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

Chapter 1556 Main Mission
Wang Gaofu, Wang Da's second son, was also over thirty years old. This time, Wang Yan left the capital to take up a post in a border town, and he couldn't be without a cook by his side. Wang Da, who was already closely tied to Wang Yan, sent his second son to serve him.

Wang Yan trusted Wang Da's family implicitly; they had all been tested and were more reliable than many others. Of course, what Wang Da's family gained far exceeded their sacrifices.

For example, several years ago, Wang Da's eldest son left the government office and, with Wang Yan's support, opened Wang's Restaurant, which now has several branches.

Wang Da stayed by Wang Yan's side to cook. After so many years of research, Wang Da's culinary skills were truly remarkable, and his skills were excellent. The children in the family also inherited his true skills.

As he was getting old, Wang Yan didn't bother Wang Da anymore and brought Wang Da's second son over instead.

With the help of the guards who came with him, Wang Gaofu prepared a sumptuous meal. Wang Yan exchanged drinks with the military and political officials on both sides, got to know each other, and then parted ways before talking with Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang.

"What do you think of the officials here?" Tan Lun asked bluntly.

“What can you tell by looking? You have to look at how people do things.” Wang Yan shook his head. “In my experience, once the process of checking old cases in Qingtian is completed, less than half of those people from before will be left.”

Seeing Tan Lun's surprised look, Wang Yan chuckled and said, "Otherwise, why do you think I came up here wanting to investigate and reopen old cases? The root of the problem of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure lies with these people, doesn't it? If we clean them up from top to bottom, what problem can't be solved?"

Tan Lun thought for a moment, then asked, "Is the next step to reorganize the army?"

"Exactly, otherwise you could be a governor-general, fighting across the north and south. The reason we don't reorganize the army is because we're afraid these people will collude with those in the military and cause chaos both inside and outside. Once we've dealt with them properly, and no one is inciting the soldiers, everything will be much easier."

Wang Yan looked at Qi Jiguang and said, "You have done a good job, but it is not thorough enough. This time, I will clean up the entire 100,000-strong army in Jiliao and solve the problem of receiving salaries without working, so that Jiliao will truly have 100,000 soldiers who can fight and dare to fight."

Qi Jiguang hesitated and said, "Sir, we must proceed with caution. The army is different from other places; it cannot afford to..."

Wang Yan waved his hand: "I know that a single move can affect the whole situation, and that war is a matter of great importance to the country, but do you two understand why, after more than two years, all that's been done is address the superficial issues in Ji and Liao? It's because they 'can't withstand it.' The more afraid you are, the more confident they become, and the more they push their luck. A bunch of beasts, threatening their own people by colluding with foreign powers."

I don't know about other things, but I do know that if the soldiers are well-paid and fed, they won't mistreat anyone. As long as the soldiers don't rebel, no one is off-limits. General Qi, you need to find trusted confidants soon, prepare for another reorganization, and make arrangements for a major troop rotation. Although I said I wasn't afraid, caution is still necessary. First, break their existing connections to minimize the risks, and then it won't be too late to study the matter.”

Tan Lun interjected, "How could we not know this principle? We've already reorganized and rotated our troops."

“It’s been two years.” Wang Yan glanced at him. “How much pay have you given to the soldiers? How much of it actually reached their hands? I believe it’s definitely more than before, but by how much? Who do the soldiers think gave it to them? Whose favor do they feel they owe? Do they even care about His Majesty, the court, you, the Governor-General of Jiliao, or General Qi, the Commander-in-Chief?”

General Qi is capable of leading troops, but the army here is deeply entrenched and difficult to manage. If this complex web of relationships isn't broken, these 100,000 troops won't be the forces of our Great Ming Dynasty, but rather tools for those treacherous officials to use to bolster their own power!

Tan Lun understood. The alliance of interests that might not have been broken even during the previous reorganization had, after more than two years, allowed those officers to regain control over the rank-and-file soldiers.

He couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "It's so hard to get things done..."

"The more difficult it is, the more we should do it, because it means we are on the right track. As the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning. Once you get started, the rest will become easier and easier."

Wang Yan spoke with great enthusiasm, "I don't know if you've noticed, but the methods I used in Daxing were heavily criticized. Now, six years later, local officials who want to make a difference are already imitating my methods. They've started clearing fields and checking households in various places, reducing or exempting taxes and corvée labor, spending money to make the people work, and then adding commercial taxes."

The officials who have risen through the ranks in recent years have all benefited from my methods, achieving excellent local governance and accumulating wealth and a good reputation. I believe that in the next few years, the exemption of corvée labor and the increase of commercial taxes will be established as national policies.

Was what I did difficult? I've survived dozens of assassination attempts. But what was the result? I did the right thing; even those who wanted to kill me changed their minds! Because that way they could make more money!

I don't understand warfare or military command. I only understand one principle: you must do as much as you're paid. Those who take the money and do nothing will be demoted. Those who not only do nothing but also cause trouble will have their property confiscated and be investigated. Those with treacherous intentions, who collude with foreign powers, and who disrespect His Majesty and the court will be beheaded!
If we then reward merit and punish demerit in this way, and maintain fairness and impartiality, I believe the army will be well-governed.

Qi Jiguang's face was full of respect: "If anyone dares to say that you, Minister, are ignorant of military affairs, I, Qi Jiguang, will be the first to object. How can you not be ignorant? You are absolutely knowledgeable! Your insights are truly profound, pointing directly to the great principles of military affairs. I toast you, Minister."

Tan Lun also gave it high praise and raised his glass to drink along.

The reason people opposed Wang Yan's arrival in Ji-Liao was that they didn't want him to rise to a high position, to the point where he could influence imperial decisions. It wasn't because they doubted Wang Yan's ability to govern troops.

Although the most common excuse used by court officials to oppose Wang Yan's visit to Ji and Liao was that Wang Yan was ignorant of military affairs and border matters, no one really doubted it.

No matter how complicated border affairs are, can they be as complicated as those in the capital? If you don't know about military affairs, don't you know about people? Isn't there anyone else who knows about military affairs?

Wang Yan's achievements in Shuntian Prefecture are evident to all. With such achievements, he can't possibly do anything wrong.

Besides, he doesn't need to personally take charge. He can plan the strategy and manage the logistics of the border towns, which will increase the combat effectiveness of the border troops by more than 30%. The specific execution is the responsibility of General Qi Jiguang.

Rather than saying that Wang Yan's task was to govern the army, it would be more accurate to say that, while ensuring the army's logistics, he also managed to subdue a large number of mid- to high-ranking military officers, including Qi Jiguang, thus safeguarding the authority of the Ming Dynasty and ensuring the execution of its orders.

This is the true duty of a civil official in charge of military affairs. Once this is done well, the rest can be considered bonuses such as resourcefulness and strategic maneuvering.

After exchanging a few words of mutual flattery, Tan Lun asked, "How is the situation in the capital these days?"

"His Majesty has achieved great success in his cultivation, is in good health, the nation is stable, and the Crown Prince is intelligent. I have also left the capital, and I imagine they are now all getting along well, living in harmony, for the sake of the country and its people."

Tan Lun, of course, heard the sarcasm in Wang Yan's words and couldn't help but say, "Actually, some things can be discussed. You just pushed too hard and wouldn't give an inch, which is why things have come to this point and you've become a truly isolated minister."

"Isn't that going back to the point? If I had yielded, I wouldn't be where I am today. People can't be too open-minded. If I yield one step, no one will thank me; they'll only wonder if I can yield a second. If I don't yield, they'll say, 'You've already yielded one step, what's there to give up?' That's how the bottom line gets lowered step by step. Since that's the case, it's simpler not to yield at all." Wang Yan chuckled. "Besides, what's wrong with being a loyal subject? I'll do my job and serve His Majesty diligently. Anyone who doesn't let me do my job, anyone who obstructs me, is going against His Majesty. The Ming Dynasty law certainly has applicable punishments; they'll be dealt with properly. Why would I need to form factions with anyone?"

Or to put it more bluntly, Minister Tan and General Qi are both high-ranking officials, very powerful and influential, with extensive connections and many entanglements. Minister Tan was a long-time supporter of Prince Yu and is highly regarded by him. Xu, Gao, and Zhang have also spoken highly of you. But if I were to execute both of you today, and then fabricate a few plausible charges against you, what consequences do you think I would face?”

Such a murderous tone completely shut Tan Lun down.

Because Wang Yan will really be fine. At most, he'll face some more impeachments, and even the officials who come to investigate the matter will likely just give a perfunctory answer.

Even the living Tan Lun was not as important as Wang Yan, let alone the dead Tan Lun.

Someone definitely wants to use this incident to kill Wang Yan, but their power is too weak. The death of Tan Lun—can it possibly be more significant than all the trouble Wang Yan has caused in the capital?
Wang Yan killed far too many people; if you were to thoroughly investigate all the cases, he'd be dead ten times over, even though those people all deserved to die. But who would bother to overturn the cases? A plausible explanation is enough to keep everyone satisfied...

Although he was also cited as an example by Wang Yan, Qi Jiguang was much more at ease and had no other thoughts. He just ate his food and drank his wine in peace.

The two civil officials were arguing there; it had nothing to do with him.

Besides, he wouldn't advise Wang Yan on how to act; he wouldn't speak on matters outside his area of ​​expertise. Even on matters of professional interest, he was cautious...

"Look, it was just a joke, how did it affect your mood? Come on, let's drink. This chef's skills are quite good, his father has trained him for many years, he's already very skilled, eat more."

"You see things clearly, don't you?" Tan Lun sighed, raised his glass and took a big gulp, saying, "It's just that I don't have many friends, and life is as lonely as snow."

“You’re mistaken,” Wang Yan laughed. “I have many friends in Shuntian Prefecture. Wherever I go, people recognize me and talk to me. During festivals, many people even make special trips to the capital to bring me homemade gifts. I believe it won’t be long before the people and soldiers here are the same.”

Besides, I have many women in my family, all of them stunningly beautiful, each more beautiful than the last; it's quite a lively household. Your talk of loneliness has nothing to do with me.”

"Your Excellency has a high level of understanding; you truly serve the country and its people. I toast you." Qi Jiguang, the straight man, drank the toast.

Tan Lun just shook his head with a bitter smile. The loneliness he spoke of, as pure as snow, meant that there were very few people he could share it with.

From this perspective, Wang Yan has been lonely for over a thousand years. Or perhaps it's not so much loneliness, but rather solitude.

But then again, if Wang Yan dares to say this, who dares to listen, who dares to believe him?
After a welcome banquet and a few days of handover, Tan Lun packed his things and headed to the capital. He wasn't quite qualified to enter the Grand Secretariat, but he was certainly qualified to be the head of one of the Six Ministries for a long time.

Wang Yan also began a thorough overhaul of the border town; that was what he came here to do.

The saying "to repel foreign aggression, one must first pacify the internal situation" is certainly incorrect, but it is perfectly applicable to the Ming Dynasty at present.

To manage Liaodong and punish the Tatars, we must first resolve all the problems existing in the border towns. Only by solving the problems on both the military and political front can we concentrate our efforts and deliver a powerful blow, making the barbarians unable to raise their heads and obedient to us.

Of course, this only applies to the current situation. If we look at it from the perspective of the grand narrative of history, some of the Tatars and Manchus were also our own people...

As mentioned before, Jizhou was the first to start, with Qingtian investigating and reopening old cases. In this process, those who had a guilty conscience and those with ulterior motives would naturally collude and oppose each other. At this time, it was clear who was loyal and who was treacherous.

This also involved purifying the team, which is the process Wang Yan mentioned earlier. After going through this process, many people couldn't stay.

Of course, Wang Yan was not an unreasonable person, much less a dictator. He did not require anyone to be his man, but what he wanted was for them to carry out his orders and not to deliberately oppose him or cause him trouble.

In addition to these, Wang Yan also started charging a cleaning fee, which even brothels had to pay, and no one could escape.

At the same time, he opened a clinic, visited various places, summoned people from the Ministry of Works, planned a series of projects, and fully mobilized the labor force.

Even before Qi Jiguang arrived, Wang Yan had already allowed his subordinates to develop the breeding industry in the area, leading the local people to prosperity while providing meat for the army.

With the implementation of these policies, Jizhou was the first place to become active.

With Jizhou leading the way, other regions had no choice but to take action as well.

Logically speaking, as the governor of Jizhou, he could only manage the affairs of Jizhou. However, he was also the governor-general of Jizhou and Liaodong, and the governors of Shuntian, Baoding, and Liaodong. The four towns of Jizhou, Changping, Liaodong, and Baoding were all under his control and at his command.

Although the governor-general was in charge of military affairs, military affairs can also be considered political matters. So what if he directly intervened in various localities? If anyone dared to say anything, he would arrest them first and then find evidence. It couldn't be more efficient.

Whose backer is who, who's related to whom, whose family is all related by marriage—none of that matters to him. He can get rid of you whenever he wants. If you have any problems, go to the capital and talk to Jiajing.

To be honest, Wang Yan's trip to Jiliao was secondary to fighting. His primary goal was to pacify the areas around the capital and then use that opportunity to deal with the powerful families in Shanxi, Shandong, and Hebei.

Wang Yan is very good at grasping the main issues and has a strong ability to execute...

Thus, a sweeping reform was launched within the territory of the Governor-General of Jiliao, instantly stirring up a hornet's nest...

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