied.

His life became even smoother afterward, and Wu Mu's name quickly caught the attention of Eunuch Wei. Soon, even the Emperor knew that there was a military supervisor named Wu Mu on Changsheng Island, and the Emperor himself praised Wu Mu for doing a good job. Back when he first arrived on Changsheng Island, Wu Mu would lie in bed every day pondering how to safely exaggerate his military achievements. But gradually, he became too lazy to think about such things anymore. He only needed to state the facts about his merits on Changsheng Island: "The truth is already unbelievable, why bother lying?"

During the Battle of Nanguan, Wu Mu watched the storm unfold, standing shoulder to shoulder with Huang Shi on the front lines against the enemy… Well, Wu Mu admits that he did embellish his reports.

After the memorial was submitted, an imperial decree was issued, allowing Wu Mu to adopt a son to carry on the family line. This truly moved Wu Mu to tears.

Now that Huang Shi had been promoted again, it seemed that Wu Mu would soon become famous throughout the land, and the path to his predecessor, King Tong Guan, appeared to be becoming increasingly smooth. Wu Mu had already compiled a thick book on military strategy, while Huang Shi was nearing the pinnacle of his official career. Wu Mu had long since decided that minor border conflicts would inevitably erupt from time to time, and such situations would likely not require a general like Huang Shi to take charge. That would be the time for Wu Mu to volunteer himself.

"Life is getting better every day," Wu Mu murmured, then burst into a hearty laugh, shouting to the officers of Changsheng Island, "May every year be like this!"

When Eunuch Wei wrote to Wu Mu last time, he even included Wu Mu's official title in the letter. Now, when imperial envoys came to deliver imperial decrees, everyone would respectfully address him as "Ambassador Wu." These eunuchs, who had once been far above Wu Mu, began to flatter him. Even Eunuch Wei's memory had recently improved; he not only remembered that he himself had brought Wu Mu into the palace, but also that it was Wei Zhongxian who had sent Wu Mu to Changsheng Island.

As Wu Mu tilted his head back and poured a full cup of wine down his throat, his heart was filled with confidence for the future: "The days to come will definitely be better."

...

After the welcoming banquet, Huang Shi ordered his men to drag the unconscious envoy and Ambassador Wu to bed. Ambassador Wu had certainly stolen the show today. For the last hour or so of the banquet, he had been displaying his skills to entertain the guests, singing and dancing. Ambassador Wu had also demonstrated the entire "Wild Wind" sword technique.

According to Ambassador Wu, this sword technique was a closely guarded secret taught to him by his master, and it was entirely thanks to this technique that Wu Mu had been able to safely roam the martial world for so many years. Ambassador Wu also mentioned that he had originally intended to pass on this sword technique to his wife, not his daughters, but he had enjoyed himself so much today that he generously shared it with everyone.

Although Ambassador Wu had now adopted a son, whether he would have a daughter was still uncertain. However, despite the large number of people in the room, no one was foolish enough to ask Ambassador Wu: what kind of sword technique required passing it on to one's wife but not one's daughter? On the contrary, Huang Shi and the others tried to drag Ambassador Wu back to his seat, but their efforts failed each time. Wu Mu firmly held onto his position until he completely fell asleep.

After giving a few casual instructions, Huang Shi called his four men to his study. By the time the guards closed the door behind them, the smile on Huang Shi's usually cold face had vanished.

The door had barely closed when He Dingyuan said impatiently, "My lord, this is clearly the work of treacherous officials in the court. They see the Jurchens are about to be destroyed, so they're rushing to claim credit."

He Dingyuan's words elicited nods from everyone in the room, but Jin Qiude's expression was relaxed, his tone leisurely and self-satisfied: "However, this isn't necessarily bad for you, my lord. This time, as your commander-in-chief of the four provinces, you're sure to achieve great feats, and being ennobled and granted titles is already yours."

Before Huang Shi's leap to Liaoyang, Jin Qiude and Zhao Manxiong's most pessimistic estimate was that he would be forced to retire to the capital for a few years, though a return to service wasn't out of the question. Now, the situation was excellent, and the current emperor was known for his magnanimity; it seemed no one would dare gamble their future by speaking ill of Huang Shi before the emperor.

Before Jin Qiude could finish speaking, Yang Zhiyuan nodded in agreement, saying, "Your Excellency is wise. I have just briefly reviewed the documents sent by the Ministry of War. The military settlements in Funing Town alone number over three thousand hectares on paper, more than enough to repay the military merits accumulated over the years for Changsheng Island. Funing Town had the right to produce its own salt when it was established. After the twenty-seventh year of the Wanli reign, Funing Town, like other coastal military towns, was allowed to set up checkpoints and collect sea taxes for military use. Although this military town has been abandoned for nearly ten years, if we manage it well, we can definitely ensure that our brothers are well-fed and watered."

Ten years after the Wanli reign, the Earth entered the Little Ice Age. Faced with continuous natural disasters, the national treasury savings accumulated by Zhang Juzheng for the Ming Dynasty were rapidly depleted. Although the southern military garrisons had no problem feeding themselves and did not require relief funds from the court, the Wanli Emperor gradually felt unable to maintain the Ming Navy's expenses as the disasters continued. Therefore, he allowed the coastal garrisons to collect maritime taxes from merchants to cover the navy's maintenance and anti-piracy costs.

This policy led to an unstable period for the Ming Navy. Some poorly managed garrisons, despite high tax revenues, continued rampant piracy, causing a decline in nearby maritime trade and further deteriorating their navies. Conversely, well-managed garrisons quickly developed powerful naval forces, creating larger safe zones for maritime trade and thus a virtuous cycle.

After 1694, the Ming Navy expelled the Dutch from the Penghu area. At that time, to further increase the imperial treasury's revenue, the Wanli Emperor even formulated a plan to cross the sea and attack Manila. This was mainly because the Wanli Emperor had heard a widespread rumor in China that the Malacca region was rich in gold and silver.

Thirty-six years after the Wanli Emperor's death, he sent several groups of eunuchs to conduct on-site investigations, the sinister intentions of which were self-evident. However, the facts brought back by the eunuchs shattered the rumors, and the Wanli Emperor, after confirming that the claims of mountains of gold and silver were completely unfounded, reluctantly abandoned his invasion plans.

In any case, the coastal military garrisons had already laid a solid policy and material foundation. By this time, several decades had passed since Emperor Wanli had completely lifted the maritime ban, and the Ming Dynasty's maritime trade was already highly developed. The military and civilians of the Ming Dynasty also had a considerable understanding of the ocean, so Yang Zhiyuan and his team were full of confidence in managing Fuzhou Town well.

Huang Shi hesitated for a moment, then decided to first give his subordinates a heads-up: "Before the welcoming banquet for the imperial envoy, he also gave me a heads-up. The court hopes I will go to the southwest as soon as possible to oversee the suppression of the rebellion. If I can set off within two months, the court can accept a list of no more than 5,000 household guards. In addition, they can also agree to let me take no more than four battalions of troops with me, and their families can also move to Funing Town. In short, it means that I can take 10,000 soldiers from Liaonan, and no more than 60,000 male members of military households."

This huge mobilization number immediately excited his subordinates, and the gloom on He Dingyuan's face vanished. This meant that the court had tacitly approved that these people were Huang Shi's private property. As long as this guarantee was in place, no matter where they were transferred, those who followed Huang Shi would not have to worry about their interests being harmed.

He Dingyuan and Yang Zhiyuan praised in unison: "Your Majesty is wise."

However, Huang Shi's face still did not show any joy.

"Your Majesty is wise," Zhao Manxiong also praised. However, his tone wasn't loud, and he immediately followed up with, "The court allows us to transfer so many people; could it be that they're planning to reduce pay?"

Zhao Manxiong's words caused He Dingyuan and Yang Zhiyuan's expressions to change again. Although Dongjiang Town didn't have much military pay to begin with—the current fixed pay for the Left Assistant Commander of Dongjiang Town was only 40,000 taels of silver per year—it was still Dongjiang Town's territory. Although the conditions were tough, they were always fighting for their homeland, so morale was relatively easy to maintain.

The imperial edict was to transfer Huang Shi to the southwest to quell the rebellion, making them genuine guest troops. Moreover, people in the Ming Dynasty had always spread rumors that the southwest was rife with miasma, and those who were infected would die instantly; such rumors were exaggerated to an extreme degree. This made northerners view Yunnan and Guizhou as dangerous places, and the risk of unrest even without double pay was high.

He Dingyuan and Yang Zhiyuan stared at Huang Shi's face, and he nodded slightly: "Brother Zhao is right. The envoy said the court hopes that Funing Town can become self-sufficient as soon as possible, since the south basically relies on the output of each military town to support its soldiers. The court only hopes to offer some rewards for the heads of soldiers, so that we can bear the burden of food and pay ourselves and not add to the court's burden. The court allows us to take so many soldiers and military households with us, and urges us to leave as soon as possible, which is also because of this intention."

Because of years of poor harvests in the north, the garrisons of the nine border towns were completely ruined, from Gansu to Liaodong. The Ming Dynasty's millions of border soldiers were starving and had to be fed by the court. Emperor Wanli was good at making money, lifting the sea ban and increasing commercial taxes, etc., and not only survived decades of disasters, but also frequently launched wars while leaving some inheritance for his children and grandchildren. But Emperor Tianqi obviously did not have this ability. The court had been in deficit for five consecutive years, and the imperial treasury was also insufficient. The water level was gradually dropping, so the imperial court really hoped that Huangshi could support itself and stop causing trouble for the central government.

"Therefore, our task is very heavy. The court hopes to send at least five thousand men to the southwest to quell the rebellion, preferably within six months, and at most no more than nine months. Before that, we must also restore production in Funing Town to provide all the supplies and provisions for the expeditionary force." Huang Shi finished speaking and smiled, looking around at his trusted confidants in the room, saying, "It seems the court not only hopes that I, Huang, am a general, but also expects me to be a capable official!"

Jin Qiude's eyes flashed, and he coldly replied, "If you, sir, cannot go to the southwest in time, or cannot quell the rebellion in the southwest, then you can only hope that the court will speak on your behalf."

Zhao Manxiong nodded in agreement, "That's right. The court is already facing difficulties, so it's understandable that it won't provide you with military pay, especially since other military towns in the south can support their own armaments. Hmm... if you really cannot restore production in Funing Town on time, then we will have to seek help from the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission, Southern Zhili, and the court. Even then, civil officials will still need to speak on your behalf."

"You're right. As the saying goes, the higher you're praised, the harder you fall. Now, if I, Huang, don't fall, it won't be light." Huang Shi laughed three times. This time, the gentlemen in the court certainly believed that Huang Shi couldn't do this, so Huang Shi would inevitably have to ask the civil officials for a big favor, and thus be firmly held in their hands.

"Now the country is unfortunate, and border conflicts are frequent. The emperor is relying more and more on us military generals, especially on my Dongjiang Town. In the eyes of the gentlemen in the court, our Dongjiang Town is like Sun Wukong trapped under the Five Finger Mountain, about to jump out. So they must put a seal on our heads, suppress us and grind our character for five hundred years before they can use us."

Huang Shi laughed a few more times as he spoke, and after the laughter, a look of deep hatred appeared on his face, while his several confidants remained silent.

"Our Great Ming Dynasty's ancestral system dictates that civil officials should govern the military..."

"What ancestral system? A false ancestral system!" Huang Shi rudely interrupted He Dingyuan before he could finish speaking in a low voice: "Our dynasty expelled the Tartars and restored China, establishing the empire through military prowess. Emperor Taizu Gao established the official system, stipulating that civil and military officials should follow different paths. There is no principle of superiority or inferiority between the General and the Governor! Ever since civil officials seized military power and closed the Grand General's Office, the status of us military officers has been declining day by day..."

"My lord!"

Hearing Huang Shi's agitated words, several people in the room interrupted him in unison, even He Dingyuan said urgently, "My lord, be careful what you say."

“There are no outsiders here.” Huang Shi sighed deeply, raising his hand to stop his subordinates who were about to speak again. “I know you’re afraid I might say something carelessly and cause trouble for yourselves when we go out.”

Huang Shi’s fingers unconsciously tapped a few times on the desk. After another long sigh, the indignation on his face was replaced by high spirits. He said loudly to his confidants, “It’s always better to rely on yourself than on others. I’ll set off for Fujian this month to restore production in Funing Town as soon as possible. At the same time, I’ll prepare to relocate the military households by sea…”

After Huang Shi regained his former momentum, his subordinates couldn’t help but shake off their dejected state and straighten their backs.

According to the documents sent from the Ministry of War to Changsheng Island, once Huang Shi arrives in the southwest, 180,000 Ming troops from Sichuan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces will be under his command. Huang Shi emphasized this by slamming his right fist heavily on the desk: "...Within six months, we must achieve self-sufficiency in supplies, then march into the southwest and quell the She'an Rebellion as quickly as possible."

"Yes, sir," the people in the room responded in unison, each filled with confidence. On September 22nd of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign,

Huang Shi of Changsheng Island had decided to take the Vanguard Battalion with him and had notified Zhang Pan and others in Liaonan to lead their troops to relieve him. As for the non-direct subordinate generals like Shang Kexi and Shang Keyi, Huang Shi decided to leave them with Mao Wenlong. With them in Liaonan, the situation could be maintained, and if these generals were truly taken away, Mao Wenlong would likely be unhappy, affecting Huang Shi's image in the eyes of the Dongjiang Town soldiers. Because Huang Shi still harbored the idea of quelling the She'an Rebellion before returning to Liaodong to deal with the Later Jin, he was still very concerned about the opinions of Mao Wenlong and the officers and soldiers of Dongjiang Town. Furthermore, leaving some acquaintances in Dongjiang Town would help maintain his influence in Liaodong. In case of future trouble in Liaodong, Huang Shi could find people willing to help him if he returned, such as Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi— three men Huang Shi valued highly. Besides the Firefighting, Rock, and Vanguard Battalions, Huang Shi also established a new battalion. This new battalion would eventually be incorporated into a field force, but its most urgent task at present was to recruit artisans, sailors, and technicians. This new battalion was named "Tianyi Battalion" to conform to the naming rules of Changsheng Island: fire generates earth, earth generates metal, and metal generates water.

In the days that followed, Huang Shi and his men rapidly compiled personnel lists. Besides the 7,000 officers and soldiers of the firefighting and vanguard battalions, Huang Shi also included over 1,000 skilled workers and over 2,000 auxiliary workers in the combat roster. In addition to these, Huang Shi also compiled a list of over 40,000 male military households. These 50,000 men were all reported to the Ministry of War requesting to change their registered residence to Fujian. Approval was certain; it was only a matter of time.

Due to time constraints, Zuo Xiezhong was unable to come to see Huang Shi off immediately. Only a few people, including Li Chengfeng, the garrison commander of Jinzhou, rushed to the island after hearing the news.

Huang Shi, holding a wine cup, stepped down from his seat and toasted each of the non-direct subordinate generals, saying, "The affairs of Liaodong are my responsibility, gentlemen."

Li Chengfeng and Huang Shi had always had a strained relationship, but upon hearing of Huang Shi's departure, he rushed to see him off without hesitation. When Huang Shi offered him a toast, Li Chengfeng resolutely replied, "General Huang, rest assured, the Jurchens are like a candle flickering in the wind, to be extinguished at any moment. If any extraordinary circumstances arise, I will certainly defend the southern gateway of Liaodong. I will never fail General Huang's trust."

With that, Li Chengfeng downed his full cup of wine in one gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh. He then held the empty cup up to Huang Shi: "Until death do us part!"

...

"The ships from Tianjin have arrived. Fan Leyou and I will set off with the first batch of 20,000 military households. Once we reach Fujian, we will immediately begin constructing windmills, waterwheels, and reservoirs."

Most of the first batch of military households heading to Fujian have been working on construction projects on Changsheng Island in recent years. Besides these people, Huang Shi will also take all the construction engineers with him. If all goes well, Huang Shi hopes to build even the simplest reservoir before the second batch arrives. If there aren't enough rivers locally, Huang Shi will also need to equip the reservoir with windmills.

"During this time, Bao Bowen will continue to oversee production on Zhongdao Island, especially the weapons that Changzhou urgently needs. We must ensure they are delivered to them on time. Once I arrive in Fujian, I will immediately organize a survey of the local terrain. If I am confident that I can successfully construct the reservoir and canals, I will naturally send a message to you. After you receive the message, you can begin loading our machinery onto ships and transporting it to Fujian."

"Yes, sir."

Bao Bowen will continue production during this period. Originally, Huang Shi was unwilling to openly interfere in Japan's internal affairs. Moreover, if it weren't for the current troubles, even if Changzhou was at a disadvantage in the war, Huang Shi could handle it calmly. However, Changzhou was now more than just a trading partner.

Huang Shi's loan plan for patriotic merchants had just begun. Relocating to Fujian also required substantial start-up capital; money was needed everywhere, and Changzhou's trade was Huang Shi's current economic lifeline. Losing this important bridgehead would immediately result in the loss of most of Huang Shi's income, especially at this critical juncture, Huang Shi couldn't afford any mishaps. Therefore…

"Brother Yang, I'll have to trouble you again this time."

Yang Zhiyuan bowed and replied, "Rest assured, sir, with me here, Changzhou will be safe."

Ten days ago, Huang Shi had already ordered the recall of the Black Island Fleet, which had now expanded to seven ships. They would not participate in the relocation work but would be responsible for transporting all two thousand officers and soldiers from the Panshi camp to Changzhou, according to Huang Shi's orders. These officers and soldiers will disguise themselves as Japanese as much as possible, and have already begun basic Japanese conversation training.

"Aim high, and you'll achieve something. My overall plan is to relocate the main force from Changsheng Island to Fujian within six months. During this time, we will achieve self-sufficiency and stockpile enough provisions to sustain three to five thousand troops on an expedition. Then, six months later, I will lead this force to the southwest to unify command of the Ming army there and quell the She-An rebellion."

Of the 180,000 Ming troops in the four southwestern provinces, most were self-sufficient garrison soldiers. Huang Shi didn't have high hopes for their fighting spirit and tactical skills. Moreover, these garrison soldiers were divided into numerous factions, with each commander leading hundreds to thousands of officers and soldiers from all over the country to quell the rebellion in the southwest.

Besides these border troops stationed in the garrisons, there were tens of thousands of Ming soldiers listed on paper, all conscripted from local chieftains. When Huang Shi examined the detailed lists of these conscripted troops, he vaguely recognized the White-Spear Soldiers rebuilt by Qin Liangyu, but he knew nothing about the other units. He also had doubts about the combat effectiveness of these chieftains' conscripted troops.

Whether it was the troops conscripted from the chieftains' garrisons or the southwestern border troops belonging to numerous military towns, garrisons, and outposts, the troop numbers assigned to the border regions were all reported by the chieftains and generals themselves. Huang Shi was completely clueless about the reliability of these figures. Therefore, ultimately, Huang Shi needed a core elite force accompanying him; otherwise, he would be a completely parachuted-in leader.

A core elite force was not only a matter of survival, but Huang Shi also needed them to suppress the various military leaders, large and small. Although the Ming army emphasized checks and balances, Huang Shi firmly believed that if he were a commander without troops, he would only be controlled by those military leaders, with no chance of turning the tables.

Those southwestern chieftains were not to be trifled with. Take An Bangyan, for example, who rebelled this time. His Shui'an family had been chieftains in the southwest since the Han Dynasty. Over two thousand years, the Shui'an family had deep roots in the southwest and intricate connections with surrounding forces. Huang Shi was equally certain that among the tens of thousands of troops conscripted by the chieftains under the Ming army, quite a few were in cahoots with the An family. If he couldn't use his own troops to intimidate these chieftains, Huang Shi would certainly achieve nothing in the southwest.

Besides military troubles, civil officials might also bring Huang Shi other problems. Even when Qi Jiguang was the prime minister, local officials still caused him trouble. Now, Huang Shi was merely a general in charge of military affairs. There must be many people waiting to see him make a fool of himself. Moreover, Huang Shi's command of the operation in the southwest would certainly be subject to the control of the Yunnan governor, Min Hongxue. Huang Shi was still unsure whether this Min Hongxue was easy to deal with.

He Dingyuan muttered, "Tens of thousands of troops from Huguang are among the troops ordered to reinforce Yunnan. If the court had appointed you, sir, as the General of Huguang, these troops would have been easier to command. Now, you've been given this inexplicable title of General of Fujian, which is quite troublesome."

"Isn't this just deliberately causing us trouble?" Jin Qiude snorted, slamming his hand heavily on the table. "Yu Dayou's son, Yu Zigao, inherited the position of Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard due to his father's merits. He had already risen to the rank of Commander-in-Chief and was given the title of General of Fujian. Last year, there were several incidents of pirates causing trouble in Fujian, and the cabinet suddenly removed him from his position as General and sent him to Xiamen as a Deputy General. General Yu has been the Deputy General of the Southern Route in Fujian for three years and is known as 'the world admires his outstanding talent.' Now, suddenly sending you, sir, to be the General is clearly an attempt to sow discord between us and General Yu."

After hearing Huang Shi's grand plan to send troops to the southwest within six months, and considering the many troubles involved, his subordinates all showed signs of lacking confidence. He Dingyuan was the first to exclaim, "Impossible! We'll likely only be settled within six months. To accumulate enough provisions and supplies to send thousands of troops, I think it will take at least another six months."

Jin Qiude glared at He Dingyuan and also advised Huang Shi, "Sir, six months is indeed a bit tight. Perhaps we should make our plans more flexible and aim to send troops within nine months."

"Just like I said before, aim high, and you'll achieve something. If we set a nine-month deadline for sending troops, we'll become complacent, and if something happens, we might not be able to set off for a year or two." Historically, although the She'an Rebellion was a long-running affair, lasting more than a decade, it was basically quelled by the 180,000 Ming troops from these four provinces. Therefore, Huang Shi believed that the fighting strength of the rebels and the Ming army was actually close to balanced. As long as a strong counterweight was added, quickly overwhelming the rebels was not an impossible task.

"Let us turn the impossible into the possible, gentlemen, let us strive!"

...

Before Huang Shi finally embarked on his journey to Fujian, he wrote a long letter to Mao Wenlong. In this letter, he certainly could not say what Yuan Chonghuan would do to Mao Wenlong. First, Mao Wenlong would not believe in such prophetic things. Second, if it were leaked, Huang Shi would definitely be impeached for slandering court officials, which would be a serious crime.

Therefore, Huang Shi only vaguely discussed the conflict between civil and military officials. At this time, Mao Wenlong was already the public enemy of the civil officials in Shandong and Liaodong, and the court officials were increasingly dissatisfied with Dongjiang Town. Mao Wenlong was unwilling to curry favor with Wei Zhongxian, which further isolated him. In the past, Huang Shi, being in Dongjiang, could still help Mao Wenlong to some extent, but now history had taken a small turn and returned to its original course, leaving Mao Wenlong isolated once again.

In this letter, Huang Shi earnestly advised Mao Wenlong to restrain his sharp edge. For the sake of the Dongjiang army, for the people of Liaodong, and for Mao Wenlong himself, it was better to swallow his anger. After all, the civil official group firmly controlled the lifeline of the border army, and fighting with them might vent one's anger temporarily, but ultimately, one would suffer the consequences.

"Brother, will this letter really be useful?"

Zhang Zaidi stood side by side with Huang Shi on the beach of Changsheng Island. Now, Liaodong is dwindling day by day. Zhang Zaidi didn't take Huang Shi's letter seriously. He believed that with Mao Zedong's temper, Huang Shi's words were pointless; Mao Wenlong would surely ignore them and, in a few days, would throw a tantrum at the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission.

"I've done my best to repay your kindness,"

Huang Shi thought. In truth, Huang Shi didn't have high hopes for the letter's effect either. The wheels of history continued to roll forward. Huang Shi had gone to Liaoyang to risk his life to avoid leaving Liaodong, but this transfer left him both amused and exasperated. He gazed at the vast ocean gradually unfolding before him and sighed, "Little brother, this is what they call inevitable."

"Hmm, what did you say, brother?" "

Since the Battle of Sarhu, the Liaodong campaign has been a series of defeats and mistakes. I often wonder, what is the reason for this?" In Huang Shi's previous life, many people boasted that the Jianzhou Jurchens were invincible in horsemanship and archery, unparalleled in the world. Huang Shi initially thought their arguments made some sense. After all, one battle could be attributed to chance, two battles could also be attributed to chance, but the recurring occurrence of such events defied explanation.

Upon hearing Huang Shi's question, Zhang Zaidi replied without hesitation, "Because there are treacherous officials in the court!"

This brief answer left Huang Shi speechless for a long time. He had been in Liaodong for many years, and this question had always troubled him. Only after this transfer order was issued did Huang Shi feel he had finally understood. However, to Huang Shi's surprise, it seemed Zhang Zaidi and his comrades had already understood this issue.

Like Zhang Zaidi, these men from Liaodong during the late Ming Dynasty had witnessed the rise of the Jianzhou Jurchens firsthand. They could recognize that the Later Jin army's military strength was not all that impressive. As Zhang Zaidi said, what truly drove the situation in Liaodong was not the Later Jin's military power, but rather the problems within the Ming Dynasty itself. The internal political problems of the Ming Dynasty were the cause, while the deterioration of the Liaodong situation was merely the effect.

Zhang Zaidi also had many relatives who were military households in Liaodong. Over the years, he had gained access to a great deal of military intelligence. Huang Shi heard Zhang Zaidi say bitterly, "Take the Battle of Sarhu, for example. The Ministry of Works issued only crudely made weapons to the Liaodong troops, and the Ministry of War didn't provide enough rations to the Liaodong garrison because they thought they could win. Those corrupt officials knew that even if they suffered a crushing defeat, they wouldn't die. But how many people did they kill!"

Zhang Zaidi's words, filled with obvious hatred, resonated with Huang Shi. He nodded and said, "In the first year of the Taichang era, the late General Xiong won two field battles at Shenyang and Fengji Fort, almost recovering all the lost territory within the border wall. As soon as the situation in Liaodong improved, some people in the court became envious and couldn't wait to jump out and sabotage their own people."

Just like Xiong Tingbi's two consecutive misfortunes. Every time the situation in Liaodong improved slightly, officials eager to claim credit would swarm around like a flock of vultures, vying to tear off a piece of the spoils.

Since the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, aside from Huang Shi's achievements, the Dongjiang Army has twice invaded the Liaozhong Plain and besieged Hetu Ala, its advance reaching as far as Sarhu. Seeing that Jianzhou seemed on the verge of collapse, the court officials began to sabotage their own side again. "Since you won't share the credit with me, I won't rest until I've destroyed you!

" Huang Shi suddenly roared furiously towards the horizon, as if confronting the officials face-to-face:

"If you don't sabotage your own side—will you die?"

...

Liu Qingyang would stay to handle the loan matters, and he also suggested to Huang Shi that these merchants should be encouraged to engage in maritime trade. Previously, Changsheng Island's resources were limited, but now that Huang Shi's influence had begun to penetrate Fujian, cultivating its own maritime merchant force was only natural. The Ming Dynasty had completely lifted the sea ban for forty years, and merchants were well aware of the profits of maritime trade; they would surely consider this issue carefully.

This plan would obviously encounter countless difficulties and obstacles, but Huang Shi agreed with Liu Qingyang's view. The Choshu Domain of Japan could only provide initial funding. This small region couldn't support a large army anyway. Ultimately, solving the military expenditure problem would depend on China's domestic demand and trade with other regions.

After discussing with Huang Shi, Liu Qingyang gathered the merchants who had received loans from Changsheng Island. The previous policy was to determine their rank based on the Dongjiang Town military scrip they held, and then assess whether they had collateral. If they had no collateral, the return on investment from Changsheng Island would be very small.

"The Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince has been transferred to Fujian. He urgently hopes that some of you can accompany him to engage in maritime trade between the north and south..."

Liu Qingyang spoke eloquently in the reception room of the old Changsheng Island camp. The room was filled with merchants, all of whom had undergone pre-screening by Changsheng Island and had a history of supporting the military and being patriotic. Zhu Jiuye and Boss Gu of Juehua, whom Huang Shi had met in the capital, were also among them, listening intently to Liu Qingyang's speech.

After describing the promising prospects of maritime trade to everyone, Liu Qingyang asked the merchants if they had any opinions or concerns.

Master Zhu was unaware of others' thoughts, but he had abandoned his business in Zhili to come to Liaodong with the intention of helping Dongjiang Town. Unfortunately, Master Zhu had encountered a grain official corruption case in Shandong, and he had traveled back and forth between Liaodong and Shandong many times, but to no avail. However, when Master Zhu arrived at Changsheng Island to try his luck, Changsheng Island allowed him to use Dongjiang Town military bonds as collateral to sign a loan agreement in Dengzhou.

The interest rate on this loan agreement was very low, only about half that of private loans. In addition to this loan, Changsheng Island had additional provisions: if Master Zhu purchased local products on Changsheng Island, he would receive a discount; when he transported grain and cloth to Changsheng Island, the Left Assistant of Dongjiang Town would also add a small interest rate. These additions were enough to offset the loan interest.

Although Dongjiang Town and the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission had deeply saddened Master Zhu, he still trusted Huang Shi after his dealings with Changsheng Island. As soon as Liu Qingyang finished speaking, Master Zhu raised his hand and said, "General Liu, you are overthinking it. How could we not trust your army? Besides, we have the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian as our guarantor. It's just that we are small and weak, and our efforts are insufficient. If General Liu doesn't mind, we plan to do some small-scale business in Liaodong and Shandong first, and then go to Fujian in a few years."

Master Zhu's words elicited several murmurs of agreement and also prompted some people to ponder. Liu Qingyang waited for everyone to discuss before slowly saying, "Regarding the capital issue, you don't need to worry. Changsheng Island will provide loans as much as possible, and these loans for Fujian don't require collateral."

These merchants had many connections in Shandong and Beizhili. Moreover, their business acumen was very sharp. Besides, Changsheng Island was too busy to handle everything, so it was naturally best for them to handle the maritime trade. In Liu Qingyang's plan, these merchants were definitely to be won over as much as possible. However, although Huang Shi had agreed to Liu Qingyang's unsecured risk loan plan, relying solely on Changsheng Island's resources would certainly not be enough.

"The Crown Prince's Junior Guardian is also willing to act as your guarantor in his name." After pausing briefly to allow his subordinates to grasp the meaning of his words, and seeing countless tense gazes directed at him, Liu Qingyang continued unhurriedly: "If you can borrow from other places, as long as the interest rate does not exceed 50%..."

Liu Qingyang raised his right hand, making a large "five" shape so everyone in the room could see it: "As long as this money is used to expand maritime trade to Fujian, the Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent is willing to guarantee it for you."

These merchants certainly had many acquaintances and connections. However, according to traditional Chinese customs, most merchants prefer not to borrow money unless they are desperate, instead relying on their own hard work to accumulate initial capital. Similarly, if someone actually starts borrowing, it usually means they are in dire straits, so lenders will not only offer high interest rates but also require collateral.

When Huang Shi and Liu Qingyang discussed the maritime trade, both believed there would be substantial profits, enough to cover the high interest rates. Therefore, Huang Shi was willing to act as guarantor for these merchants. As long as they could secure a large amount of capital, both Huang Shi and Liu Qingyang were confident of making a profit.

"General Liu, is the Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince willing to vouch for us commoners?"

"Yes, and not only in the personal name of the Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince, but we will also use the military farm income of Funing Town and future military and grain salaries to vouch for you."

Since these merchants didn't know the specifics of the income involved, Liu Qingyang honestly and unceremoniously entrusted the reputation of the Ming Dynasty to them. At least during the Tianqi era, the reputation of the Ming Dynasty was still worth a lot of money, and the court didn't have an awareness of intangible assets, so they wouldn't cause trouble for Huang Shi over this.

Huang Shi now had a good reputation for "loyalty as bright as the sun and moon, and righteousness as high as the clouds," and the recent "riding alone across Liaoyang" incident had added even more to his aura. Traditional Chinese people have always believed that if a person is good, they generally won't do bad things. Now, if anyone dared to say that Junior Guardian Huang was someone who owed money and didn't repay it, they would definitely be cursed and crippled by passersby.

These words drew further praise from the crowd. Huang Shi held a high position and his reputation was widespread; such a person, appearing so publicly as a guarantor, naturally carried considerable persuasive power. Liu Qingyang observed the changing expressions on the faces of the merchants below, knowing that many were already subtly tempted. He picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Of course, we also have other conditions."

"General Liu, please speak."

This time, it was Boss Gu who spoke. During the Battle of Juehua, Boss Gu had made several vows to the Bodhisattva. After the Ming army's victory, Boss Gu naturally believed that the greatest credit belonged to the Bodhisattva, so he went to Mount Wutai to donate a considerable amount of money and even funded the construction of a bridge in his hometown. Besides this, Boss Gu believed that Huang Shi's contribution was second only to the Bodhisattva Guanyin of the South Sea, so he changed his business focus from Liaoxi to Liaodong.

Of course, after the Battle of Juehua, Boss Gu also felt that the Liaodong route might be safer, as he didn't intend to experience the danger of Juehua again. But the poverty of Liaodong was something Boss Gu hadn't anticipated. Previously in western Liaoning, Boss Gu had never experienced being owed military scrip. As a result, he ended up with over 30,000 taels of Dongjiang Town military scrip, roughly equivalent to half of his fortune.

Hearing that Changsheng Island offered preferential treatment for those in his situation, Boss Gu rushed there to do business. With a large amount of Dongjiang Town military scrip and considerable assets to pledge, Changsheng Island granted him a loan of over 20,000 taels of silver in one go. Recently, after several trips between Shandong and southern Liaoning trading daily necessities, he recouped a significant portion of his investment. Moreover, according to Changsheng Island's preferential policy, for someone like him with a large amount of Dongjiang Town military scrip, the island could accept Dongjiang Town military scrip to offset interest payments.

Through these interactions, even without Huang Shitou's dazzling reputation, Boss Gu had a very good impression of him and trusted his character. After hearing from Liu Qingyang that there were additional conditions, Boss Gu hurriedly inquired about the follow-up. If they weren't too harsh, Boss Gu was willing to continue doing business with Huang Shitou. Putting aside the life-saving grace, Boss Gu still had a large amount of Dongjiang Town military scrip. Rather than queuing up in Dengzhou, Shandong, it would be better to negotiate with Huang Shi.

"These loans will all be used for maritime trade expenses with Funing Town. Whether it's purchasing goods, buying or renting ships, or recruiting sailors, as long as it's for the purpose of maritime trade, we can accept it. I will send someone to check your accounts. Of course, I will never leak the contents of the accounts. But just to ensure that the money is used properly, what do you all think?"

Master Zhu and Boss Gu had been considering this for a while. Huang Shi's reputation was quite good. Moreover, this request was reasonable. In the past, when doing business with large merchants, they often asked to see the accounts. Besides, Huang Shi was clearly a military officer! Even if they showed it to him, it certainly wouldn't be worse than showing it to other merchants. Once everyone understood this, they all said there was no problem.

"To be honest, the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian urgently needs these maritime tax and trade revenues, which is why he encourages everyone to go to Fujian for maritime trade. To ensure that none of you businessmen suffer losses, I hereby guarantee on behalf of the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian that if any of you manage to borrow money and the maritime trade becomes profitable, the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian will only accept half. Furthermore, if there are storms, shipwrecks, or losses of goods, the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian will willingly bear all the losses for you."

Even if Huang Shi doesn't directly participate in trade in the future, he doesn't care. After all, as long as maritime trade develops and maritime tax revenue is collected, that would be quite good. Huang Shi has been dealing with Shandong merchants for several years. In this new environment, everyone is a newcomer, and given their existing relationships, they should be able to support each other. Therefore, Huang Shi is doing everything he can to attract as many Shandong merchants as possible to Fujian.

Seeing that there seemed to be little objection from everyone, Liu Qingyang proposed another loan agreement: "Furthermore, even if you are unwilling to go to Fujian, the Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent has another loan agreement.

Some of the business owners here will definitely go to Fujian, and the Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent is also very concerned about their sources of goods and sales channels. Therefore, the Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent is willing to act as guarantor for those who stay, as long as they are willing to give priority to purchasing the goods of these business owners who go to Fujian, and to supply them with goods on a priority basis."

This idea was proposed by Liu Qingyang, and Huang Shi felt it had the spirit of a trust, so he immediately agreed to the plan. Moreover, with this plan, it should be of considerable help to Fujian's maritime trade, and it could also consolidate the supply and demand base in the north, and help pro-Huang Shi merchants develop their strength. From all aspects, it would be of considerable benefit.

"Please take a look, gentlemen." Liu Qingyang took out a large seal, and the merchants looked closely. It was a brand-new "General Who Pacifies the Barbarians" seal. In order to gain their trust, Huang Shi had given his own Vanguard General seal to Liu Qingyang for a few months to act as guarantor for those loan documents that met the requirements.

Using the seal of "General Who Pacifies the Barbarians" to borrow money was probably a first in the history of the Ming Dynasty. Huang Shi had essentially mortgaged his entire reputation. Liu Qingyang had no doubt that this method would yield a considerable amount of silver. However, he also pointed out to Huang Shi that while repaying the money would be fine, failing to do so would be a different story. Huang Shi's reputation was a minor issue compared to the trouble caused by a group of creditors suing him with IOUs bearing the crimson seal of "General Who Pacifies the Barbarians."

Liu Qingyang had discussed this issue with Huang Shi a few days prior, but Huang Shi dismissed it. He was currently enjoying the Emperor's favor, and as long as he could earn enough money to repay the debt, no fool would dare to mess with him. Ultimately, it all comes down to whether or not I can make money. As long as I can recoup my investment, everything else is secondary. But if I can't…

"The worst that can happen is that I'll be impeached by the censors and rendered a cripple, and I'll be burdened with debts I could never repay in a hundred lifetimes, forever infamous. If I can't get a large sum of money quickly, I'll inevitably fall into the hands of those censors, and I'll be infamous for life too." When Liu Qingyang offered this opinion, Huang Shi shrugged nonchalantly, his face showing an indifferent expression:

"I have no connection with Governor Zhu Yifeng of Fujian. The conflict with General Yu won't be resolved anytime soon. I'm new here, and most of the Fujian merchants will likely be hesitant, not to mention the large number of 'maritime merchants' who are actually Japanese pirates. Of course, I can assume that the court officials just want me to bow down. But even so, they might still want to make things difficult for me, to ruin my reputation so that I'll have no choice but to bow down in the future."

Huang Shi carefully analyzed the situation for Liu Qingyang. If everything proceeded according to the civil official group's predetermined path, Huang Shi would soon lose everything he currently possessed and become a puppet in the hands of the civil officials once again. However, if he took a desperate gamble, failure would only result in disgrace. Huang Shi smiled and patted Liu Qingyang on the shoulder: "But since Brother Liu is here, I certainly won't be disappointed."

Liu Qingyang immediately replied with great enthusiasm: "Yes, sir, you can rest assured." After a pause, Liu Qingyang repeated Huang Shi's slogan: "Sir, we must turn the impossible into the possible."

...

After the surrounding merchants dispersed, Liu Qingyang ordered someone to bring ink and Xuan paper. In front of everyone, he pressed down the "General Who Pacifies the Barbarians" seal heavily for the first time, then held up the white paper for everyone to examine the large vermilion seal on it. Facing the merchants with surprised expressions, Liu Qingyang knew that the matter was almost settled. He chuckled and said, "Gentlemen, you can all rest assured now. Is there anyone in the world who doesn't know the name of the Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince? Now that you have this seal, are you still worried about not being able to borrow money?"

...

On September 24th of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, Liu Qingyang bid farewell to Huang Shi and went to Shandong to prepare for the loan. Huang Shi had high hopes for his trip and also prepared many gifts for Liu Qingyang to take to the officials of the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission. Huang Shi reflected on his actions over the past few months. Some of his irrational behavior was indeed enough to arouse the vigilance of the civil service group. However, for Huang Shi to oppose the civil service group with his own strength would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

However, Huang Shi believed that his overall image within the Wen Guan Group was still acceptable, far from the infamous level of Mao Wenlong. At least there were still many officials in Shandong Province and Southern Zhili who appreciated his favor. Now that Huang Shi's career had reached a critical juncture, when else would he make use of these connections if not now?

"When you get to Shandong, remember to send Zhen Yucun a gift of five hundred taels of silver."

"That much? Will he dare to accept it?"

"I think he should dare to accept it, because my situation is so bad, any smart person should understand that I desperately need help." Huang Shi gave Liu Qingyang a list of officials, more than a hundred Shandong officials, for a total of ten thousand taels of silver: "Have them write several letters to Southern Zhili, asking them to give my maritime trade some convenience out of consideration for past relations, and also hint that if there is any need for my help in the future, I will do my best to do so."

"Yes, sir."

"All loans must be handled strictly according to the regulations, and recorded in detail so that these loan and borrowing regulations can be amended in the future."

"Don't worry, sir, I understand."

"Good, I have no more questions. Oh... have you named this thing yet?" Huang Shi asked the decision-making group responsible for raising funds. Huang Shi wanted Liu Qingyang to cooperate more with the merchants, have more detailed discussions, and involve the merchants to make it easier to cultivate a sense of belonging. Furthermore, a group of experienced merchants are discussing the goods, routes, and profits of maritime trade, which will undoubtedly be of considerable benefit.

"Not yet, please bestow a name upon us, sir." Liu Qingyang also prepared a set of regulations for this decision-making body. Huang Shi felt that the size of one's contribution was the most important criterion for selecting merchants to participate in decision-making, and this body would be an important bridge between the merchants and Huang Shi. Whether Huang Shi needed their cooperation or they wanted to obtain certain privileges from Huang Shi, they could reach an understanding and communicate through this body.

"Hmm… this is a chamber of commerce that cannot be officially recognized; it's also used to handle complex matters," Huang Shi pondered for a moment. Free competition is inefficient; only monopolies can yield the greatest profits. Although Huang Shi and these merchants are currently small fry, this does not prevent them from having grand ambitions. The purpose of this body is to attract capital and form a trade chain to pursue maximum profits:

"Then let's call it the 'Dark Council,' and Liu Qingyang, you will be the first president."

"Yes, sir."

…

After seeing Liu Qingyang off, Huang Shi summoned Li Yunrui.

"Has the Jurchen made any unusual moves lately?"

Li Yunrui began his report as soon as he entered. The Later Jin army in southern Liaodong had never been so well-behaved recently; their calm was almost abnormal. "It's just that the Jurchen's Third Prince, Mangultai, has been behaving strangely. He seems to have established some contact with the Jesuits, buying a large quantity of crosses and saying he wants to convert to Catholicism."

"Oh?" Huang Shi was quite interested in this topic. "Has Mangultai stopped believing in Lamaism?"

"It seems so. Not only has Mangultai driven all the Lamas out of the Plain Blue Banner, but he has also requested the Jesuits to send him several priests who can tell fortunes, saying he wants to establish a Catholic church in Liaoyang. However, the name he has given the church seems quite interesting..."

Li Yunrui looked up at Huang Shi and reported meticulously, "Translated into Chinese, it seems to be: Zhongjianzhou Ainu Chieftain Catholic Church." The

official

and his subordinates burst into laughter, the heaviness before their departure and the serious atmosphere during the discussion of military affairs were instantly swept away.

"Alright, Brother Li, I want you to be among the last to leave. Before you go, hand over all our spies and intelligence personnel to Lord Zhang Pan."

"Yes, sir, Commander. What about the Jurchen spies in our army?"

"If they try to escape in the next few days, let them go. If they don't, take them with you." Huang Shi gave the order without hesitation.

"Yes, sir." Li Yunrui wasn't surprised by the order. If they were going to deceive, they'd go all the way, not giving the Later Jin any chance to realize their intelligence was flawed and correct their mistakes. "May I ask, Commander, when

will we deal with these spies?" "Let me think about it," Huang Shi pondered for a moment. Li Yunrui undoubtedly had no problem eliminating them after they went to sea, but Huang Shi had other considerations. "There's no need to deliberately eliminate them. We might return to Liaodong later, and these people might still be useful."

"Yes, sir. One last thing. Liu Xingzhi sent a message, hoping to come with us. Since Commander suggests playing the long game, I suggest we refuse him and let him continue providing intelligence to Dongjiang Town for the Later Jin."

To Li Yunrui's surprise, this question made Huang Shi think for a long time before finally reluctantly agreeing. "Alright, but remember to tell Liu Xingzhi that my gaze will always be on Liaodong, always on him."

With official business concluded, Huang Shi stared at Li Yunrui for a while, making the latter feel extremely uncomfortable. After a while, Huang Shi sighed, "Brother Li is truly a man of imposing stature, with a real gentlemanly air."

"You flatter me, Commander." Li Yunrui, who had been waiting for this reply for so long, was completely baffled and could only respond blankly.

Huang Shi picked up the top letter from the pile on the side of the table and slammed it heavily onto the table. With a stern face, Huang Shi asked, "Commander Li, do you know who wrote this letter to me?"

Li Yunrui was puzzled by Huang Shi's sudden change in tone. He believed he had never done anything wrong, and besides… Li Yunrui glanced at the letter. Although he couldn't make out the handwriting, he noticed it wasn't an official letter; it was undoubtedly a private one. So he honestly replied, "This humble general doesn't know. Please punish me, Commander."

"Last time I went to Liaoyang, it seemed you were taking care of Madam Chen, wasn't it? It seems you took good care of her. Her brother wrote to me mentioning you, saying he really wanted to see Commander Li."

Huang Shi's words made Li Yunrui's heart pound. He vaguely guessed what might have happened, and his square face instantly turned as red as Guan Yu's.

"I've only been gone a few days, and Miss Chen has only been on Changsheng Island for five days, right?" Huang Shi looked at Li Yunrui and suddenly burst into laughter. He clicked his tongue in praise, "Brother Li, you really have a good plan."

After laughing for a while, Huang Shi coughed. He waved his hand to interrupt Li Yunrui's apology and handed him Zhao Yingong's letter to read: "Zhao Tongpan's sister has already returned to the Zhao family, without anyone noticing. Luckily you left late. Hurry up and go propose marriage, otherwise it won't be able to be concealed."

As he spoke, Huang Shi took out a bag of silver and threw it into Li Yunrui's hand: "Since your sister-in-law is pregnant, don't worry about the money. Hire a large cart. Hire another old maid, and travel by land."

"Thank you, Commander."

On September 26th of the sixth year of Tianqi, Huang Shi embarked on the sea route to Fujian. Most of his direct troops volunteered to follow, and the military households on Changsheng Island also eagerly signed up, vying to go with Huang Shi. Finally, Huang Shi paid for all the pregnant women and mothers with young children to travel by land to Jiangnan.

Compared to the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, the Bohai Sea was as calm as a bathtub. Fortunately, Changsheng Island had many experienced sailors, all trained by Heisha Kazuo over the years. Although this voyage would also follow the coastline, for safety reasons, Huang Shi still transferred a group of sailors back from the Heisha fleet.

The mournful bugle sounded, and the birthplace of a large number of former Dongjiang Town military households slowly receded into the distance. These officers and soldiers could only pay their respects to the place where they had lived and fought. Although the military households on Changsheng Island had all fled from thousands of miles away, Changsheng Island was still at least part of Liaodong. But this long voyage was about to take them somewhere, and they didn't know if they would ever return.

Huang Shi also stood on the deck and looked north. Changsheng Island gradually became a black dot in his field of vision.

"General, will we be able to come back?"

A soldier suddenly asked behind Huang Shi, and his question caused a chorus of sighs. When Huang Shi announced his intention to head south, the soldiers on Changsheng Island eagerly volunteered out of trust in Huang Shi and their community. However, when faced with the reality of the situation, many soldiers couldn't help but shed tears.

"Perhaps it will, perhaps it won't," Huang Shi murmured, his emotions complex. He hoped the Liaodong conflict would end and the Ming court would no longer summon him back to Liaodong, but a voice within him mocked this wishful thinking. That voice urged him to quicken his pace, to quell the She'an Rebellion, and then prepare to head north again to clean up the mess.

"Having followed the commander for so many years, I've always dreamt of my childhood friends, hoping one day to return to my homeland alive and see that they too have survived," the soldier's voice trembled, his slightly parted lips shaking. "But I know this is mostly wishful thinking."

"The elders of my hometown always say that one should return to one's roots," the officer on the left added with a sigh. Six years ago, he followed the flow of refugees from Liaozhong all the way to Korea, getting separated from his family along the way. Then, he happened to meet Huang Shi at sea. The young man, not yet twenty, followed Huang Shi as a soldier to Changsheng Island, settling down and creating a new world. Now, he was about to set sail again with Huang Shi, entering a completely new world.

The officer took a deep breath and said loudly and forcefully, "Marshal Mao once said that our Dongjiang Town is like a dandelion; our soldiers of Dongjiang Town are meant to take root here."

"Dongjiang Town, I will not forget you. But we must take root here, take root here..."

The soldiers on the ship waved their arms vigorously towards the Liaodong land, expressing their heartfelt sentiments with all their might. Huang Shi tiptoed away from the excited crowd; he knew he no longer needed to comfort his men.

...

October 12th, Tianqi 6th year, Dengzhou.

This month, Liu Qingyang had been busy, arranging meetings for him with a large number of business owners from Shandong and Beizhili through merchants traveling to and from Changsheng Island. Liu Qingyang patiently assured them time and again that Huang Shi was indeed lending the money, and that repayment was guaranteed by Huang Shi's reputation. However, everyone still seemed somewhat uneasy. Many merchants openly stated that they would feel more at ease if Huang Shi himself were borrowing the money instead of acting as a guarantor, and they would consider lending Liu Qingyang more money.

After an emergency discussion by the Dark Council, Liu Qingyang, as Huang Shi's first appointed chairman and full representative for fundraising, finally decided to borrow money from the merchants in the name of Huang Shi and Funing Town. The name of this loan was finalized as "The Great Pacifying the Barbarians Loan."

It was expected that the loan would be divided into two types. The first type was a loan to be repaid after one year, with an annual interest rate of 10%. This interest rate already exceeded the usury rates in Shandong and Beizhili. The other type was a loan to be repaid after three years, with an interest rate as high as 50%. Both types of loan agreements would be stamped with the seal of "General Who Pacifies the Barbarians.

" After raising the silver using the "Great Pacifying the Barbarians Loan," Liu Qingyang would then lend the money to merchants involved in maritime trade according to their specific needs. The Dark Council's standard was that, in addition to paying regular sea taxes, these merchants' profits would be distributed to Huangshi based on the amount of their loans. After making a profit, the merchants could use their dividends to continuously redeem and repay their loans until they had completely taken control of the business.

Regardless of how much money a merchant invested, even if all their funds were used through the "Pingman Loan," the Dark Council would guarantee them at least 10% of the profits. In any case, they wouldn't work for Huangshi for nothing. This almost entirely profit-driven cooperation model attracted the interest of many merchants. Although overseas trade was fraught with risks, the rewards were incredibly generous, so over 90% of the patriotic merchants ultimately chose to participate and began planning their maritime trade ventures.

These days, large numbers of merchants traveled to the docks of Shandong and Beizhili, recruiting ships and sailors, and pre-ordering large quantities of silk and raw silk. Suddenly, paper was scarce, ship rentals in places like Leiden and Tianjin skyrocketed, and even sailor wages increased by at least 10%.

According to Huangshi's regulations, in addition to the existing merchants, anyone who had recently purchased 1,000 taels of military currency from the Dongjiang Army could also participate in maritime trade loans. Those who had purchased 100 taels of military scrip could also participate in the loan sales. As a result, some people specifically went to Dongjiang to trade goods for military scrip, then returned to request participation in the Fujian maritime trade plan.

Besides, many merchants, determined not to miss out on even a small profit, also had someone buy 100 taels of military scrip from Dongjiang Town, meeting the minimum requirement to participate in the loan and requesting funds to open several shops. Liu Qingyang told them that once they participated in the plan, they would have priority in supplying and selling goods from merchants designated by the Dark Council, and they all readily agreed.

The newly appointed prefect of Dengzhou, Zhen Yucun, pretended not to know it was a loan. He and Liu Qingyang reached an agreement that, theoretically, Zhen Yucun would only be informed that this was a donation activity for pacifying the barbarians; how Liu Qingyang mishandled things was Huangshi and Funing Town's own business, and had nothing to do with Zhen Yucun.

A few days ago, Zhen Yucun agreed to lend the central hall to Liu Qingyang for fifteen days. Their excuse was that Zhen Yucun was acting on behalf of the Dengzhou government, guaranteeing Liu Qingyang wasn't a fraud, and that the silver donated by Dengzhou merchants would all go into Huang Shi's pocket and be used for the great cause of pacifying the southwest.

Then Zhen Yucun said he was going to Jinan to report to the governor. He hurriedly set off early yesterday morning, having already told Liu Qingyang beforehand that he would stay in Jinan for fifteen days.

In front of a courtyard full of merchants, Liu Qingyang had his men bring out a large box of blank IOUs bearing General Huang Shi's seal. After showing it to the visiting merchants one last time, Liu Qingyang invited everyone to come forward and purchase the IOUs in order.

"Five hundred taels of silver, for three years."

"Alright!" While the Changsheng Island soldiers were counting the silver, the clerk beside them began filling out the IOUs. Just as he wrote down the 50% interest...

“Wait a minute,” the merchant gestured to stop the clerk from taking any further action, and he smiled as he pointed to the area where the interest was written: “Write one percent here.”

The clerk’s eyes widened: “It’s 50% interest for three years.”

"Yes, I know." The merchant nodded in agreement, then said with an unchanged smile, "I am a wealthy man, and I did not come here for this small amount of money. I am here today only because I heard that General Huang has led troops to quell the rebellion in the southwest, and I have come to contribute my meager strength. It is fine if I do not ask for interest."

Before the clerk could speak, another man interjected, "I also have five hundred taels of silver. It is also for three years, and the interest is the same as the old gentleman's, just one percent."

The man behind him was loud, and he shouted as if afraid that everyone would not know, "My in-laws are all from Guangning, and they are all thanks to General Huang." Only then could they escape with their lives from the clutches of that scoundrel Sun. Last month, my eldest daughter-in-law gave birth to a grandson. Upon hearing that Commander Huang was raising funds in Dengzhou, this old man made a special trip to support him.

Several cheers immediately rang out from the surrounding crowd. The second merchant, even more excited, looked around at the crowd and shouted, "I didn't originally intend to ask Commander Huang for these five hundred taels of silver. Hey! What I've got my eye on is Commander Huang's general's seal. From today onwards, it will be my family's treasure, ensuring our safety and protection from evil spirits!" As soon as

he shouted this, cheers erupted again from the crowd, many nodding in agreement, praising Huang Shi's righteousness. Donating some silver to him would be only right and proper, and many others echoed, "It's worth spending a hundred taels of silver just to bring General Huang's menacing aura home."

"Thank you for your righteous help, old man," said one of the two people at the front of the line. When they first spoke, Liu Qingyang had been worried they were there to cause trouble, so he quickly listened intently. The interest these two asked for was merely symbolic; after all, Huang Shi had said it was a loan, and asking for even a penny of interest was just to save face for Huang Shi.

Liu Qingyang walked over, took the pen from the clerk, and carefully wrote out the IOU himself, handing it to the first merchant: "Please keep this safe, sir."

The merchant took the IOU and looked at it several times, then said in astonishment, "I said to just fill in one percent interest, why did you fill in fifty percent?" "

I thank you on behalf of Commander Huang for your righteous act, sir. However, today's loan is already agreed upon with fifty percent interest, fair and square, please forgive me, sir." Liu Qingyang bowed respectfully, and everyone quieted down for a moment. The old merchant repeated himself several times, stubbornly insisting on lowering the interest.

But Liu Qingyang was even more stubborn than him. Although he was extremely polite, he insisted on fifty percent interest: "If you are so kind, sir, please lend my master some more money, of course, the interest will still be fifty percent."

In the end, the old merchant could not persuade Liu Qingyang, so he reluctantly accepted the IOU with the fifty percent interest rate written on it and left very awkwardly. While Liu Qingyang was arguing with the old man, the second man behind the old merchant already looked indignant. When he saw that Liu Qingyang had written him a promissory note for five hundred taels of silver, with a three-year term and 50% interest, the merchant, though knowing he was facing a general, couldn't help but jump for joy:

"General, I am willing to donate this silver to Commander Huang. The old man was also acting righteously, willing to share the burden of the country. Why are you stopping us, General? Aren't you Commander Huang's subordinate? Why do you oppose our efforts to contribute to Commander Huang's cause?"

"Thank you for your kindness, brother. My father was also a merchant in Beizhili, and I know that earning money is not easy..." Liu Qingyang, of course, had no aversion to merchants, as he came from a merchant family himself. However, after his explanation, the merchants in the central hall felt a sense of kinship.

Hearing Liu Qingyang talk about the hardships of trading and the various toil of escorting goods along the way, these merchants empathized deeply. The second merchant sighed a few times, then said loudly, "General, please! I have no problem giving you five hundred taels; it's also to repay a debt of gratitude to my in-laws. Earning money isn't easy, but we should all contribute what we can. Ten taels each would be enough to treat the brothers under Commander Huang to a good meal."

The merchant's words drew another chorus of agreement. Seeing himself gaining attention again, the man, pleased, turned and left, shouting, "Forget it, I'll just leave the five hundred taels here. I don't need Commander Huang's IOU."

He strode confidently towards the door.

"Stop him!"

Liu Qingyang shouted from behind. The Changsheng Island soldiers at the door crossed their spears, blocking the merchant's path. The merchant, clearly hot-tempered, changed drastically upon seeing this. No longer caring about Liu Qingyang's identity, he turned around abruptly and shouted angrily, "General, what do you mean by this?"

As the merchant turned back, Liu Qingyang had already pushed through the crowd and approached, holding a promissory note for five hundred taels of silver in both hands. He said in an unwavering tone, "Brother, my commander has given orders that this 'Great Loan for Pacifying the Barbarians' is a loan, not a donation. Anyone who leaves the silver must take the promissory note with them. Please accept this document."

He looked at the 50% interest rate and the vermilion seal of the "General Who Pacifies the Barbarians" on the promissory note. Looking around, the merchant realized everyone was staring at him. Feeling utterly humiliated, he angrily waved his hand, saying, "I'm here today to sincerely contribute to the war effort, not to covet this 50% bonus. General, you underestimate me!"

Liu Qingyang, still holding the IOU with both hands, remained unmoved and repeated, "My commander has ordered that this is a loan, not a fundraising campaign. Since you've left the silver, please take the IOU with you."

The merchant, feeling utterly humiliated, retorted defiantly, "If this general insists on not accepting the contribution, then I'd rather take the silver!"

Liu Qingyang paused for a second, then waved for five hundred taels of silver to be brought forward, saying to the dumbfounded merchant, "In that case, please take the silver with you."

The merchant and Liu Qingyang stared at each other for a moment, then Liu Qingyang finally snorted, snatched the silver from the Changsheng Island soldier, and angrily turned to leave. Liu Qingyang waved his hand behind him, and the guards at the door stepped aside to let the man out.

...

On October 20th of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, Huang Shi's troops arrived in Funing.

Upon arriving in Funing Town, Huang Shi hurriedly organized manpower to purchase fruits and vegetables, while also vigorously strengthening sanitation regulations to help his subordinates overcome the period of acclimatization. At the same time, he led the engineering corps to investigate the local geography.

"Truly worthy of being called Jiangnan, there's so much water here."

Since the Little Ice Age, rainfall in the north has greatly decreased, and for the past fifty years, generations of people in Liaodong have not seen rivers with abundant water. Fujian is mountainous and has many rivers, which made the Liaodong youths who had just arrived exclaim with envy. Fan Leyou immediately selected several locations to build waterwheels and also made preliminary plans for the construction of reservoirs:

"General, let the craftsmen from Changsheng Island come as soon as possible. I don't know if we need to build many reservoirs, but the windmills won't be needed for the time being. With the water volume here in Fujian, our machine tools can be used in three shifts a day."

Huang Shi nodded in agreement. After the sailors on the ships rest for a few days, they will set off again for Liaodong. Two months later, they will bring back a large number of machine tools and skilled workers. What Funing Town needs to do now is to build enough waterwheels before they return. Regardless of whether a reservoir needs to be built in the future, Huang Shi knows he can significantly increase the production of hydraulic machine tools.

The military settlements in Funing Town don't seem very reliable, because many military farmlands are only on paper. Over two hundred years, many so-called "unclaimed lands" have been occupied by civilians. If the military and civilians fight over land, the local government generally favors the farmers, since they are all under its jurisdiction.

Other so-called "unclaimed lands" have also been taken by military households and hereditary junior officers. Huang Shi knows that forcibly reclaiming the land would be tantamount to taking food from the mouths of many impoverished military households. Although those hereditary junior officers are powerless against Huang Shi, he doesn't want to infringe on their interests, lest he cause panic among the elders of Funing Town, making them think that these Liaodong youths want to exterminate them.

The most crucial point is that while Fujian has plenty of water, its land isn't as fertile as Liaodong's. Many of the military settlements there are sandy fields nestled in the mountains. Huang Shi's former troops, accustomed to the vast plains of Liaodong, weren't entirely satisfied with the soil quality. In the end, Huang Shi simply decided to continue owing them the land, since many of them hadn't farmed in recent years, instead working on various projects he'd initiated. Now, Funing Town was in dire need of rebuilding, with plenty of work to be done, so Huang Shi simply sent the military households to the construction sites to continue working.

As for the future? Huang Shi estimated that the work would only increase, not decrease, so he wasn't too worried. As long as the maritime trade could be successfully launched, even if Huang Shi had to buy land, he could eventually buy it back.

"Alright, everything is ready. Now we just wait for news from the Shandong merchants." Huang Shi stamped his foot on the ground. If the Shandong merchants were willing to engage in maritime trade along the southeast coast, this land would soon become Huang Shi's main source of income. The sea route from Fujian to Japan isn't far. Based in Funing Town, their influence over Changzhou wouldn't weaken, but rather strengthen.

"Fujian has everything, except for a lack of large trees,"

Fan Leyou remarked after accompanying Huang Shi on a tour of Fujian these past few days. Because Fujian has a long history of maritime trade, over the millennia, large timbers have long been felled and used to build ships. Whether Huang Shi wants to engage in maritime trade or suppress pirates, he needs to build a large number of ships, but Fujian has a pitifully small amount of timber suitable for large warships.

Facing the vast groves of small trees on the mountains of Fujian, Fan Leyou, Huang Shi's chief waterwheel expert, lamented, "Back in Liaodong, we didn't have enough water power. Now we have water power, but we have no timber."

Huang Shi also inquired with some local military households in Fujian. They learned that in recent years, the Ming Dynasty navy of Fujian, Guangdong, and Zhejiang provinces had generally transported timber from Yunnan and Guizhou to build large warships, or imported it from the Indochina Peninsula and Southeast Asia. The quantity of large timber in Fujian and Guangdong was simply too scarce to meet the needs of large-scale shipbuilding.

“Perhaps we can transport them from Liaodong in the future.” A water conservancy worker who had accompanied Huang Shi on topographical surveys had once stayed in the Kuandian region. The ancient forests of the Changbai Mountains had always been Chen Jisheng’s best shield. The Dongjiang Right Wing Guerrilla Army hunted black bears there in peacetime and fought against the Later Jin army in wartime; the forest was like their home.

The Ming Dynasty ruled the Changbai Mountains for over two hundred years. Although there were many Han Chinese in Liaodong, they mainly hunted and rarely cut down trees, so the trees there were tall and dense. According to that soldier, there were many trees on the Changbai Mountains that two people couldn’t encircle. Moreover, the cold weather in Northeast China slowed down the growth of the trees, making them denser. It should be very suitable for shipbuilding.

“It’s not impossible to consider,” Huang Shi didn’t immediately dismiss the idea. The cost of sea freight for timber is still uncertain, but if it's not too high, it's hard to find someone better at sourcing timber than Chen Jisheng, especially since the quality of Changbai Mountain timber is rarely matched: "Maybe we really should go back to Dongjiang Town to buy timber. Hmm, cutting down trees is much easier than digging for ginseng all over the mountains. Deputy General Chen may not have much else, but he has forests. His timber will definitely sell for the lowest price in the world. Besides, I can give him some hacksaws for free."

After everyone had a good laugh, Huang Shi stood with his hands behind his back for a long time: "But that's all in the future. All of this requires a lot of money. Only after Brother Liu has raised the money can we really get started."

...

Seven days ago in Dengzhou, after that merchant angrily took his five hundred taels of silver and left, Liu Qingyang went back to work as if nothing had happened. At the time, many people were puzzled, wondering why General Liu had angered the enthusiastic donor. But they were busy with work and could only keep their doubts to themselves.

Afterwards, a busybody raised this question with Liu Qingyang. Liu Qingyang pondered for a moment, feeling that directly stating his thoughts might not be easily understood by his subordinates. So, he calmly said to the soldiers of Changsheng Island, "Let me tell you a story, a story about a sage and his disciples."

Liu Qingyang had read many books in his childhood, including the Analects, so he could readily recount Confucius's life and deeds: "During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Lu enacted a law that if a Lu citizen saw a fellow citizen sold into slavery abroad, as long as they were willing to pay to redeem them, the state would compensate them upon their return to Lu. This law was enforced for many years, and many Lu citizens stranded abroad were saved and able to return to their homeland."

"Truly a benevolent law!" the audience exclaimed in unison.

"Later, the sage had a disciple named Zigong, a wealthy merchant. He redeemed many people from Lu from abroad, but refused the state's compensation, believing he didn't need the money and willing to share the burden of redeeming the people for the country."

"What a kind man! Truly worthy of being the sage's disciple!" The crowd cheered for Zigong again.

The praise made Liu Qingyang smile slightly. After the noise subsided, he said, "But the sage severely criticized Zigong, saying his actions were immoral and harmful, causing suffering to countless Lu compatriots."

"Ah—"

Everyone exclaimed in surprise. Since Confucius said this was wrong, everyone naturally believed Zigong had indeed done wrong. However, they couldn't help but think that Zigong was a good person, and he had clearly done a great act of kindness for the country; how could it be immoral?

While the soldiers on Changsheng Island were discussing amongst themselves, Liu Qingyang remained silent with a smile. After a while, unable to reach a conclusion, they gathered around him again, calling out in unison, "General Liu, please stop keeping us in suspense!"

"The sage said that all things in the world boil down to two words: righteousness and profit. The original laws of Lu sought nothing more than 'righteousness' in people's hearts. As long as people felt compassion for their compatriots in distress, and were willing to go through the trouble of redeeming them and bringing them back home, they could complete a good deed. Afterwards, the state would compensate them, ensuring that the person who performed the good deed would not suffer any loss, and would be praised for their 'righteousness.' Over time, more and more people would be willing to do good deeds. Therefore, this law is a benevolent law."

Liu Qingyang gave everyone some time to digest the information. They all nodded silently, their faces showing deep thought.

"The sage also said that while Zigong's actions earned him greater praise, they also raised everyone's expectations of 'righteousness.' Those who later redeem people and then demand money from the state may not only lose their praise but may even be ridiculed by the people, who will question why they couldn't share the nation's burdens like Zigong. The sage said that Zigong's actions pitted 'righteousness' against 'profit,' making it not a good deed but rather the most despicable evil."

Looking at his stunned subordinates, Liu Qingyang sighed again: "The sage also said that after Zigong, many people will pretend not to see their compatriots in distress. Because they are not as wealthy as Zigong, or they are not as fond of... " " He's showing off. Many people from Lu will be unable to return to their homeland because of this, which is why the sage said that Zigong's actions were against Heaven and reason."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, and after what seemed like an eternity, a timid voice rang out: "After Zigong did this, was the situation in Lu really as the sage predicted?"

Liu Qingyang glanced at this person who dared to doubt Confucius and said meaningfully, "A sage is a sage."

In the minds of this group of people, Confucius was almost a god-like figure, and they had long been mentally prepared for this outcome. However, when that person asked the question, they secretly hoped that Confucius would also make a mistake in judgment, and that those people from Lu who had fallen on hard times could still be saved as before.

So, after Liu Qingyang confirmed that the good laws of Lu had been neglected as a result, everyone sighed heavily. Liu Qingyang seized this opportunity to elaborate: "This merchant who insists on donating today doesn't even realize that he's doing exactly what Zigong already did. If I agree to his donation today, or agree to only pay one percent interest, then others who want to get rich through interest will be criticized, and they might follow suit, donating a few taels of silver and leaving in a hurry. And once this news spreads, all the merchants who have heard about this matter will no longer believe that we are lending money with interest."

Liu Qingyang roused himself and poured out his pent-up feelings: "The sage said, if..." "Acting with benevolence and righteousness brings great profits. If the world were full of benevolent and righteous people, then righteousness and profit would be inseparable. This is what is meant by 'righteousness and profit are inseparable.' The Commander-in-Chief often says that whether it is the soldiers of Changsheng Island or the merchants who sell goods to our Dongjiang, they are all patriots. Therefore, we on Changsheng Island are very lenient towards our soldiers and offer as much profit as possible to our merchants. In my opinion, the Commander-in-Chief's actions are in line with the words of the sages, and therefore it is a perfectly reasonable course

of action." Everyone listened with heartfelt admiration. Liu Qingyang set such a high interest rate of 50% precisely to attract a large amount of land and silver. Only with high interest rates could he attract large loans. If he were to change the loan to a donation today for a small profit, although he might get tens of thousands of taels of silver for nothing, the original plan to raise millions of taels of silver would be out of the question.

"General Liu is wise."

Everyone finally expressed their heartfelt agreement.

This praise brought a slight smile to Liu Qingyang's face again: "The commander-in-chief entrusted me with the important task of fundraising. This matter concerns the food and clothing, weapons and armor of tens of thousands of officers and soldiers on Changsheng Island. How could I not do my utmost and think things through carefully? You must remember that any act of lending money to help Changsheng Island is a righteous act, and anyone who lends money to our border troops is a righteous person. Of course, we must never let these righteous people suffer losses. In addition, tens of thousands of officers and soldiers on Changsheng Island are counting on the assistance of these righteous people. If we hope that more righteous people will step forward, then we must first do our best to help these righteous people profit."

Today was the third day of the "Great Loan for Pacifying the Barbarians." Liu Qingyang suddenly saw two familiar figures in the crowd. It seemed that these two people had met and discussed before coming in. They walked straight towards Liu Qingyang together.

The first to speak was the merchant who had stormed off the day before yesterday. He bowed deeply to Liu Qingyang and said earnestly, "General, I apologize for my rudeness the other day."

Before Liu Qingyang could return the bow, the merchant continued loudly, "I discussed this with my in-laws and brothers the other day. We don't make a 50% profit in other businesses even after three years. Since we're going to make a profit anyway, we might as well use it to help Commander Huang. Today, I plan to give the general 40,000 taels of silver, with a three-year term."

"However," the loud-voiced merchant abruptly changed his tone, hurriedly saying before Liu Qingyang could thank him, "this money concerns the family fortune of me, my brothers, and my in-laws, so I must ask clearly how Commander Huang intends to repay the principal and interest?"

As this merchant spoke, the elderly merchant beside him listened and nodded, clearly agreeing with him. This old gentleman also planned to bring tens of thousands of taels of silver. Although Huang Shi was renowned, they still harbored doubts, worried that he might use the silver directly for military pay.

"Of course," Liu Qingyang replied loudly, confidently gesturing to a row of seats behind him, where many merchants were already seated. "Please take a seat, gentlemen. I have already arranged for scribes to answer your questions."

These scribes, arranged by Liu Qingyang, would patiently explain the purpose of the loan. While detailed business operations couldn't be revealed, the plan had already categorized expenses such as renting boats, purchasing goods, and opening shops, along with considerable budgets. This reassured the merchants, and coupled with Huang Shi's now formidable reputation, their remaining doubts vanished.

By the end of October in the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, when Zhen Yucun returned to Dengzhou from Jinan, Liu Qingyang had already raised over 2.7 million taels of silver for Huang Shi in those fifteen days.

Chapter 44: Reversal

Although the phenomenon of acclimatization was unavoidable, Huang Shi always believed that a considerable number of patients were suffering from illness, because the proportion of acclimatization sufferers in this era was simply too high.

The experience of the past six years in Liaodong proved that Huang Shi's judgment had some merit, and Hu Qingbai and others had been continuously improving relevant hygiene regulations. In the past, during the Liaodong campaign, the non-combat casualties on Changsheng Island were much lower compared to friendly forces. This time, with the long relocation to Fujian, many officers were very worried about the soldiers' health; some extreme individuals even believed that 20-30% of the soldiers would die from acclimatization.

However, Huang Shi disagreed. The Ming Dynasty's official system involved officials serving in different locations, and the transfer of officials across the country was commonplace, yet these officials had never heard of such a high mortality rate. Therefore, Huang Shi concluded that the high disease and mortality rates among soldiers were mainly due to inadequate nutrition and poor management and care.

"Reporting to the Commander, the number of new cases of diarrhea among soldiers has decreased by 50% today, and the total number

of sick soldiers has dropped by 20%," Hu Qingbai, the legendary doctor from Changsheng Island, reported loudly to Huang Shi with a hint of pride. Throughout the voyage by sea and after arriving in Funing Town, Hu Qingbai had been busy implementing strict hygiene regulations. All soldiers were required to drink hot water, and each person was required to eat a serving of vegetables daily. Those who fell ill received immediate treatment and close care.

"Hmm, very good." This news relieved Huang Shi. Thanks to the collective efforts of all soldiers, the incidence of acclimatization problems had been minimized. Of the more than 20,000 soldiers in Liaodong, only over 3,000 had fallen ill. However, the hygiene regulations that Hu Qingbai had developed over many years had proven highly effective. Sick soldiers were isolated and controlled, vomit and excrement were promptly cleaned up, and they received sufficient drinking water through caregivers. Under these effective hygiene regulations, the death toll was kept to single digits.

"General, these are herbs mentioned by local military households in Fujian. We've recorded them all, and those with good effects will be included in our hygiene regulations."

Huang Shi glanced at the prescription and handed it back to Hu Qingbai. Actually, Hu Qingbai only intended for Huang Shi to glance at it. With the increasing specialization within the army, Huang Shi was gradually becoming ignorant in various areas. Take military training, for example. A few years ago, Huang Shi was He Dingyuan's mentor, having impressed He Dingyuan with a plagiarized training method. But now, Huang Shi was a complete novice compared to He Dingyuan.

Last time Huang Shi inspected training on Changsheng Island, he discovered that He Dingyuan had concocted a mountain of military terminology, most of which Huang Shi couldn't understand. He Dingyuan even seemed impatient with Huang Shi's constant questioning, his unspoken message being—General, you only need to know the battlefield command codes. "I will definitely hand over a group of well-trained officers and soldiers to you then. As for how I trained them, you can look up the training regulations yourself when you have time. Don't bother me with unnecessary chatter and interfere with my official business."

Later, Huang Shi summoned Song Jianjun from the training corps for a consultation and discovered that the training regulations had indeed made great progress. Not only He Dingyuan, but even the professional instructors in the training corps had fallen far behind Huang Shi in this aspect. After a long sigh, Huang Shi abandoned the idea of thoroughly familiarizing himself with the entire training process. From then on, he also let his subordinates handle other professional regulations themselves.

...

Huang Shi's envoys to Quanzhou and Xiamen had returned. Both the Fujian governor Zhu Yifeng and the deputy general of the southern route Yu Zigao wrote very polite replies to Huang Shi, telling him to rest for a month or two before arranging a banquet for him with his colleagues. Both letters greatly praised Huang Shi's martial prowess and reputation. Huang Shi did not see any arrogance from Zhu Yifeng's letter. Even Yu Zigao said he didn't mind Huang Shi being appointed as the Fujian governor.

Although the other party was polite, this did not mean Huang Shi could be arrogant. With the most pressing issue of settling in resolved, Huang Shi hurriedly set off for Quanzhou to pay his respects to the governor. He then planned to personally visit Xiamen to try and resolve any misunderstandings or estrangement between himself and Yu Zigao.

Before departing, Huang Shi summoned local veteran boatmen and shipbuilders to inquire about shipbuilding. Just as Huang Shi had feared, large timber from Fujian and Guangzhou was indeed very scarce, and even in neighboring Zhejiang, suitable large timber was difficult to find. Transporting timber from Yunnan and Guizhou was extremely expensive and time-consuming, so in recent decades, the navies of Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang provinces had mainly purchased large timber from Southeast Asia. However,

since the 35th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, when the Wanli Emperor sent people to carefully investigate the gold and silver mines in Luzon, the Spanish had been wary of China. Therefore, it was said that the quality of the Southeast Asian timber they had purchased in recent years was not very good, because the Spanish felt that the Ming Dynasty had ill intentions, and high-quality large timber was a strategic resource for the fleets of various countries.

After hearing this explanation, Huang Shi and Fan Le exchanged glances. The Spanish hostility had already erupted once in the 36th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign. After discovering that the Wanli Emperor had sent scouts to explore the terrain near Manila, they feared an imminent Ming invasion and thus carried out a massacre of the Chinese in Manila, killing approximately 3,000 people. Chinese merchants who had assisted the Wanli Emperor in his scouts were also hanged.

This massacre greatly angered the Wanli Emperor, who issued an edict ordering the cabinet to discuss the issue of retaliation, but this was met with strong opposition from the Fujian governor. It had already been confirmed that there were no silver mines in Luzon; the Spanish were transporting silver from other regions to Luzon for trade with China. Therefore, even if they won an attack on Luzon, they would gain nothing and would only cut off their own source of income.

The Wanli Emperor seemed to find the Fujian governor's argument reasonable, so in the end, he only sent a messenger to Manila with a letter of apology, stating that he had sent people to Manila to search for silver mines out of boredom and had no malicious intent whatsoever. The Spanish seemed to accept Wanli's explanation and apologized, but a rift had formed between them.

A few years earlier, the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands had fought a protracted war in Penghu. The Ming army had exerted tremendous effort to drive the Dutch out of the Penghu Islands. The Dutch were now extremely unfriendly to the Ming navy in Fujian. Therefore, even if the Spanish were willing to sell large timbers, the Dutch might not allow them to pass through their territory.

This issue was explained to Huang Shi by Van Ley and Desmond. Van Ley, however, was quite cunning; he claimed that now that he was a Ming officer, he would definitely consider the Ming's interests. Desmond was also considering joining the Ming military household; his views were basically the same as Van Ley's

. As mercenaries, they would never fight for their own country; but once they became Ming officers, the Ming Dynasty would be their homeland. These two were Dutch vagrants who had suddenly become rich after arriving in China. Huang Shi believed in their loyalty, but in the event of war, they would certainly be relegated to the rear. Huang Shi decided to immediately send a messenger team to Kuandian, which would include three engineers and several shipbuilders: "It seems we need to discuss the timber issue with Chen Jisheng."

Chen Jisheng certainly didn't have enough manpower to transport large timbers from Changbai Mountain every day, so Huang Shi's first thought was to utilize the river, since the Yalu River was right behind Kuandian. As long as Chen Jisheng cut down the trees and threw them into the river, Mao Wenlong could intercept them at the estuary and load them onto ships to be transported to Fujian.

Of course, all of this could only be done after the weather warmed up and the Yalu River thawed. Huang Shi also included several engineers in the messenger team, partly to help Chen Jisheng study the terrain and water flow. Chen Jisheng was already extremely poor in Kuandian, and Huang Shi believed that the idea of cutting down large trees to sell for money would greatly interest the deputy general, as he had as many trees as the sand in the hands of an Arab.

As for the shipbuilders Huang Shi sent, they would naturally stay in Kuandian with the engineers, and Huang Shi planned to have them guide Chen Jisheng on what kind of trees to cut down. As a modern man, Huang Shi still harbored some resentment towards indiscriminate logging. He worried that if he didn't send someone, Chen Jisheng would go berserk and cut down every tree he saw.

"We need to find another ship designer, so we'll have to write to the Jesuits again."

Huang Shi was a thorough pragmatist. Although he didn't dare say that China's large-scale sailing ships had no future, in his history, Western ocean-going vessels had proven successful. So Huang Shi didn't think too much and decided to follow the path of Western large warships. His senior advisors, such as Fan Leyou and Duncan, were Westerners, so they naturally strongly supported Huang Shi's decision.

The most important problem in building ships was processing timber, so Changsheng Island even built a water-powered saw for this purpose. This machine was much more efficient than using manpower. What would take ten strong men a day to saw planks could be done in less than an hour with the water-powered saw. However, this water-powered machine was the same as all other machines on Changsheng Island. Both sides faced a serious waste of production capacity. In the past, Changsheng Island had neither the money nor the need to produce a large number of ships, and its precious water resources had to be used for other heavy machinery.

Now that Fujian has abundant water resources and Huangshi is eager to build a navy, the water-powered saw suddenly has a bright future.

After arranging the work at hand, Huangshi immediately led his men to Quanzhou. Fujian is mountainous, and Huangshi felt that it would be better to take the sea route by boat than to travel along the winding official roads.

...

"What a big fish!" "

It's huge! Does anyone have a bow? Quickly, bring a bow."

"No bow..."

"No bow? If you don't have a bow, then use a musket. Oh, and a javelin."

When Huangshi was attracted to the stern by the noise, he saw Zhang Zaidi standing at the stern facing the sea, a musket pointed straight at the sea. Little Zhang closed one eye and was carefully aiming. There were several other people standing side by side with him, all holding muskets that had already been lit. The posture was like that of someone doing shooting practice.

Besides the musketeers, several men boarded the small boat at the stern, each armed with a javelin, seemingly ready to hurl it into the sea. Including those preparing to retrieve dead fish, everyone on the boat nervously peered out to sea, eager to kill the fish and have a feast. The Liaodong soldiers were practically drooling, craning their necks. So, not one of them noticed Huang Shi had already reached them. Zhang Zaidi

focused intently on his target. Regardless of whether his shot hit, several javelins would be thrown simultaneously. Several large fish were following behind the stern; the small boat would only go to retrieve them after their attack, to avoid scaring them away.

"Stop!"

A sudden shout came from behind, startling Zhang Zaidi.

"Stop!"

Huang Shi shouted again, walking into the crowd and sternly ordering, "Stop the fire ropes... and you few, get on the boat, don't touch this fish."

Not content with that, Huang Shi added an extra order: from now on, no one is allowed to touch the large white fish following the stern of the boat, or they will be

punished for disobeying military orders. Although Zhang Zaidi was a general, he was too young and playful, lacking the imposing presence of a general. Huang Shi, while striving to project an approachable image, possessed such dazzling achievements that none of his subordinates dared to look up to him. Even He Dingyuan had become much more submissive after the leap to Liaoyang, arguing and bickering with Huang Shi less frequently.

Hearing Huang Shi's order, the men could only silently watch the large fish that had made their mouths water swim behind the boat, swallowing their saliva.

"This kind of fish..." Huang Shi remembered that dolphins weren't classified as fish in biological terms. Regardless of his words, as long as everyone understood, that was enough: "This is a divine fish, it must not be offended."

"Whoa!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in a frenzy.

“Look closely, these white fish are the incarnation of Mazu, the goddess of navigation.”

A group of white dolphins leaped happily at the stern. Huang Shi clasped his hands together and solemnly greeted the dolphins. Mazu, the goddess of navigation in the Fujian seas, had a history of over a thousand years. During the Song Dynasty, the worship of Mazu had expanded from the Fujian seas to the Guangdong and Zhejiang seas.

Although most of the Liaodong men on board had been farmers for the first half of their lives, some well-traveled individuals remembered Mazu's name. Since the Ming Dynasty, China's ocean voyages had increased significantly. Many Ming Dynasty officials, including Zheng He, would sincerely pray to Mazu before embarking on their sea voyages.

As the Ming Dynasty's power grew... During the Ming Dynasty, numerous temples and stone tablets praising Mazu were built around the South China Sea. By the Tianqi era, Mazu had become the undisputed patron saint of navigation in Southeast Asia and Central South China. Even the Spanish and Dutch, upon their initial arrival in Malacca, prayed to Mazu, calling her the guardian goddess of this sea region.

In Huangshi's history, the Manchu Qing Dynasty almost completely destroyed China's maritime culture, and Mazu gradually degenerated from a widely influential goddess into a local deity. Although the ignorance and barbarity of these people caused China to lose its influence in Southeast Asia for centuries, the seeds planted by the Ming Dynasty for the goddess took root and flourished outside of China. Even during the Republic of China era, the incense burned continuously at Mazu temples in Vietnam and Indonesia, allowing every descendant of the Yellow Emperor to proudly say: "Look, this is where our ancestors sailed; this is the civilization they left to the world."

"...Although Fujian has plenty of water, most of its land is sandy, so the yield is limited and not enough to feed the people. Since ancient times, Fujian men have mostly sailed out to sea, leaving women at home to farm, so that they could have enough harvests and live a good life..."

Huang Shi recounted the hazy legends of Mazu from his memory, and the soldiers around him listened with serious expressions:

"But fate is unpredictable. Fishermen who went out to sea to catch more fish would sometimes be gone for days, and many never returned. Mazu was from Huian. Her husband and several brothers all went out to sea to fish, and none of them returned. Mazu waited and waited on the shore, but none of her loved ones came back. Finally, she plunged into the sea and transformed into this divine fish..."

Dolphins often rescue sailors and fishermen who fall into the water, sometimes even bringing them back to shore. When fishermen are fishing, dolphins often follow behind the boats, and whenever this happens, the sailors and fishermen shout: "Look, Mazu is protecting us!"

"Mazu lives eternally in the sea, never to return to shore. She is the protector of both brave and hardworking fishermen and wives waiting on the shore. She ensures that hard work is rewarded and that lovers can reunite... She blesses all living beings along the coast, for thousands of years without fail."

After hearing Huang Shi's words, everyone on the boat clasped their hands together and bowed in respect to the white dolphins behind the boat. Including Zhang Zaidi, the loyal and patriotic Catholic de facto ruler, everyone sincerely prayed to the goddess of the Chinese sea.

Golden sunlight slanted down from the sky, painting the South China Sea pink. The snow-white dolphins leaped out of the water, joyfully creating strings of glistening droplets, as if dancing for the voyage and bringing them the blessings of the sea goddess.

...

After arriving in Quanzhou... Huang Shi first paid his respects to the Fujian governor, and the next day led his men on a tour of the city. Having lived on Changsheng Island in Liaodong for far too long, Huang Shi was somewhat unaccustomed to the bustling metropolis of Quanzhou.

"Since we're in Quanzhou, we must see the East and West Twin Pagodas; otherwise, it would be a real pity,"

Huang Shi said, gazing once more at the magnificent pagodas before reaching Kaiyuan Temple. Huang Shi had been here once before, but compared to his previous visit, he was considerably older, while Kaiyuan Temple seemed over three hundred years younger. It was truly both amusing and ironic.

Just like at Shanhaiguan, Huang Shi once again acted as a tour guide for his subordinates: "Kaiyuan Temple was built in the Tang Dynasty and has a history of over a thousand years. Since the Tang Dynasty, Quanzhou has been an important port in the southeast, with a constant stream of merchants from the Western Regions and Arab countries. Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and other religions were introduced to China one after another. The Tang Dynasty treated all religions equally; as long as they did not fight each other, their temples were protected."

During the Song Dynasty, Quanzhou further became one of China's most important seaports, with Song Dynasty goods setting sail from here to Vietnam, Thailand, India, and other places.

Then came the Mongol invasion, which plundered China's wealth accumulated over hundreds of years. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the country had almost no currency for trade. Zhu Hongwu collected no more than 100,000 taels of silver in land taxes annually. With a severe shortage of hard currency, China's domestic trade almost degenerated into barter, and taxes almost entirely became in-kind taxes. Against this historical backdrop, Quanzhou also declined rapidly, its commerce shrinking to the point of near disappearance.

However, before Huang Shi, Quanzhou Port presented a vibrant scene of bustling activity, with thousands of sails racing and hundreds of boats

vying for position. Quanzhou underwent another transformation during the reign of Emperor Longqing of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Longqing was the father of Emperor Wanli, a kind and honest man who unfortunately encountered powerful figures like Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng in the cabinet. Kindness is often taken advantage of; during Longqing's reign, the cabinet not only gave the emperor nicknames but also repeatedly mocked him, saying that instead of wasting time questioning their opinions, the emperor should return to the harem and father more princes.

For six years, Emperor Longqing attended court, and aside from saying "Yes, yes" and "Good, good," he never dared to voice any opinion on the cabinet. Towards the end of Longqing's reign, Grand Secretary Gao Gong began to advocate that the Ming emperor should not have the right to "retain" the cabinet's draft proposals, meaning that the emperor should not have the power to veto the cabinet's decisions.

The honest and kind-hearted Emperor Longqing often heard the cabinet lamenting their financial troubles during court sessions. He then personally dispatched eunuchs to Fujian to open the Zhangzhou port, exchanging Chinese silk for silver from overseas. This sea route is what Westerners call the "Maritime Silk Road." When Emperor Longqing died, he left Zhang Juzheng 30 million taels of silver earned through maritime trade. Zhang Juzheng used this wealth to complete the silver standard reform, transforming the Ming Dynasty's in-kind tax into a monetary tax. Later, when Emperor Wanli came to power, the shameless and greedy Wanli abolished ship permits and imposed taxes on every cargo ship sailing to the sea.

At the time, some censors and ministers accused Emperor Wanli of competing with the common people for profit, saying that since he abolished ship permits and replaced them with sea taxes, the seafarers had been "suffering from hunger and cold, their misery unbearable." Emperor Wanli, however, insisted on his shameless stance of prioritizing money, arguing that if taxes would make maritime trade unprofitable, then the people wouldn't go to sea. He pointed out that the increasing number of ships going to sea meant that even after taxes, merchants could still make money.

Wanli even retorted to the censors and ministers: "Are the seafarers all fools? Or do they have so much money that they knowingly pay me a sea tax at a loss?"

Faced with an emperor who disregarded imperial dignity, the Ming Dynasty officials had no recourse but to hurl insults.

The long, drawn-out tolling of the Kaiyuan Temple bells echoed in the ears of Huang Shi and his group. The monks within struck their wooden fish drums, solemnly chanting scriptures. Wisps of smoke rose from the incense and candles offered by visitors, seemingly adding a layer of sacred radiance to the robes of the monks. Huang Shi and his companions held their breath, moving slowly and quietly through the ancient temple, mimicking the actions of other devout believers. They respectfully offered incense to the Bodhisattva, left a small donation, and then quietly departed.

"Truly remarkable," Zhang Zaidi and the others exclaimed, their faces filled with excitement, having rarely seen such ancient sites in Liaodong.

"Indeed," Huang Shi finally let out a long sigh after leaving the Kaiyuan Temple. He always felt an inexplicable awe and a touch of pride when facing such historically significant sites. After leaving Kaiyuan Temple

, Huang Shi and his men went to get some food.

After the Wanli reign, Quanzhou reached its zenith. The streets were teeming with merchants, their voices filled with the diverse accents of the Ming Dynasty, chatting animatedly. Even blond-haired, blue-eyed Caucasians and dark-skinned Black people were a common sight. The young men from Liaodong pointed and whispered amongst themselves, marveling at the unusual sight.

"In Quanzhou, we can eat all sorts of Fujian specialties!"

"Even better than pickled cabbage? Really?" Hong Antong immediately expressed his homesickness.

Huang Shi smiled; having lived in southern Liaoning for so many years, he also loved the local cuisine: "Each place has its own specialties. For example, in Dalian we eat green clams, in Tianjin we eat ma clams, and in Fujian… we eat hard clams."

Quanzhou's streets were filled with snack stalls, and although it was late October, the weather was still warm. Outside many shops, several burly men, shirtless, could be seen frantically smashing something with wooden sticks, creating a deafening crash.

One of the guards asked curiously, "What are they doing?"

"They're making meatballs and fish balls," Huang Shi replied, once again acting as a guide. He told his eager men: Northerners usually add flour to their meatballs to help them hold their shape, but things are different in Fujian. Several young men at the meatball shop were pounding meat, pounding it vigorously before making the balls: "Fujian people like to use fish with sticky flesh, like shark, for their meatballs. They always boast that Fujian meatballs are so bouncy they can bounce three feet high if dropped on the ground. Some Fujian meatballs even have fillings inside, like fish balls with minced pork, giving them both the crispness of fish balls and the rich aroma of pork balls..."

"Alright, let's sit here," Huang Shi said, pointing to a shop by the roadside. The four young men at the shop entrance were pounding the meatballs with particular force; you could tell their meatballs would be chewy.

After they sat down, the shop assistant immediately came to solicit business. The waiter's broken Mandarin gave Zhang Zaidi and his companions quite a headache, since their own Mandarin wasn't much better. So Huang Shi had to deal with the waiter alone. Finally, Huang Shi solemnly ordered a local specialty: "Ou'a Jian, Duo Xia!"

The strange pronunciation left Zhang Zaidi and Hong Antong dumbfounded, while the waiter nodded, said "okay," and turned to leave. Huang Shi proudly told them, "It's oysters from Liaodong, but from Fujian..." The oysters are quite small; the Fujianese call them "pearl oysters." "Ou-a-jian" is simply frying pearl oysters with scallions; it's very fragrant.

Zhang Zaidi and the others stared blankly at Huang Shi, as if looking at a stranger. Finally, Hong Antong stammered, "Truly worthy of being called a high-ranking official; you've investigated all these matters so thoroughly."

Huang Shi didn't offer much explanation, only laughing heartily a few times. The waiters quickly brought out chive boxes, taro buns, and fried meat rolls, which they ate while they were still hot.

Since the Ming Dynasty lifted the maritime ban, merchants from various countries flocked to Quanzhou for trade. By the Tianqi era, the total number of Arab and European merchants who had chosen to settle there exceeded tens of thousands. Over the decades, in addition to traditional Chinese temples, new mosques and churches were built in Quanzhou.

As the sun set, the various temples rang out loud bells, and clergy from different religions sang loudly, waving their arms towards the sky, expressing their boundless praise and reverence for the gods. Quanzhou Port was filled with ships from all over the world. Although it was getting dark, the market was still bustling with activity. Shops lit candles, and large numbers of citizens and merchants lingered on the streets.

This grand scene of a large commercial port naturally amazed Zhang Zaidi, Hong Antong, and other border soldiers, leaving them unable to eat. Huang Shi himself was equally astonished.

In Huang Shi's previous life, records of China's prosperous maritime trade had been almost entirely destroyed. Often, we could only glimpse the trading center of the southeastern coast through the notes of contemporary Europeans.

In the 40th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, a Spaniard in Manila wrote: "The Maritime Silk Road is flourishing. Chinese merchant ships from Quanzhou and Zhangzhou to Manila are endless, forming a sea route. At first glance, one could almost jump from ship to ship, all the way from Manila to Quanzhou."

Although piracy had increased since the Tianqi Emperor's reign, maritime trade continued, which was the fundamental reason why Huang Shi dared to borrow money. If Huang Shi hadn't traveled to the Ming Dynasty after the Longqing and Wanli reforms, but to any other era, he would never have been able to engage in import/export trade without government quotas, and he would never have been able to repay his debts.

"This place is wonderful. There's no war, and no barbarians who don't even have a written language and only know how to rape and plunder,"

Zhang Zaidi's exclamation drew a chorus of agreement, but it shattered Huang Shi's good mood instantly. Just outside his window, men and women with happy smiles streamed by, and the laughter of children could be heard. The people on the street were happy, peaceful, and carefree. At the entrance to the harbor, a belated sailboat was slowly making its way to its berth, alum was gently being poured in, and if you listened closely, you could almost hear the joyful songs of the sailors on board, celebrating their arrival home…

If Huang Shi hadn't come to this time, twenty years later, these streets would be teeming with people. Whether it was an elderly person with white hair, an innocent and adorable child, a vigorous young man, or a carefree young girl, on average, two out of every three people would be killed…

Such a tragedy would not only happen in Quanzhou, but the entire land of China would be plunged into bloodshed. Hundreds of shipyards along the Fujian and Zhejiang coasts would be burned down along with their ships, and every living person within thirty miles of the coast would be brutally murdered…

Why must our nation suffer such a calamity? Why are our unarmed people being slaughtered? Why must our civilization endure such a reversal?

Who is condoning evil, nurturing a tiger that will eventually become a threat? And who are betraying our country and pushing our people into suffering?

…

The last day of October in the sixth year of the Tianqi reign. Liaoyang.

Four princes were gathered together to discuss matters. Amin said with a gloomy face, "Our envoys have returned from the Khorchin Mongols. According to them, the Khorchin chieftain is still ill, and there seems to be no sign of improvement."

Daishan roared angrily in a low voice, "Lies! These faithless Mongols are the most unreliable!"

Logically speaking, given the close relationship between the Khorchin Mongols and the Later Jin, their chieftain should have come in person to pay his respects to Nurhaci. But after that rumor arose in Huangshi, the Khorchin chieftain had been ill, and his eldest son suddenly had something to attend to and couldn't come. Huang Taiji invited him several times, but they made excuses and refused to come.

Although Huang Taiji was anxious, he still looked confident. He turned to the listless Mangultai beside him and asked, "Fifth Brother, what do you think?"

"Huh?" Mangultai seemed startled, raising his head to stare blankly at Huang Taiji, his eyes dull and lifeless. "What are you talking about? I didn't hear you clearly."

Huang Taiji glanced at his fifth brother with disappointment, then repeated the story of the Khorchin Mongols. Mangultai listened and listened, lowering his head. After Huang Taiji finished speaking, he simply uttered a few words in a low voice: "I have no thoughts."

Ever since Huang Shi used Nurhaci's death, Mangultai had been practically a cripple. Huang Taiji had invited Mangultai to go hunting with him several times, but Mangultai had calmly refused each time: "Eighth brother, go play by yourself. I'm not in the mood right now."

Only when news of Huang Shi's departure from Liaonan arrived did Mangultai seem to awaken from his illusion for a moment, his eyes flashing with an almost manic joy... But it was only for a moment. Huang Taiji watched helplessly as the flame in Mangultai's eyes gradually dimmed, flickering, flickering, flickering... until it was completely extinguished.

Finally, Mangultai completely collapsed again, only managing to utter a low, mournful, "He will still return."

Huang Taiji, who always prided himself on his composure, was deeply saddened by the sorrow and desolation in Mangultai's voice. Even the iron-willed Huang Taiji felt a pang of heartache upon hearing it. Now, Mangultai was listless and absent-minded during meetings, constantly fiddling with a strange-looking ornament around his neck—a simple ornament that appeared to be two crossed metal rods.

"Masters, Your Highnesses!"

A man from the Later Jinniu tribe stumbled in, hurriedly calling out to the four Beile, "The Ming Dynasty has sent someone! It's the Liaodong Governor of the Ming Dynasty. He's sent someone to mourn the Old Khan!"

The other three Beile, except for Mangultai, stood up. Huang Taiji, after understanding the situation, was so excited his voice trembled: "Quickly, invite him in."

Then Huang Taiji hurriedly turned to look at Mangultai, who was still sitting there sullenly, his hand unconsciously fiddling with the cross. Huang Taiji excitedly shouted, "Fifth Brother, quickly go and invite the merchants, lamas, and all the Mongol tribes from Liaoyang!"

"Hmm?" Mangultai looked up: "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly."

...

The official sent by Yuan Chonghuan arrogantly announced loudly, "Five hundred taels of gold and five thousand taels of silver."

"Thank you, Ambassador of the Great Nation."

Dai?an, Huang Taiji, and Amin humbly returned the greeting, then respectfully invited Yuan Chonghuan's envoy to the banquet. A lama, entrusted by Yuan Chonghuan to accompany the Liaodong official to Liaoyang, was also invited to the grand banquet.

The social elites of Liaoyang were once again mobilized. Although the four Beile were currently seated side-by-side, Huang Taiji was, after all, the nominal Khan of the Later Jin, so he personally escorted Yuan Chonghuan's envoy to the seat of honor, and then, starting with Huang Taiji, began round after round of toasts.

After the banquet, Huang Taiji's mood improved considerably. Yuan Chonghuan's envoy said that the Ming court had not acknowledged Huang Shi's merit in killing Nurhaci. Although the Later Jin and the various Mongol tribes already knew this, and understood that the main reason the Ming court did not acknowledge the merit was the issue of the severed heads, Huang Taiji believed that inducing the Liaodong governor's envoy to say this in public still held great significance.

“Let’s send Dorgon to the Ming Dynasty as a hostage. We desperately need some breathing room.”

Dai?an and Amin both deeply agreed with Huang Taiji’s suggestion. Amin nodded and added, “Excellent! The Mongols will most likely think we’re about to be granted amnesty, or at least that we’ve reached a preliminary agreement with the Ming Dynasty. That way, we can at least do some business. Hmm, if all else fails, we can add Dodo as well and send both brothers.”

Mangultai remained silent as usual during the meeting. His brothers were used to this, so they didn’t ask for his opinion. After the meeting, Huang Taiji walked to Mangultai’s side and patted him on the shoulder: “Fifth Brother, let’s go home. We’ve finished discussing.”

“I know. I didn’t miss a single word you said,” Mangultai replied in a deep voice. When he looked up, Huang Taiji was surprised to see a long-lost sharp glint in his eyes.

"Eighth Brother." Mangultai suddenly reached out and grabbed Huang Taiji's arm, his tone swift and firm: "Let's take this opportunity and simply surrender!"

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