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

Chapter 1558 Relieving the King's Worries
During Wang Yan's time in Ji and Liao, only the initial struggles were the most intense, involving life and death.

That was because it touched upon the fundamental interests of others, leading to a fierce backlash. This is also the most difficult part of reform—failing to suppress the counterattacks of these people.

Unlike others, Wang Yan stood his ground and fought them relentlessly from beginning to end, determined to destroy one side completely. He was even more ruthless and drastic than those powerful figures whose fundamental interests had been harmed.

At the same time, he had the means to handle any trouble within the rules, no matter how much trouble was involved. Impeachments were useless unless Jiajing dealt with them. Central government financial sanctions were supplemented by the Shuntian Prefecture. Furthermore, the Jiliao region, after being reorganized, had more than doubled its previous silver revenue.
As for other things like planting people under his command to hinder him, he simply and directly invoked military law to behead them.

Outside the rules, Wang Yan directly mobilized troops to suppress those who violated the rules. After all, the truth was in his hands, and the secret police were by his side. When Hu Zongxian asked Wang Yan to order his men to kill the Hangzhou prefect and the river supervisors, Wang Yan could do the same. The procedures were done later. Whoever he said was guilty was guilty, and whoever he said deserved to die deserved to die.

This is the advantage of being a favored minister or a sycophant: to seize power, abuse power, frame others... and yet it all seems perfectly reasonable. Nobody sees anything wrong with what they do; on the contrary, it would be a big problem if they didn't do it...

After more than a year, the policies of clearing land, investigating and revising old cases, collecting cleaning fees, and collecting taxes at border markets were fully implemented throughout the Jiliao region.

Perhaps the implementation wasn't thorough in some areas, but that's okay. As long as the land and population after the land clearing and population census are greater than before, that's enough. Besides, this time the forceful implementation not only resulted in more land and population than before, but a direct increase of 60%.

At the same time, Wang Yan also changed the evaluation criteria for officials, with changes in land and population accounting for a considerable portion. The number of registered land and population was fixed. If the number of land and population decreased after labor service was exempted and taxes were reduced, it meant that the place was in disrepair, and all local officials and wealthy households had to be thoroughly investigated and dealt with.

Of course, we must also prevent people from falsifying information, which is the responsibility of the oversight system. There are no secrets that stay hidden forever; what exists is tacit approval, indulgence, and lack of accountability. If we really crack down hard and investigate thoroughly, nothing can be hidden; it's just a matter of time.

Clearly, Wang Yan's presence in power ensures the effective implementation of this oversight.

Wang Yan also did not slacken his efforts in reorganizing the Jiliao border army, purging internal corruption, and breaking the original chain of interests.

After forcefully suppressing the counterattack of the powerful families and ensuring stability, Wang Yan set about reforming the border troops.

Just as he had previously told Tan Lun, he resolved the issues of receiving salaries without working, internal factionalism, and the welfare and treatment of soldiers, as well as fairness and justice.

Of course, he didn't directly prohibit falsely reporting staffing levels and receiving salaries without actually working, nor did he specify who he was targeting. He revealed his purpose right away, which is obviously not suitable for use in the military.

In terms of governance, Wang Yan's style was precedent-based, so the Ji-Liao region was prepared and knew that his purpose was to dismantle local forces on behalf of Jiajing.

But things are different in the army. This is Wang Yan's first time leading an army, and no one knows what he will ultimately accomplish.

It all started when Wang Yan visited soldiers at the grassroots level in the army and ate with them, and a grain of sand appeared in their food.

The soldiers had all been warned and were unaware of all the petty scheming and despicable behavior. Even though they had long heard of Wang Daqingtian's reputation, they hadn't seen him in person or witnessed the events firsthand, so none of them would believe what an official said.

On an ordinary morning, Wang Yan was having a friendly meal with his soldiers at the same table, fully displaying his personal charm. He chatted with them about their hometowns, women, welfare benefits, and foreign enemies. Then, one of the soldiers found a grain of sand in his food...

"You say you're fine? I heard a cracking sound. Did you break your tooth?"

When he heard Wang Yan's concern, the soldier who had eaten sand didn't care at all: "Sir, we're used to it. A little sand is normal."

"A common occurrence?"

Wang Yan found this strange, so he ordered his entourage to investigate the logistics of this unit. They started by examining the cooks, beginning with the fixed number of cooks assigned each month.

With Wang Yan's authorization and the expertise of the police, on the morning of that day, more than 30 officers and adjutants of this unit were put on trial by Wang Yan in front of more than 1,000 officers and soldiers.

Many rank-and-file soldiers complained, and more than twenty more people were pulled out of the ranks on the spot. In the end, with the soldiers as witnesses, all sixty-plus people were beheaded.

He then took out the unit's past military merit records and began to count the soldiers' names, while also confirming with them whether the records were accurate and whether they had any objections to the appointment of these soldiers as officers.

Wang Yan patiently confirmed each one, and before dinner, he filled in the gaps left by those he had killed.

The next day, he began a thorough investigation of all the troops, checking whether logistics issues had been properly addressed, whether the welfare benefits of rank-and-file soldiers had been embezzled or exploited, and whether military merits had been recorded correctly.

Since the crowd was the same people anyway, he dealt with those people through other means, eliminated them, and the problem was naturally solved. The new rules were then naturally passed on.

In particular, in order to strengthen control over the grassroots, he basically did not handle political affairs, but instead inspected and visited the grassroots troops of the Jiliao border army, and went deep into the grassroots to make decisions for the soldiers.

This is an effective way to address problems more thoroughly, and it truly allowed him to expose many people and things that had deceived him. Wang Yan never disappointed such people, ensuring they received what they sought. The development of the frontier needed their dedication, and the Ming Dynasty would forever remember their contributions…

Once these problems were resolved, those who were in the way were dealt with, and the original vested interests were broken, the Jiliao Border Army had completed a thorough reform.

Soldiers' welfare and benefits have been improved, and logistics are much more abundant, which can support soldiers in training and preparing for war. This also motivates them to train harder, hone their skills in battle, and hone their ability to survive in combat.

With the issue of "empty salaries" resolved, the Jiliao Border Army was able to replenish its ranks, effectively undergoing an expansion. Ultimately, the combat force reached over 60,000 men, while logistical units responsible for farming, transportation, and other support also numbered over 40,000, bringing the total strength to 110,000.

With adequate pay, more food, and more diligent training, the Jiliao Border Army had already taken on the appearance of a strong army in a short period of time.

At this moment, what the Jiliao border army needed was a battle to test their fighting strength and to demonstrate their invincible bravery...

The newly built Wanshou Palace was magnificent; Emperor Jiajing had long since moved his residence there. It had a higher ceiling, more spacious interior, and was far more grand than the previous Yuxi Palace. But it was also far more desolate.

The glass designed by Wang Yan was of great merit. A massive pane of glass was specially made to match the Wanshou Palace. Following Wang Yan's instructions, it was double-layered, which increased insulation in winter and also enhanced its aesthetic appeal, creating a stunning floor-to-ceiling window.

But at the same time, it also made the summer even more sweltering. When the sun was at its strongest, the Wanshou Palace was practically a steamer.

Faced with this problem, Wang Yan offered a very simple and straightforward solution: wait until spring when the flowers bloom, then remove the large French windows and replace them with ordinary windows that can be opened for ventilation. With the craftsmen working efficiently, all the glass could be replaced in just one day. As for the losses during the process, those were negligible. Replacing the palace's glass every year was a negligible expense, although the total amount was still staggering…

In the Wanshou Palace, Wang Yan held Jiajing's wrists with both hands and took his pulse.

The astute Lü Fang also noticed something amiss with Jiajing, who was beginning to worry that he was seriously ill due to his own weakened health.

This time, Wang Yan took a rather long time to take the pulse...

Emperor Jiajing frowned and said, "What, even you, the divine physician, can't accurately diagnose my health?"

Wang Yan released his grip at the opportune moment, bowed deeply, and said, "Your Majesty has cultivated immortality for many years and has attained an immortal body, while I am merely a mortal physician..."

"Lü Fang".

Jiajing leaned back lazily, pointing at Wang Yan with his finger, "Look at you, now that you've become a high-ranking official and grown older, you've started to try to be convoluted with me."

"Wang Yan! Speak your mind! You were promoted by His Majesty, there's nothing you can't say!" Lü Fang almost scolded, expressing her strong dissatisfaction.

"I am truly innocent!"

Wang Yan first protested his innocence, but if he didn't speak up, he was indeed wronged.

Jiajing claimed to have achieved immortality through cultivation, so he couldn't possibly be ill. Yet, he still wanted to know if he was actually sick. After all, he was feeling unwell; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Wang Yan to take his pulse before discussing any important matters…

"Your Majesty has already attained immortality, so why would you need to take any more elixirs? Stop taking the elixirs, practice your health-preserving methods, and follow the diet prescribed by me."

"Stop using the elixir?"

Jiajing made no comment, but instead said, "You have done a good job in Jiliao these past two years."

Emperor Jiajing had his own standards for evaluating things. If someone could make him spend more money, and the local people did not complain, and they listened to him, then they were good officials who could be given important positions.

On this basis, if the region can become even more prosperous, the people can live a good life, and the people can remember him as the supreme Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, then that would be even better.

It's a pity that over the years, only Wang Yan has been able to achieve the latter...

Initially, Jiajing had to cut spending to support Wang Yan's activities in Jiliao. However, after more than a year, Wang Yan had smoothed things over with the officials and wealthy families in the Jiliao region. Not only were the cut spending recovered, but Wang Yan was even able to obtain more money for him to spend. This made Jiajing extremely pleased.

If there's anything negative about it, it's that the Jiliao border troops, under Wang Yan's leadership, are becoming increasingly agitated, with calls for war growing louder...

"It was all what I should do. I have not failed Your Majesty's expectations."

Wang Yan said, "Your Majesty, it has been more than two years. Now the 100,000-strong army of Ji and Liao can be said to be strong and well-equipped. I believe we can take the initiative to attack. Let's fight a few small-scale battles first, and let the Tatars see how strong the fist of our Great Ming is. Let Xu Jie and the others open their dog eyes and see that our Great Ming Dynasty, a superior nation, can not negotiate peace with barbarians."
A bunch of ungrateful bastards! Have they completely forgotten the events of the Gengxu Incident? Such a humiliating disgrace—can they really so easily let it go? For over twenty years, the Tartars have been raiding southwards, plundering and oppressing our people, causing them immense suffering. They are the embodiment of a blood feud with our Great Ming! How can we negotiate peace with such a hostile enemy? We must defeat them and subdue them!"

In the 29th year of the Jiajing reign (1550), Altan Khan led his army to invade Datong. The Datong commander, Qiu Luan, bribed Altan Khan, telling him not to attack him and to fight elsewhere. Ultimately, Altan Khan attacked the capital from Gubeikou, ravaging the surrounding area for eight days before retreating.

The reason why Xu Jie and others recently negotiated peace and trade with Anda was because Anda's grandson led a group of people to Datong to seek refuge.

The cause of the matter was simple: Anda took a fancy to his grandson's concubine. The young man couldn't stand this insult and, unable to resist, simply ran away.

So Anda took this opportunity to closely contact the Ming Dynasty, wanting to discuss peace again, so that everyone could have a good outcome...

Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, and others all agreed to negotiate peace and trade. Since the three of them agreed, Prince Yu naturally agreed as well. However, Prince Yu had no rivals at the moment, so he didn't express his opinion on anything and just obediently waited for his father to die...

But they didn't think about what Anda had done before, nor did they consider Jiajing's feelings, or perhaps they did think about it but didn't care at all. In any case, they just disagreed with going to war.

The reason is simple: Wang Yan had previously mentioned the need for trade and infiltration, so it can be implemented gradually. The Ming Dynasty has been doing increasingly well in recent years; we can't afford to ruin this positive situation because of war.

This is indeed a mature and prudent view of governing the country, but it doesn't take the Jiajing Emperor, who is considered one of the greatest emperors of all time, seriously...

Jiajing said, "It's kind of you to still remember, still thinking about the humiliation I suffered. But Xu Jie and the others are also using your words to refute me. You said back then that you wanted to establish trade... Now they're sticking to that reason. What do you have to say?"

“Your Majesty, those words I spoke were more than five years ago. How can the Ming Dynasty of that time be confused with the Ming Dynasty of today? My Ming Dynasty is at its zenith, and its national strength is growing stronger. How can those little barbarians be a match for my Ming Dynasty?”
Xu Jie and his ilk are all traitors and rebels. They haven't accomplished anything in all these years, only causing trouble for His Majesty. It's truly outrageous!

“Then you should go and persuade them. You are the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, so you can speak up on this kind of matter.” Jiajing fully expressed his position.

"Then I will go to the cabinet and teach them what it means to be a subject and what it means to share the king's burdens."

"Go ahead." Jiajing nodded in satisfaction, his joy undisguised.

Clearly, Jiajing Emperor was extremely eager to wage war.

Otherwise, why would Wang Yan have traveled all this way back? He came to treat Jiajing's illness; physical ailments are one thing, but mental illnesses are another...

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!