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

Chapter 1561 Not Seeking a Quick Victory
"Minister, are we really going to fight?"

At Santunying, in the Governor's Office, Qi Jiguang asked Wang Yan, who was gnawing on a large bone, uncertainly.

"You, General Qi, can you not ask such nonsense?" Wang Yan picked up his wine cup with his greasy hands, took a sip, and muttered, "I argued with Xu Jie and the others in the capital for more than a month before the war was settled, and you still ask me if we are really going to fight?"

Old Qi, what you need to do now is carefully consider whether the battle plan you prepared beforehand is sound, whether it has taken into account unfavorable situations, and how to deal with them if they do.

"The minister is giving me full authority?" Qi Jiguang was uncertain again.

Having worked with Wang Yan for so long, Qi Jiguang knew that Wang Yan was actually quite capable in warfare. Although he was mostly theoretical, his theories were sound. In their casual game of war games, Wang Yan always completely outmaneuvered him.

"You'll be in charge of the attack, and I'll be responsible for the defense and rescue from the rear, as well as providing supplies to your frontline troops. We'll divide the work and each take charge of our own area. Don't worry, I will absolutely not interfere with your decisions. You can fight however you want."

"Minister, what if we lose..."

"We can only win, we can't afford to lose!" Wang Yan said resolutely. "His Majesty and the court have spent so much money in Jiliao these past few years, how could we not win? If you insist on hearing what would happen if we lost, I can tell you directly, we can just commit suicide together, without bothering anyone else, and without suffering in the capital."

Qi Jiguang clenched his fist and slammed it on the table: "Minister, rest assured, we will win this battle!"

"Don't worry about me, I never thought I would lose. Otherwise, wouldn't all that money, all the people I offended, and all the attacks I suffered over a dozen times have been for nothing?"

Wang Yan chuckled and said, "You can rest assured about Xu Jie's side. They can only be called useless, but they can't be called a hindrance. His Majesty is also waiting to win a great victory to offer sacrifices to Heaven. If you cause trouble for His Majesty at this time, then you don't want to live. After this battle, you will take charge of the Capital Garrison, and I will be in charge of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers. We can then enjoy a good life."

Qi Jiguang nodded and asked, "When will the battle begin?"

"After the autumn harvest, there will be more than a month. You should make plans and deploy your troops. I will start procuring military supplies and send a batch forward first. You should also pre-determine a few battlefields, find a few key locations, and make some arrangements in the vicinity in advance."

"The commotion you've caused in the capital this time must be quite significant. News of the impending war must have already reached Xuanfu and other places. The Tartars are probably prepared all along..."

"It's alright. Their grasslands are so vast, and we're unfamiliar with the area. Even if they're unprepared, it won't be easy for them to fight. Besides, we're not just doing nothing. Aren't we going to fight small battles instead of big ones? We can send a few thousand people out first, cross the Yanshan Mountains, and have a go. Historically, major battles don't start with tens of thousands of people fighting right away. They all have to scout each other out first, and then deploy more troops. You've been fighting for so many years, do I really need to say more about this?"

"Then I'll arrange for someone to go and fight?" Qi Jiguang was still unsure.

"Plan carefully, don't start a war blindly. You should know what you're doing. How many men to send, when to send them, and where to attack—I don't care. Just go ahead and do it. General Qi, right now, this war, which concerns the dignity of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming and the fate of our Great Ming, has already begun!"

"Yes! I'll arrange it!"

Qi Jiguang downed a small pot of wine in one gulp, let out a long breath, and then strode out with the imposing air of a dragon...

Wang Yan ultimately had a powerful impact on this empire.

The war machine of the Ming Dynasty finally started slowly, and this empire, which was gradually declining, was revitalized.

Supplies from all over the country poured into the Jiubian defense line via land and water routes. Along with the massive flow of supplies, officials were also losing their heads one after another.

In the past, it wouldn't have been a major problem for local officials to embezzle a little money; after all, it was wartime, and everything was in chaos. Unless something went too far, no one had time to deal with it. Of course, people would die eventually—someone has to be held accountable—but the number of deaths wouldn't be as high as it is now.

The situation is different now. Wang Yan is risking his life to advocate for war; if they lose, he will die. In this situation, anyone who dares to hold him back will be the first person he kills.

Of course, Wang Yan didn't have that kind of strong monitoring ability; he couldn't oversee that far. But he didn't need to target any specific person either, since any discrepancies in the final quantities of supplies could be traced. How much went out and how much was received were all recorded.

The powerful figures he was targeting at various stages—whether it was Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, or Li Chunfang—were all capable of bringing them down and exacting severe revenge.

Therefore, Wang Yan didn't need to take action personally. Xu Jie and others, who were well-informed, had already set high standards and strict requirements for their subordinates. This was a war that would affect the fate of the Ming Dynasty, and no one could bear the responsibility of failure.

Wang Yan alone was enough to make them want to die, not to mention that Wang Yan represented Jiajing, who wanted revenge, wanted to demonstrate his civil and military achievements, and wanted to surpass all previous emperors as one of the greatest emperors of all time.

This would truly make Jiajing die with regrets. With his now even stronger imperial power, he could easily take all these good ministers with him, leaving no one unscathed...

In addition, regarding maritime trade, all maritime merchants received a notice that the government would purchase the food and other supplies needed for the war from overseas and would also grant a certain degree of tax exemption in order to encourage maritime merchants to transport their goods to the Bohai Bay.

This is a more cost-effective and larger-volume transportation method than land transport or canal transport. The shipping time is also within an acceptable range, after all, the Ming Dynasty has accumulated sufficient reserves in recent years, and the grain reserves in the Jiliao region are enough to last for one or two years. Such a long period of time is also enough for grain supplies to be transported back by sea.

As for whether the merchants cooperated... they were extremely cooperative, all expressing their determination to bring back war supplies from overseas and strongly offering to provide food to the imperial court free of charge.

No family or clan would naively believe that this was a decision they could make voluntarily. Since the suppression of the Japanese pirates in the southeast a few years ago, the wealthy families in the southeast had no room for negotiation. Once Yu Dayou had fully established the southeast navy and completely taken over the fleet that originally belonged to Wang Yan, the wealthy families in the southeast were all at his mercy.

The re-establishment of the Maritime Trade Office, though resulting in a significant increase in taxes, brought great joy to the wealthy merchants. It meant they had survived and could still make a profit in the future. Even though their earnings were considerably less, they were not at a loss; having endured a severe beating, they were content.

So this was an opportunity for everyone to show off, and everyone started to express their loyalty without any limits, naturally resulting in a lot of money being spent to support the war effort.

A famous saying attributed to Wang Yan is currently circulating in the Ming Dynasty. It was accidentally leaked during his time as the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture. It refers to his isolation as a loyal subject, with no one to curry favor with him, yet he received numerous gifts during festivals. Wang Yan said he didn't care who sent gifts, but rather who didn't…

The current war against the Tartars is being led by Wang Yan. The upheavals in the southeast were also instigated by Wang Yan, so how could the powerful families in the southeast dare to disobey? Meanwhile, the powerful families in Shanxi, Shandong, Hebei, and Henan have also suffered terribly at Wang Yan's hands in recent years; otherwise, why would they have been the target of so many assassination attempts?

He used the long defense line and relatively abundant resources of the Ji-Liao region, along with its wider trading partners, to control the wealthy merchants in the four areas. He dealt with smugglers mercilessly; he's had countless people forced to close their households over the years.

At this crucial moment, they dare not act rashly. Even if they were to secretly communicate, they must assess the situation carefully. For the current ruling class of the Ming Dynasty, understanding the differences in the current Ming Dynasty is of great importance.

If you understand it and embrace it actively, you can make money and ensure your family's continued prosperity. If you don't understand it and instead try your best to resist it, you will naturally suffer the consequences, fall behind the times, and be swept into the dustbin of history.

As mentioned before, the Ming Dynasty is currently experiencing the rise of capitalism, a time when traditional agriculture is transitioning to the early stages of industry. Wang Yan opened this door, nurturing the first generation of capitalists, which have now developed into a considerably powerful new force…

Those trained by Wang Yan believed they were on his side, but in reality, it was just not time to kill them yet. They too would be swept into the trash heap.

But now it is indeed an ally, obeying the king's orders.

Without a specific organization, as long as Wang Yan stirs up trouble, they actively follow along, and their cooperation has been quite good over the years.

Moreover, their strength was considerable. After all, which of these first-generation individuals wasn't a powerful and wealthy family? They were the ones who saw the potential for money and the future, and thus began their transformation. It was only afterward that the various groups of businessmen, large and small, developed and emerged.

Therefore, the wealthy families in these areas who had also been attacked by Wang Yan, as well as the emerging capitalist groups that obeyed his orders, all actively supported him.

They don't even need support. As long as they don't cause trouble or hold things back, they are already an asset to the Ming Dynasty, let alone support.

This is a moment of unprecedented unity for the Ming Dynasty.

In this way, other places were also at peace. For example, the various chieftains in Yunnan and Guizhou, the Doyan Three Guards in the north, and the Jurchens, etc. At this time, there were no internal problems, and they were all eager to spend money to fight. Any barbarian outside who dared to cause trouble would have their household registration revoked. This was no joke.

The barbarians are uncultured, but they are not stupid. They are not blind to subtle differences in appearance, and they are all very honest.

Among them, the Doyan Three Guards and the Jurchens were the most honest. In recent years, besides dealing with the powerful families, reforming the army, and building up the Jiliao region, Wang Yan has spent the rest of his time studying them.

They won over and divided the people, even leading the Doyan Three Guards and Jurchen people to work and build, giving them money, helping them farm, and encouraging intermarriage. They directly stood up for the oppressed lower classes and dealt with their leaders.

It's certainly impossible to win them over in a short time, but it's not a problem to get some people to recognize and support the rule of the Ming Dynasty. The more than 10,000 soldiers that Qi Jiguang took to fight this time were gathered from the Doyan Three Guards and the Jurchens.

How could Wang Yan allow them to enjoy themselves in the rear while also becoming a destabilizing factor? He sent them all to the front lines to fight desperately. If they dared to disobey orders during wartime, their fate would be even worse than that of the Tartars; killing them would be a higher priority than killing the Tartars…

Taking all factors into account, this war with the Tatars was not simple, but it was a steady and step-by-step advance.

After Qi Jiguang launched his campaign, several small battles ensued, which escalated into a major conflict in just over a month. More than 100,000 troops from both sides maneuvered and attacked each other across the grasslands and surrounding mountains.

Qi Jiguang quickly became familiar with the battles on the grasslands and developed a set of combat methods tailored to the specific terrain—this was his strength. He quickly turned the battle into a war of attrition, a protracted conflict.

This was Wang Yan's instruction to him: this battle was not about seeking a quick victory; as long as he gained a certain advantage and could maintain it, that would be a victory for the Ming Dynasty.

Because the Ming Dynasty is now wealthy, it can rely on its national strength and logistics to defend itself, making it impossible for the Tartars to resist. Their fighting prowess on the grasslands is completely wasted, as they are instead focused on fleeing and saving their lives.

This was indeed a weakness of the Ming Dynasty, mainly due to the gap in cavalry. However, the Ming Dynasty was not without its advantages, namely firearms. Wang Yanke never stopped working on improving the performance of firearms.

They definitely hadn't developed an AK yet, but with his constant encouragement, they still managed to get rifling. That was a significant step forward.

After all, there are many different interpretations of rifling, such as how many lines to carve, how deep to carve, and how to carve them; it's all a matter of knowledge.

The main reason is that Wang Yan didn't offer any pointers, but simply increased investment in research and development in this area, and occasionally checked on the progress and finished products. This is all thanks to the wisdom of the Ming Dynasty craftsmen...

Furthermore, there have been numerous improvements to firing speed, gunpowder propulsion, projectile characteristics, and so on. The destructive power is more than sufficient, making up for the lack of mobility…

Wang Yan kept his word. He never interfered with Qi Jiguang's plans from beginning to end. He simply stayed behind to guard the rear and prevent the Tartars from stealing their chickens.

In terms of logistics, Wang Yan was certainly no less capable. Having fought so many wars over the years, what he actually enjoyed most was logistics—using ample resources and a powerful nation to crush the enemy in a grand and dignified manner.

At the same time, Wang Yan was also using the war to promote economic development. After all, there were people working at every stage, the soldiers who were injured or killed received compensation, and the military pay and benefits during the war were better. The Royal Bank was printing money every day.

Wang Yan is also doing his best to stabilize prices and ensure the purchasing power of the paper money. After this battle, the Ming Dynasty will be even wealthier.

This was something the ruling class of the Ming Dynasty couldn't understand: how Wang Yan could turn a costly war into a highly profitable business. Before even conquering the grasslands and letting the grassland people earn money, he had already used the war to stimulate the expanding domestic demand and drive rapid economic development.

They didn't miss a thing. They fought a war, carried out construction, cultivated their own people at every stage, promoted many people, and accepted many people to join them, accumulating even more solid qualifications and political capital.

This also greatly satisfied Jiajing and brought him even greater benefits...

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