The Prosperous Era of Longwan

The next day, as soon as Wei Guangde entered the cabinet, he called Lu Bu.

"If you don't make the tea, please send the note to me."

Wei Guangde ordered, and in front of him was a piece of paper with the ink still wet.

Wei Guangde picked up the note, put it to his mouth and blew on it. It seemed a little dry, and he didn't fold it. He handed it directly to Lu Bu and said, "Tell someone outside to send the note to the Ministry of War and hand it over to Mr. Tan." superior."

"Yes, sir."

Lu Bu took it with respectful hands and was about to exit when he suddenly heard Wei Guangde's shout again.

"Wait a minute, I'll write another note."

Wei Guangde laid out another piece of paper and quickly wrote on it.

After a while, he put away the pen, picked it up, blew on it, handed it to Lu Bu and said, "Send this to the Ministry of Industry and give it to Mr. Jiang."

With a note in his hand, Lu Bu agreed, then exited the room and walked quickly outside the cabinet.

However, while walking on the road, Lu Bu still looked at the words on it curiously.

The note to Jiang Zhi contained few words, but asked the Ministry of Industry to arrange for a shipyard in Shandong to build twenty large ships suitable for traveling on the Songhua River and Heilongjiang River.

The note to Tan Lun contained a lot more text, and the content surprised even Lu Bu because it mentioned the name of an official office.

"Nuer Gandusi."

Lu Bu almost screamed, because he had heard of this place, and even knew that although the yamen was still there, it had been moved to Liaodong, and the court had actually abandoned this place.

Although there is no explicit text, because the Ming Dynasty is not allowed to give up any territory, this is also one of the ancestral precepts of the Ming Dynasty.

From the beginning of his reign, the emperor was not allowed to give up land.

Although Nuergandusi moved inland during the Xuande period, the imperial court did not dare to say that it would give up the land. It only said that it would be handed over to the local Mongols and Jurchens to continue living there and maintain the Ming Dynasty's rule there.

Now, Wei Guangde's note clearly stated that he wanted the Ministry of War to write a letter to Liaodong and assign a thousand-household unit to station in Nuergan City to rebuild Yongning Temple.

The Commander-in-Chief of Nuergandu was originally the Mansion of Marshal Zhengdong in the Yuan Dynasty, and was officially upgraded to the Dusi in the ninth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty.

Nuergandusi is located in Nuergancheng on the east bank of the lower reaches of Heilongjiang River, about 200 kilometers away from the mouth of Heilongjiang River. The officials and garrison troops assigned to Nuergandusi are all here.

There were more than 400 guards and stations stationed there, and their jurisdiction extended to the sea in the east, Sakhalin Island in the northeast, the Onan River in the west, the Tumen River in the south, and the Waixing'an Mountains in the north.

In the 11th year of Yongle and the 8th year of Xuande, Yongning Temple was built twice in Nurgan City, and two monuments were erected.

The so-called Yongning actually means praying for eternal peace.

There are Mongolian, Jurchen, Jirimi, Kuyi, Daur and a small number of Han people living here in Nurgandusi, and most of them make a living by hunting.

Guard stations were divided into areas under its jurisdiction. The Ming Dynasty government also appointed leaders of various ethnic groups to take charge of each guard station. They gave seals, maintained customs, and unified their belongings. They paid tribute from time to time. The tributes included sea greens, mink skins, horses, pearls and other soil. Special products are equivalent to taxes in the mainland.

On the basis of the post stations of the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming government restored the post transmission from Nuerqian to the mainland, which strengthened the political ties and economic exchanges between Nuerqian and the Ming court, as well as the friendly relations between people of all ethnic groups, and promoted the local society. economic development.

The 384 guards and 24 stations under the jurisdiction of Nuergandu Division are actually mainly distributed along the lower reaches of Heilongjiang River, which not only ensures transportation, but also serves as a post station.

These guard strongholds were used to radiate the surrounding areas to realize the Ming Dynasty's rule over the local area.

According to Wei Guangde's considerations, it would naturally not be as large as four hundred health centers as it was back then.

It is enough to choose a few guard posts with good conditions to rebuild along the way, build a more powerful fortress, and garrison one hundred households.

Isn't that what Maozi was like back then? He built a strong fortress and could withstand several times the enemy's attack with the help of guns and artillery.

Several strongholds were arranged along the way, and the remaining few hundred people directly moved into Nurgan City and built it into a strong fortress.

As for Sakhalin Island, one hundred households can also be stationed.

In fact, when the Ming Dynasty arrived here, there were permanent residents on Sakhalin Island. The Ming Dynasty called them Kuyi people in official documents.

When Wei Guangde was looking through the documents of Nuer Gandusi, he once saw a place name that was deeply embedded in his memory, and that was "Temple Street".

In fact, Wei Guangde always thought that Temple Street was near the Sino-Russian border, possibly on the other side of the Heilongjiang River. After all, it is said that the Russians massacred local people here during the Manchu Qing Dynasty, including Han Chinese.

Only now did Wei Guangde know that Temple Street was originally located in Nurgan City. From a geographical point of view, it was actually east of the mainland at the northwest end of Sakhalin Island. It was also the entrance to the lower reaches of Heilongjiang River.

Well, it should be said that it is far, far away from the Sino-Russian border that he was familiar with in later generations.

The so-called Temple Street is actually a place where temples gather on the bank of the Heilongjiang River in the south of Nurgan City. Every year on certain festivals, many people from the surrounding area gather here to burn incense and worship Buddha.

Seeing this, Wei Guangde knew that during the Qing Dynasty, it seemed that China was still ruling Sakhalin Island, so he would not give up here.

Although the place is bitterly cold, the local population can still survive so much that Ming Dynasty should not withdraw.

Besides, now the Ming army can be regarded as replacing shotguns with cannons. It has more advanced weapons and does not need to mobilize heavy troops to garrison there as in the past.

Just arrange a small number of troops and establish a strong stronghold.

Once this method is feasible, it can continue to move deeper into the Siberian region and gradually control more areas.

Of course, with the current technology mastered by the Ming Dynasty, most of the territory can only be expanded by moving along the river.

The Ming Dynasty is increasingly relying on water transportation.

After Lu Bu made arrangements, he went back to the duty room and reported the situation to Wei Guangde.

"I know."

Wei Guangde just said lightly and continued to do his own thing.

After the report, Lu Bu remembered that he had not made tea for Wei Ge Lao, and hurried out to work.

At this time, in Ciqing Palace, Feng Bao was also reporting to the two Empress Dowagers what Wei Guangde said last night.

"That is to say, the court will still try its best to maintain the canal, but the canal will mainly be used by merchant ships in the future, so the burden will also be borne by merchants?"

Although Emperor Wanli was not born to Empress Dowager Chen, Zhu Yijun had a good relationship with her since childhood, and she also regarded him as her own son, so she was actually more concerned about the canal than Empress Dowager Li.

There are many people on both sides of the canal who make a living from the canal, which will definitely have a significant impact on the stability of the country.

"That's what Zhang Gelao and Wei Gelao think. The court is in charge of river engineering and increases the toll of the sluice."

Feng Bao replied, "According to the two elders, the number of merchant ships on the canal should increase in the future, and because it is no longer affected by the canal ships, the speed of traveling from south to north will be faster, which is indeed a convenient policy for the people."

"Sister, what do you think?"

Empress Dowager Chen got the answer she wanted and said to Empress Dowager Li next to her.

"Sister, I have no other questions. As long as the canal remains the same, those people who make a living from the canal can still live a good life, which is naturally good."

Empress Dowager Li said immediately.

"Then let's do it. The cabinet will submit the memorial and the Silijian will approve it."

Empress Dowager Chen said to Feng Bao.

"I obey the imperial decree."

Feng Bao said respectfully immediately.

"My queen, there is another thing."

Feng Bao hesitated, as if he didn't know whether he should say it or not.

"If you have anything to say, just say it directly."

Empress Dowager Chen said.

"It's like this. The cabinet seems to have been preparing for the treatment of Myanmar after the southwest war."

So, Feng Bao told him about the plan to set up a province in Myanmar by Wei Guangde at the banquet yesterday. The court would directly send people to manage Myanmar, instead of indirectly managing it through the appointment of envoys.

"Set up a province in Myanmar?"

Empress Dowager Chen hesitated and looked at Empress Dowager Li and said, 'Is this appropriate? '

"Does the Imperial Ming Zuxun list Myanmar as a country that will not be conquered?"

Although Empress Dowager Li was the biological mother of the emperor, she actually didn't know much about government affairs. She used the cabinet ministers to govern the country, and Feng Bao supervised them.

Although it was said that Empress Dowager Li was very strict with Emperor Wanli, at this time, although she was in a respected position, she was still not as high as Empress Dowager Chen. She had a say in the harem. Perhaps because of the emperor's face, everyone praised her very much, especially Feng Bao, who almost treated her as the master of the harem.

But in fact, if Empress Chen was present, she would not have much say, unless Empress Chen did not want to deal with this matter.

"Your Majesty, Myanmar was conquered by the Ming Dynasty at the beginning of its founding, so it was managed by the Xuanwei Division, that is, the local chieftain served as the Xuanwei envoy, and the court did not send anyone to govern it.

Usually, Myanmar affairs are managed by the Yunnan Provincial Administration Division.

Therefore, Myanmar is not on the list of unconquered countries, and the court setting up a province in Myanmar does not violate the ancestral precepts of Taizu."

Feng Bao knew more about these things, so he naturally said it immediately.

In fact, when the three of them drank last night, no one discussed this issue.

Zhang Juzheng was only worried about whether Myanmar would repeat the mistakes of Annan, while Feng Bao was still in shock.

Yes, although Myanmar seems to belong to the Ming Dynasty, it is actually independent of the Ming Dynasty, and the court has never managed it.

Don't think that Feng Bao doesn't know about Myanmar in the inner court. In fact, the court would send people to Myanmar to purchase gems every few years, and the eunuchs would bring back a lot of news.

Feng Bao knew that the locals in Burma were not submissive to the king and had ulterior motives towards the Ming Dynasty.

When Feng Bao finished what he said at the banquet yesterday, Empress Dowager Li suddenly interrupted and said, "You mean, Wei Guangde intends to let the Li family stay in Burma?"

"Not permanently. Yesterday we also discussed the old things in Annan. Both Zhang Gelao and Wei Gelao thought that if the Duke of Ying was not in a hurry to return to the court, and waited until Annan was stable and the locals were used to the rule of the court before returning, perhaps the result would be very different."

Feng Bao said, "As for Li Chengliang, Wei Gelao meant to let him guard Burma and let him return to Beijing after the locals got used to the rule of the Ming Dynasty.

For his hard work over the years, it is also okay to give him the title of earl. After all, he was barely expanding the territory for the court.

Most importantly, Wei Ge Lao thought that with Myanmar, the southwest would have a more convenient access to the sea, and goods from the southwest could be transported to Daqin and other places through Myanmar for sale, and the business in the southwest would be more prosperous.

By then, the Ming Dynasty would officially have the West Sea, and a part of the South China Sea Navy would be stationed in Myanmar for a long time, and the court could name it the West Sea Navy.

In this way, the Ming Dynasty would have the South China Sea Navy and the West Sea Navy. The cabinet had also discussed upgrading the Denglai Navy to the East China Sea Navy earlier, so the only thing missing was the North Sea. "

At this moment, Feng Bao was somewhat arrogant, and his tone was getting louder.

"Has the North Sea already had a direction?"

Queen Mother Chen remained silent. She didn't care about external affairs, as long as the Ming Dynasty was stable internally.

However, Empress Dowager Li seems to attach great importance to this. After all, the country belongs to her son. If he does well and expands the territory, it will be recorded in the history books in the future.

When it comes to the royal family, worldly power and wealth are no longer important. Like the literati, what they care about may be their reputation.

Because Feng Bao mentioned the three seas in the east, south and west, but the North Sea was missing, Empress Dowager Li asked this question.

"Yes, it's Nu'er Gandusi, the land in the far north of the Ming Dynasty.

It's just that during the Xuande period, the imperial court asked Nuergandusi to move inland, and now it is deserted.

If the imperial court wants to resume garrisoning troops there, it will need to discuss with the Ministry of War and the Liaodong Capital Division.

Wei Ge's idea is to reduce the garrison in Nurgandusi and no longer maintain the scale of hundreds of guard posts. Instead, it will only shrink the troops in the Heilongjiang River Basin, garrison Nurgan City and Sakhalin Island, and try to find a sea route from there to the Ming Dynasty. . "

Feng Bao said.

"Nu'er Gandusi, the Ai family seems to have seen this place somewhere."

Queen Mother Chen suddenly spoke.

"Every year, local chieftain leaders are organized to come to Beijing to meet the emperor, including the tribal leader of Nuergandusi. The queen must have seen this name there."

Feng Bao immediately smiled.

"You should pay attention to this matter, and also pay attention to inquire about the opinions of the imperial court on this matter, and report it in time."

Queen Mother Li and Queen Mother Chen looked at each other and finally said.

After Feng Bao left, Queen Mother Li asked Queen Mother Chen her opinion on the matter.

"You and I, as women, don't understand these important national affairs. It just depends on what the ministers in the court think.

When we have a decision, we will ask Mr. Xungui again. "

Queen Mother Chen said.

"That's fine."

In fact, as Empress Dowager Chen said, Empress Dowager Li might teach her son, at least that's what she thought.

But when it comes to national affairs, the two of them really know nothing about it, so they can only rely on the civil servants and nobles of the court.

After all, there is only one Wu Zetian in this world.

But when Feng Bao left the palace, his thoughts were somewhat different.

He could feel that Queen Mother Li seemed to be enthusiastic and supportive of Myanmar and Nuergandusi.

He could understand Empress Dowager Li's mentality, and she was doing things that were good for her son.

As long as Wei Guangde can really get things done, the emperor's martial arts will be considered.

From this point of view, as long as Wei Guangde gets Zhang Juzheng's full support, he can really get things done.

"Myanmar."

Feng Bao muttered something.

This is a place that I didn't dare to think about before, but now, Feng Bao suddenly became interested in it.

Not for anything else, just for the gems that abound there.

If the Ming Dynasty can really rule there, Myanmar's gems can be continuously supplied in the future.

Thinking of the gems purchased in Myanmar, Feng Bao suddenly felt that he should contact Wei Guangde and give it a try.

He didn't have much contact with Li Chengliang, so he could only rely on Wei Guangde at this time.