The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1555 Everything's Fine Except for the Risk of Death

Wang Yan has been in the public eye for six years now, and the saying "Who in the world does not know you?" is not an exaggeration for him, but a very realistic line of poetry.

As the news spread, even most of the people knew that in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, there was a man named Wang Yan who reduced taxes for the people, enabled them to live in brick houses, made it easier for them to get married and have children, and freed them from cold and hunger. He even enabled more people to eat meat...

The people had many fantasies about Wang Yan. They couldn't be sure if it was true or false, but they wanted to live the kind of life they had heard about...

As for the powerful and wealthy, as well as numerous officials and local landlords, Wang Yan was a household name.

Initially, these people simply thought Wang Yan was a sycophant who flattered Jiajing, and such people were everywhere. The Forbidden City employed a large number of people who wrote imperial edicts, and the main task of those in the Hanlin Academy was to write good imperial edicts. Every year, people were promoted and appointed because of their excellent imperial edicts, which was nothing unusual.

After all, people knew that the earlier cement and white glazed tiles were products invented by Wang Yan and given a royal monopoly. This was actually quite acceptable, since Wang Yan's position at the time would have been precarious if he hadn't offered tribute to Jiajing. Since he could get on Jiajing's good side, he might as well offer tribute directly, which would make Jiajing remember him and secure a good future.

People thought that Wang Yan was lucky to have produced these two things, and that he happened to be at the critical juncture of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields, right in the eye of the storm, which is why he was promoted by Jiajing and thus rose to power.

It wasn't until Wang Yan dared to risk his life to collect sanitation fees in Daxing and fine wealthy households that people truly understood that Wang Yan's rise to power wasn't due to luck; he genuinely knew how to rake in money for Jiajing.

Wang Yan's subsequent actions fully demonstrated his hostility towards wealthy families, especially his penchant for finding excuses to kill them and make money.

Fortunately, even so, after six years, people finally understood Wang Yan's good intentions and realized that he wanted to make more money for ordinary people and even more money for wealthy families.

Wang Yan successfully achieved a polarization of public opinion among two different groups.

In the eyes of the common people, he was an upright and just official, even more upright than the heavens themselves. If anyone was wronged and couldn't resolve their problems, they could always turn to him, and he would never let them suffer. If someone was seriously ill and had nowhere else to go for treatment, and was lucky enough to reach him, he would prescribe medicine for free, and while it might not be a cure, it would be almost as good as nothing.

Among the ruling class, Wang Yan, though an opposing enemy, had not betrayed his class. He targeted the powerful, wealthy, and landowners in order to find another path that would benefit both sides. This is a difference in 'way' and a difference in pursuit.

Of course, although the ruling class approved of some of Wang Yan's actions, it did not stop them from attacking and killing him. It seemed that they had no different from becoming class enemies, and the same fate was to befall them.

Wang Yan was already facing the most intense situation; they were practically ready to send an entire army to take him down...

His appointment this time has had a significant impact for two reasons.

First, he's too young, frighteningly young. At such a young age, he's already in this position, so capable of making money, and so obedient—any emperor would need him. It's foreseeable that Wang Yan will inevitably become the Grand Secretary; it's just a matter of time. Considering Wang Yan's governing style in Chun'an and Shuntian Prefecture, it's even more predictable that these policies will be implemented throughout the country using extremely drastic methods.

Secondly, the fact that Wang Yan went to Jiliao and was given military power inevitably leads to further speculation.

For the past two years, Tan Lun has served as the Governor-General of the Jiliao Military Affairs, and Qi Jiguang has been in charge of military affairs. They have been training troops, cultivating land, and preparing for the border. They have reduced the number of old and weak soldiers, reorganized the army, and reduced the proportion of "ghost employees" to 10%. However, due to strong resistance, neither Tan Lun nor Qi Jiguang has been able to actually fill all the positions.

Of course, receiving salaries without working is secondary. After all, the old and weak were laid off, young people were brought in, and training was intensified, which at least ensured the combat effectiveness of the troops.

The main expenses are for troop reorganization, training, and border defense. While the daily maintenance of the troops is a considerable expense, it is still within an acceptable range. However, once operations begin, the expenses increase many times over.

Although the Jiliao border troops haven't started fighting yet, their current operations are already costing almost as much as if they were actually fighting. Grain, vegetables, meat, sugar, salt, cloth, and a whole host of other things—all cost money.

As the undisputed economic center, and given the actions of Jiliao, the prices of various goods that Wang Yan had suppressed for four years have risen slightly in the past two years.

If it weren't for Shuntian Prefecture's vast reserves of supplies and its fleet's powerful transportation capabilities, the prices of various goods would probably be sky-high.

However, if prices really skyrocket, it might not necessarily be a bad thing. After all, whoever dares to drive prices up to the sky, Wang Yan dares to send their entire family to heaven; it's an absolute feudal iron fist that can't be crushed.

Of course, the skyrocketing prices are only temporary. Under normal circumstances, purchasing power isn't that strong, so many supplies aren't needed, naturally leading to a lower supply. The inability to meet the large demand in a short period will naturally be reflected in the prices.

In reality, the current production capacity of the Ming Dynasty is fully capable of supplying the market; once this period of uncertainty passes, things will be fine. However, without intervention, merchants will release small quantities of goods to maintain high prices.

Ordinary people don't understand much; they buy when prices rise, fearing that prices will rise even higher and they won't be able to afford it when they want it. When people rush to buy in a frenzy, they don't think about whether they actually need it. This applies to both high prices and price reductions/promotions.

In short, Wang Yan used the resources of Shuntian Prefecture and the resources brought back by overseas fleets, and utilized the operation of the market to ensure the military expenditure of Ji and Liao.

This matter is quite complicated; there are too many places where money is needed, and attitudes towards border affairs differ. If there's no fighting, things can manage, but if there is fighting, where will the money come from? Frankly, it all comes down to poverty.

So, after much negotiation, they managed to obtain more silver from the Ministry of Revenue. However, the Shuntian Prefecture ended up bearing nearly half of the expenses. For this, Jiajing, feeling quite aggrieved, halved the silver collected from the Shuntian Prefecture, all in pursuit of his grand goal of becoming the greatest emperor of all time…

Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang carried out Wang Yan's plan, expanding the trade market with the Doyan Three Guards and undertaking construction. For example, they built houses, inns, shops, and restaurants, and paved the ground with stone slabs. Except for the lack of city walls, it was essentially a small town.

Wang Yan's main plan wasn't about improving the existing border markets—that was already there, he was simply expanding them. His main goal was absolute control over the markets, preventing private transactions.

The Doyan Three Guards could radiate westward to the Tatars on the grasslands, northward to the Jianzhou Three Guards (the Jurchens), and eastward to Korea.

Resources were still relatively abundant, such as cattle, sheep, horses, animal hides, and various mountain delicacies and herbs. Transporting all of these to the territory of the Ming Dynasty would yield considerable profits.

The Ming Dynasty possessed advanced technology, producing linen, brocade, silk, tea, dried fruit, porcelain, salt, sugar, and other valuable items, as well as ironware.

Ironware was, of course, not allowed to be sold indiscriminately, yet those merchants were selling precisely what wasn't allowed. After all, the more forbidden something was, the more money you could make by doing it.

What Wang Yan wanted to restrict was the smuggling of strategic materials by these people.

The increased military spending at this time naturally yielded results, and the entire thousand-mile defense line along the Ji-Liao border was firmly secured. Crossing the Great Wall defense line from Juyong Pass to Shanhaiguan was incredibly difficult. Anyone who dared to abuse their power, accepting bribes to release prisoners, would face severe consequences if caught, including the punishment of their entire family and a whole host of others. This was not something those with ulterior motives could resist; there was no room for negotiation, and anyone who dared to incite trouble would lose their head. Qi Jiguang's army, however, remained relatively obedient.

The high-ranking officers were transferred, and the middle-ranking officers were gradually replaced by Qi Jiguang. In addition, even though corruption was rampant in the army, the soldiers were not short of pay because of sufficient military funds. Furthermore, Qi Jiguang was good at building good relationships with the soldiers, so it was unrealistic for the officers in Jiliao to cause trouble.

Moreover, the policy wasn't implemented immediately upon arrival; it was planned and implemented slowly for over a year. The preparations were thorough, and those who disobeyed were dealt with long ago.

The severing of trade in contraband goods drastically increased the difficulty of transporting them, naturally driving up prices and attracting more people eager to transport them. However, under Qi Jiguang's stringent blockade, the amount that could be smuggled out was ultimately much less than before. At the same time, Qi Jiguang also profited even more from this situation…

However, the blockade also caused dissatisfaction among the Doyan Three Guards, the Jianzhou Three Guards, and the Tatars. Coupled with the instigation and provocation of some Ming merchants, these forces naturally became restless.

Both the Doyan Three Guards and the Jianzhou Three Guards were under a system of indirect rule and were not entirely trustworthy. The solution was to execute their leaders, offer incentives to their subordinates to sow discord, and thus resolve the issue. This tactic was well-practiced by every official in the Ming Dynasty, and Tan Lun handled it very well.

The key factor is still the Tatars.

If we don't sell them advanced ironware and the like, they'll put pressure on us and start probing attacks on the Jiliao defense line.

This caused quite a stir at the time, with many in the court calling for Wang Yan's execution. They believed that Wang Yan had instigated the war, that it was all his idea and that he had pushed it forward, so they naturally blamed him for any problems. As for the Tatars' frequent border incursions, that was not a consideration for them.

Thanks to the capable generals Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang, even if they didn't defeat the Tatars, they at least prevented them from breaking through the Jiliao defense line. Holding their ground was a victory in itself; they didn't need to achieve any major victories.

Qi Jiguang proceeded steadily and cautiously, and the Tatars were merely testing the waters. Finding that their pressure was insufficient and that a large-scale military campaign would be too costly, he withdrew after probing for more than two months.

Only in this way could the results be considered stabilized. Qi Jiguang's inspection of smuggling along the border was neither too strict nor too lax; some smuggling was inevitable, there would always be loopholes, and there would always be people trying to exploit them—this was unavoidable. Overall, however, the smuggling was cut by more than half. The previously blatant smuggling was completely eradicated.

Tan Lun also continuously developed the Jiliao region, establishing military settlements and border defenses, and engaging in trade around the border markets, which served as a way to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. As for managing more border towns in Jiliao, that was beyond Tan Lun's capabilities…

All of the above can be summarized into this second point.

Xu Jie and the others had never imagined that Wang Yan's instigation of actions in the border towns was actually a ploy to get them involved personally. Considering the long-standing debate surrounding Wang Yan's next move, they felt like they'd been played like monkeys. Of course, the main blame lay with Jiajing for his favoritism, but who could really blame Jiajing? They could only take advantage of Wang Yan's absence from the capital to find an opportunity to subtly undermine Jiajing…

Wang Yan didn't care what they thought. He bid farewell to Hu Zongxian, Hai Rui, and Wang Yongji, and, accompanied by the guards assigned to him by the Jiajing Emperor, went to Santunying, the seat of Jizhou, to take up his post.

Wang Yan received a warm welcome here.

"Greetings, Minister Wang." Tan Lun greeted him with a smile, his attitude quite enthusiastic.

"Minister!" Qi Jiguang's joy was written all over his face.

Wang Yan and Qi Jiguang had known each other for many years. Qi Jiguang was very familiar with Wang Yan's temperament and style of doing things. Wang Yan was the civil official leader who made him feel most comfortable, at ease, and worry-free.

Wang Yan gave Qi Jiguang a flippant nod as a greeting, then laughed and cupped his hands in greeting to Tan Lun, saying, "It's been a long time, Minister Tan."

Back when he was in Chun'an, Tan Lun had someone bring Hai Rui's mother, wife, and daughter to Chun'an. He went to Chun'an first to make preparations and had two drinks with Wang Yan.

Tan Lun laughed heartily: "Yes, it's been a long time. I never imagined that the former ninth-rank registrar of Chun'an would become a minister in just six years."

"It is all because His Majesty trusts me and has given me great power. You see how young and successful I am, but I am always trembling with fear. When the Tatars invaded the border, the court officials wished they could kill me. Now that I am in charge, if anything bad happens to me, I'm afraid I will really have to go back to see His Majesty with my head on my shoulders."

"You've just taken office, don't say such unlucky things. Hurry up and go into the city, take a bath, and we're going to drink until we drop today!"

Wang Yan waved his hand: "To be blunt, the meal should still be prepared by the chef I brought. That way, I can eat with peace of mind."

"I understand, I understand. Better safe than sorry." Tan Lun said with admiration, "You've caused quite a stir here, and you're always so tough. When you get to Jiliao, you'll definitely be going to take drastic measures. Everyone, whether in the military or outside the military, whether in Jiliao or elsewhere, is watching you closely. We really have to be on guard."

"If you want to do something, you can't be too careful about your safety. It's unavoidable. Just understand."

Wang Yan turned to Qi Jiguang and said, "General Qi, send two thousand troops back first. Starting tomorrow, we will conduct a thorough search of the fields and checkpoints in Jizhou."

Tan Lun hesitated and said, "Isn't there a need to be in such a hurry?"

"It's all done by the people below. It has to be done sooner or later. Let's get the manpower together first."

"Then there's no need to send troops to Kiyota checkpoint, right?"

“This is a border town, so it’s better to be prepared. Also, I need to reopen old cases tomorrow, since I’m also serving as the governor of Jizhou. I’ll purge Jizhou first before I talk. I know you’ve done a good job of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, but my move of clearing out fields, investigating households, and reopening old cases is a step ahead.”

Wang Yan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "It's just a bit exhausting. Haha, let's go, into the city..."

Having just arrived, Wang Yan already acted like the master of the house. Qi Jiguang was already ordering people to pass on the message, and Tan Lun could only shake his head with a wry smile as he led a large group of local officials to guide Wang Yan into the city...

　I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the kind readers who have given me generous support through tips, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and those who have been reading quietly!

　　(End of this chapter)