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Chapter 1550: Putting an end to the chaos
The amount of money the bank prints is something that cannot be hidden, nor is there any need to hide it.

After all, banks aren't completely impenetrable. If there's any big news, those who need to know will know, and those who shouldn't know won't know, and even if they do, they won't dare to spread it around.

The exact number of the new banknotes issued, the amount circulating in the market, and the amount withdrawn are crucial financial data for the Ming Dynasty. Of course, they cannot be disseminated casually; anyone who dares to spread them will lose their head.

This was a set of regulations on paper currency formulated and promulgated jointly by Wang Yan and various government departments. Given Wang Yan's integrity, he would have dared to execute Xu Jie even if Xu Jie had leaked the information.

However, this additional printing of one million strings of cash will certainly not have a significant impact; once the news gets out, it will be out.

There were bad people spreading rumors in Shuntian Prefecture that with a large amount of paper money being issued, the original paper money would become worthless. The common people didn't understand any of that. Even if they had faith in the emperor's words, they couldn't stop people from exchanging their money for copper coins. Then, after further discussion, everyone panicked and started a bank run.

Wang Yan personally stood at the bank entrance to explain to the people who came to exchange copper coins or withdraw deposits. He also issued notices and had people explain to the people at various banks in Shuntian Prefecture the relationship between the printing of paper money and its devaluation, and also explained to the people where this sum of one million strings of paper money went.

Let the people understand that the Ming Dynasty is so vast that even if we issue tens of millions of strings of cash, the value of the paper money will not depreciate...

The common people have been appeased, but the officials and wealthy families in the southeast are far from at ease.

They learned that the million strings of cash were to be invested in Fujian and Guangdong, that Yu Dayou, Qi Jiguang and others had begun recruiting new soldiers, that shipyards in Guangdong and Tianjin had begun supervising the construction of large ships, that Hu Zongxian's fleet was also expanding, and that weapons had been allocated from the capital to Yu Dayou and others.

All these factors combined make it clear that the million strings of cash that Wang Yan added to the printings were directly intended for military expenses for Yu Dayou and his associates. And all these actions were preparations for a major war.

At the same time, they could take advantage of the military to begin promoting the new paper money in the southeast. Originally, the promotion in Daxing was based on the idea of ​​using the salaries of the Beijing garrison to encourage the soldiers to spend the money and drive the transactions.

For example, when soldiers received their pay, they would visit brothels, the brothels would need to purchase wine and food, the prostitutes would need to buy cosmetics, and the sellers of wine, food, cosmetics, and rouge would need to purchase them from elsewhere or produce them in their own workshops. In any case, they would have to distribute them to the working people again.

After the laborers received their wages, they naturally had to buy necessities such as rice, flour, and cooking oil. Then they would spend money to buy raw materials from the people, who would then spend money, and so the supply would circulate.

It wouldn't be difficult for something like this to happen again in Fujian and Guangdong. After all, as long as the Ming regime remained stable, the paper money would be fine. Besides, even the old paper money, which everyone feared, only collapsed after a long period of stability.

So overall, this is a win-win situation.

However, this also angered the wealthy merchants in the southeast, because Wang Yan was clearly targeting them. Yet, while targeting them, he was also thinking of promoting the new paper money, showing no fear that the southeast would descend into chaos, causing national turmoil and upheaval...

They are certainly not pushovers, and they certainly have tempers too.

Moreover, this is related to whether they can earn enough profits at sea in the future, and for the long-term benefit of their descendants, they cannot stand idly by and watch Wang Yan build a behemoth fleet that dominates the seas.

Thus, the escalating Japanese pirate raids and the favorable situation achieved in the Battle of Taizhou crumbled in a very short time. Suddenly, countless Japanese pirates appeared out of nowhere and began large-scale operations once again.

Tan Lun was in charge of this campaign to suppress the Japanese pirates.

After Hu Zongxian, Tan Lun became the governor of Fujian, leading Qi Jiguang in the fight against Japanese pirates and winning many brilliant battles. He hadn't even stepped down yet when the situation suddenly changed, so he was directly promoted to governor-general of military affairs in several provinces, and then went on to fight the Japanese pirates.

Although Wang Yan was the one who started this whole thing, he really had nothing to do with it. Aside from keeping an eye on the promotion of the precious paper money over there, Wang Yan didn't need to worry about anything else.

After all, Yu Dayou, Qi Jiguang, and others were veteran generals who had fought for many years, possessing a broad perspective and command capabilities. Tan Lun, who commanded them, was no useless either; his ability to advance steadily and surely was sufficient.

Most importantly, Hu Zongxian was issuing orders from Tan Lun's command tent...

Hu Zongxian's ability to fight the Japanese pirates was absolutely proven. From the perspective of his position and interests, Hu Zongxian had to devote himself wholeheartedly and risked his life to fighting the Japanese pirates.

If he hadn't fought this battle, causing the fleet to collapse, chaos to engulf the southeast, and impacting the overall situation of the dynasty, he would certainly have died earlier than Wang Yan.

If this battle is not fought well, and instead the goal of curbing the powerful families in the southeast is not achieved, but instead the powerful families in the southeast become even more arrogant, then he will also die.

He can only win.

Only by winning this battle and suppressing the counterattack from the powerful families in the southeast can Hu Zongxian possibly be reinstated in the future, prolonging his political life and ensuring the continued wealth and prosperity of his family.

However, the situation wasn't too bad for Hu Zongxian, because this time, it wasn't Yan's faction providing support, but Wang Yan. Wang Yan was helping to solve logistical problems and also helping to withstand various pressures from the capital.

Of course, there wasn't much pressure in the capital. It was just a matter of impeachment. Jiajing was in seclusion, so even if the impeachment went up to the heavens, it would have to wait until Jiajing came out. This was aimed at Wang Yan, an official. If he were an ordinary fifth-rank official, the cabinet would have dealt with him directly.

Aside from that, the worst that could happen is being attacked and killed, something Wang Yan is clearly not afraid of. Anyway, by now, whoever kills him will have their entire family wiped out. In just over three years, dozens of well-known and powerful families, including members of the imperial family, royal relatives, nobles, and officials, have already disappeared.

To outsiders, assassinating Wang Yan was an extremely high gamble. If the assassination succeeded, Jiajing would immediately back down, and nothing would happen. But if it failed, the entire family would die.

Unfortunately, over ten rounds have already been held, and all participants have cancelled their accounts. It would be better if they just died; the real fear is falling into Wang Yan's hands and being forced to work day and night until they die from exhaustion…

Aside from the two points mentioned above, they were helpless against Wang Yan, because Wang Yan always acted within the rules. Even if he sometimes overstepped his authority, it was all minor, merely a matter of different procedural orders. If they really pressed on these matters, it would be like dealing with corruption—no one in the world is above the law.

Other matters were even less restrictive; in fact, it was good enough that Wang Yan didn't restrict them at all. Because the Shuntian Prefecture, under Wang Yan's control, was almost entirely independent in its finances and administration, or rather, directly managed by the emperor, though Wang Yan was the one in charge. There was no way to restrict Wang Yan in this regard; the allocation of various resources didn't require approval from anyone—the emperor's consent was all that was needed—it was all Shuntian Prefecture's internal affair. On the other hand, as the de facto highest official of Shuntian Prefecture, Wang Yan could easily make things difficult for the powerful and wealthy. Just to name a few things, he wouldn't clean for them, even dumping garbage in their residential areas, or overturning carts carrying night soil there, creating a stench that was enough to make them suffer.

However, that's all he can do. He, Wang Yan, is incorruptible, and now all the powerful and wealthy families in Shuntian Prefecture are behaving themselves; no one dares to cause trouble. Even at home, they dare not mistreat their servants, otherwise, if they complain to Wang Yan, he will be like a wild beast smelling blood, opening his bloodthirsty maw to tear a large chunk of flesh from them…

Therefore, considering all factors, there is certainly nothing wrong with this major disturbance caused by the Japanese pirates.

Indeed, there were no problems. With Wang Yan's support, Hu Zongxian's command, Tan Lun's cooperation, and the dedication of Yu Dayou and others, the sudden outbreak of the Japanese pirate raids that affected the entire southeast was quelled in just over half a year...

In early autumn, when the battle situation had become clear, the Jiajing Emperor, who had been in seclusion for a long time, finally emerged from seclusion.

Wang Yan was the first foreign official that Jiajing met.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on your further progress in cultivation. May Your Majesty enjoy eternal bliss and longevity as long as the heavens."

"Alright, you always say the same things, I'm tired of hearing it." Jiajing waved his hand. "I know the situation in the southeast, you've worked hard this time."

"Your Majesty, I only contributed two million taels of silver, and every day I scolded Xu Jie and the others to urge the transport of some military equipment and the transfer of some grain... It was mainly Hu Zongxian, Tan Lun, Yu Dayou, Qi Jiguang and others who worked hard on the front line. It was the soldiers who risked their lives that brought peace to the southeast."

Lü Fang laughed: "Master, Wang Zhizhong said that the credit belongs to Hu Zongxian, Tan Lun and others, but I heard him mention his own credit as well."

Jiajing looked at the grinning Wang Yan and said, "Are you trying to get credit from me? Why don't we just send Xu Jie back to his hometown and you become the Grand Secretary?"

Wang Yan seemed oblivious to the obvious, responding with blunt and straightforward honesty.

"How could I possibly be fit to be the chief minister?"

Without needing Jiajing's flattery, Wang Yan said, "It's not that I lack the ability of a Grand Secretary; I really don't think much of Xu Jie's skills. But I have no capable people under my command. If I were to become Grand Secretary, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to collect taxes this year. Everyone would find reasons and excuses to make trouble for me. Not only would they not give me money, but they would also demand money from me, the Grand Secretary."

Even if I could keep replacing people, it would still take time. That time would be enough for them to kill me. These treacherous officials are all incredibly wicked.

Unlike Xu Jie, who had a large following of fellow practitioners and numerous disciples and followers, and countless people cheering him on. Local officials, even those who weren't his men, couldn't make much of a splash; they were afraid of being punished by Xu Jie and had to obediently follow his orders.

"I may never become the Grand Secretary in my lifetime..."

Jiajing glanced at Wang Yan and saw his regretful expression. He then said, "Then go and train your people. In such a large Shuntian Prefecture, with hundreds of officials of all ranks, are there none suitable? I trust your ability to employ people; otherwise, Shuntian Prefecture could not have been governed so prosperously. Looking back over two thousand years, Qin's Xianyang is inferior, Tang's Chang'an is inferior, Song's Bianjing is inferior, and Yuan's Dadu is even less superior. If there are any issues, consult with Lü Fang more often."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will certainly form a faction and confiscate Xu Jie's property in the future."

"All you ever do is confiscate property," Jiajing snorted. "You're happy now that Yan Song's house has been confiscated?"

"It's all just fleeting wealth, Your Majesty. The fields, houses, estates, and shops haven't been touched much; those are the real assets. It's Your Majesty's kindness that allowed Yan Song to die peacefully. Although I cheered and couldn't stand Yan Song, my heart was warmed by his kindness. Even if I were to be overthrown by those treacherous officials in the future, Your Majesty can still protect me and let me live a peaceful and prosperous life as a wealthy man."

"Your Majesty, Wang Zhizhong is telling the truth," Lü Fang thoughtfully relayed to Jiajing.

"Then you should do your job well and not let those treacherous officials bring you down."

Jiajing waved his hand and then said, "Now that the chaos in the southeast has been resolved, what should we do next?"

Wang Yan cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, I believe we should not pressure them too much. We should let them earn money through maritime trade, otherwise they might become desperate and we should not underestimate them. We should continue to strengthen our fleet and expand our navy. When our navy has become powerful and invincible across the seas, we should reinstate the Maritime Trade Office, expand its powers and responsibilities, and make it specifically responsible for collecting taxes on maritime trade and cracking down on fleets and merchants who engage in private maritime trade."

Now that the paper money has been promoted through this battle, it is natural to ensure its widespread distribution throughout the Southeast. Your Majesty, the circulation of paper money is no less important than maritime trade. Once the paper money is circulating in the Southeast, and we join forces with Shuntian Prefecture to encircle it from both sides, it will take no more than three to five years for the paper money to spread throughout the Ming Dynasty. At that time, as long as our Ming Dynasty is strong and can continuously earn silver, then the paper money can continue to be printed.

Ultimately, to prevent the collapse of the paper currency, we must return to maritime trade. If our Great Ming can use the paper currency to buy various goods from the Southeast Asian countries, then we can make a fortune, and the people can live a good life. At that time, with a strong army and advanced military, our Great Ming will endure as long as the sun and moon…”

Wang Yan spoke at length, mainly elaborating on the economic implications: the economy drives the military, and the military, in turn, feeds back into the economy.

Wang Yan's intentions were thus quite clear: the southeast needed capable personnel, and the army needed reform. However, these were issues that Jiajing had to consider, and Wang Yan could only offer suggestions.

However, we cannot speak carelessly about reforms or changes. Throughout history, the bloody reality has proven that reforms are not so easy to implement and laws are not so easy to change.

After saying this, Wang Yan concluded, "As things stand, we cannot push the southeast too hard, but we also cannot let it go unchecked. Otherwise, this battle will have been fought in vain, so many soldiers will have died in vain, and all the money will have been wasted. I believe that Xu Jie should be sent to the southeast to collect taxes."

In any case, the taxes collected this year should be at least 30% higher than in previous years, and the taxes shouldn't be increased for the common people; the money should all come from the wealthy families in the southeast. If they refuse to pay, I think we should have the Imperial Guard and the secret police cooperate with Yu Dayou and others to confiscate their property and kill a bunch of them.”

Jiajing hummed in agreement, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

I simply strolled over to the bright window and gazed at the fiery sunset clouds stretching for miles outside...

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