I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

March 16th, early morning.

A long convoy of vehicles traveled on the official road in the Tongzhou area north of the capital.

The capital city is about 150 li away from Jizhou.

In the past, Shen Nian could have arrived in less than two days by riding a horse.

This time, however, Shen Nian didn't need to rush, and with his whole family with him, he could do whatever made him comfortable.

He plans to arrive in Jizhou before noon the day after tomorrow.

After leaving the capital, nearly seven-year-old Shen Yanche and four-year-old Shen Zhiyi were like two frolicking little ponies. Whenever the carriage stopped, they would go out to look around and run around.

Influenced by his two children, Hai Rui now has more smiles on his face and is healthier than before.

Gu Yue'er was the happiest.

Seeing that Shen Nian was no longer as tired as she used to be in the court, and could spend time with her and her children, she was naturally happy.

As for Shen Nian, she felt much more relaxed after leaving the capital.

He was finally free from internal strife and court infighting, and could finally do what he wanted to do.

Shen Nian was certain that the young Wanli Emperor had spies hidden within his guards, and that his every word and action in Jizhou and Liaodong would be relayed to the young Wanli Emperor in order to prevent Shen Nian from taking control of the military affairs of Jizhou and Liaodong.

But Shen Nian didn't care about any of that.

Upon arriving in Jiliao, he would not interfere too much with local military and political affairs; what he wanted to change was the living conditions of the entire Jiliao region and its inhabitants, including the Jurchen people.

Two days ago, Shen Nian received a reply from her father and mother.

They and Shen Nian's father-in-law will go directly to Liaodong Town (Liaoyang) to meet up with Shen Nian.

Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongxing were both looking forward to the trip. Knowing that Liaodong was cold, Shen's mother had many cotton-padded clothes made for Shen Yanche and Shen Zhiyi.

……

March 18th, near noon.

When Shen Nian and his party were about three miles away from Jizhou Town, Qi Hu rode up to Shen Nian's carriage.

"Minister, General Qi and a group of officers have come to welcome you. They will be here soon!"

"parking!"

After the carriage stopped, Shen Nian stepped out of it.

He looked ahead and said, "Let's go, let's go and meet them!"

In terms of actual position, Shen Nian was the Minister of War and also had the post of Governor-General of Jiliao, making him Qi Jiguang's superior.

However, in terms of honorary titles, Shen Nian, as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, was of the first rank, while Qi Jiguang, holding the position of Left Commander-in-Chief of the Five Armies Commandery, was of the first rank.

Although military officers are of lower status than civil officials, Qi Jiguang's welcoming of Shen Nian at the city gate was already quite courteous. Now, going three miles outside the city, he has truly given Shen Nian a great deal of face.

After a while.

Just as Shen Nian reached the front of the convoy, Qi Jiguang, along with more than twenty generals, rode up to her.

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Qi Jiguang and his generals dismounted.

Shen Nian greeted him with a smile, "Commander Qi, it's been a long time!"

After saying that, Shen Nian walked towards Qi Jiguang, who excitedly led his generals to greet her.

"Minister Shen, you've worked hard!"

After walking up to Shen Nian, Qi Jiguang gave her a big hug and whispered in her ear, "You've been wronged!"

These three words encapsulate Qi Jiguang's complex emotions.

Shen Nian patted Qi Jiguang on the back to indicate that she was alright.

The two then separated.

"Greetings, Minister Shen!" The generals behind him bowed and clasped their hands in unison towards Shen Nian.

"No need for formalities! No need for formalities!" Shen Nian said with a smile.

Qi Jiguang said, "Minister Shen, please get into the carriage. I will lead the caravan into the city from now on!"

"No way! No way! How can I let Commander Qi lead the way? I want to ride a horse too. Let's go into the city together!" Shen Nian said with a smile.

Immediately.

Qi Jiguang and Shen Nian each rode a horse at the front, with the rest of the people following behind.

……

About half an hour later.

Shen Nian and his party arrived at the residence arranged by Qi Jiguang, which was reserved for governors or viceroys.

The back hall of the house.

Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang entered together.

Qi Jiguang waved his hand, and the people behind him retreated outside the door and closed it, leaving only Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang inside.

at this time.

Shen Nian heard a "plop" sound, and Qi Jiguang actually knelt down on the ground facing him.

"General Qi, what does this mean? This is unacceptable!" Shen Nian hurriedly went to help Qi Jiguang up.

Qi Jiguang refused to get up and said, "Minister Shen, I'll kowtow to you first!"

boom!
Qi Jiguang kowtowed loudly to the ground.

"Regarding the incident involving 100,000 fake cotton-padded coats that year, it was you who stood up to the Marquis of Wuqing and allowed me to give all the soldiers of Jizhou an explanation. On behalf of all the soldiers of Jizhou, I thank you!"

This time, it was all thanks to you that the military budget for Jizhou remained unchanged. On behalf of all the soldiers and officers of Jizhou, I thank you!

"Furthermore, after Grand Tutor Zhang passed away and was purged, you spoke up for him, risking offending His Majesty, and allowed us all to remain in Jizhou. On behalf of all the soldiers of Jizhou, I thank you!"

If it weren't for Shen Nian's intervention, Qi Jiguang, known throughout the land as "Qi, a lackey of Zhang Juzheng," would have been transferred away from Jizhou, and many of his soldiers would have been transferred away as well.

As he spoke, Qi Jiguang's eyes reddened.

He greatly respected Zhang Juzheng.

When Zhang Juzheng was stripped of his honorary titles and his property was confiscated, Qi Jiguang remained silent. It wasn't that he dared not speak, but rather that Zhang Juzheng had instructed him that, as a military general, his duty was to defend the borders and not to interfere in the court's political struggles.

In addition, Zhang Juzheng told Qi Jiguang that after he retired, he hoped that Qi Jiguang would regard Shen Nian as Zhang Juzheng, which is why Qi Jiguang knelt down.

"General Qi, get up quickly, this is what I should do!" Shen Nian pulled Qi Jiguang up with all her might.

After Qi Jiguang stood up, the two sat down and began to chat.

This time, Shen Nian will stay in Jizhou for about half a month. In addition to the regular inspections, Shen Nian also has a plan to transform Jizhou that needs Qi Jiguang to take the lead in implementing.

……

As night fell, Shen Nian was invited to the General's Mansion.

He would definitely attend the welcoming banquet arranged by Qi Jiguang, and he also needed to use this banquet to get to know more generals in Jizhou in order to implement Shen Nian's plan to transform Jizhou.

During the banquet, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning anything related to Zhang Juzheng.

Everyone talked about Shen Nian's experiences inspecting Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi last year, about the Shen Yanwang training method invented by Shen Nian, about the delicacies of Jizhou, the border defense of Jizhou, and so on.

They chatted until late into the night before a slightly tipsy Shen Nian left the table and returned to her residence.

……

The following days.

Accompanied by Qi Jiguang, Shen Nian first inspected Jizhou City, then inspected various granaries and military camps. During this time, he also ordered the firearms soldiers to test the lightning guns that Shen Nian brought. Finally, Shen Nian went out of the city to inspect the city walls and border trade markets.

Shen Nian inspected the area during the day and was also busy at night, drafting a plan to transform Jizhou.

In fact, he already had a reform plan in mind, but he could only refine the plan after the inspection.

……

March 24th, afternoon.

After completing her inspection, Shen Nian returned to her residence and stayed there for a full day.

March 25th, early morning.

Shen Nian appeared before Qi Jiguang with a document entitled "Policy for the Reform of Commerce and Trade in Jizhou". Before Shen Nian left the capital, Qi Jiguang had received a message from the cabinet that Shen Nian's main task as governor of Jizhou and Liaodong was not to supervise military affairs, but to promote border commerce.

After all, Shen Nian still had 500,000 taels of silver allocated by the imperial court in his hands!

The imperial court gave Shen Nian this money not so that he could spend it in Jiliao, but to make the money generate more money, so that the 500,000 taels of silver could become more, or even double.

Qi Jiguang took the document and read it carefully.

In this document, Shen Nian emphasized three aspects of the reform.

Firstly, Xingbian City.

With San Niangzi becoming the new leader of the Tumed tribe and signing a new peace treaty with the Ming Dynasty, the Jizhou area will be much more stable. It can be connected with Xuanfu and Datong, opening up border markets and creating a fixed trade route.

Shen Nian plans to open at least eight official markets in the north of Jizhou within three years. This will not only strengthen trade with the Mongols and Jurchens across the border, but also attract more businessmen from the south to the north. Once the trade routes are opened, trade will become more convenient.

Secondly, the maritime supply line was restarted.

During the Hongwu era, grain and fodder were still transported from Jiangnan to Jizhou Town by sea. Ships departed from Liujiagang in Taicang Prefecture, passed through the Yangtze River and Huai River, entered Shandong Province, and were finally transported to Jizhou Granary by canal.

The reason for abolishing sea transport at that time was that canal transport was more convenient, and that sea transport was not only dangerous but also resulted in greater losses of goods.

However, Shen Nian now wants to open up a sea route from Quanzhou to Liaodong. This route will pass between Korea and Japan and will eventually become the most prosperous shipping route connecting the north and south.

In addition, shipbuilding technology has advanced significantly since the Hongwu era, and there are few pirates and bandits. Transporting grain and supplies between Jizhou and Liaodong via this route will be more cost-effective and labor-saving.

Third, build super shipyards and super ports.

They organized soldiers from Jizhou and Shandong Linhai Garrison to build a large shipyard and a large commercial port near the estuary (Bohai Sea), about 200 li east of Jizhou.

The reason Shen Nian chose to build the shipyard in the eastern part of Jizhou is because the Eastern Port (Vladivostok) in Shen Nian's mind is currently completely surrounded by the Jurchens.

It can become a center for trade and commerce, and a place for merchant ships to dock, but ships cannot be built there, especially military ships.

……

After reading it, Qi Jiguang thought for a moment and looked at Shen Nian.

"I have no objection to Xingbian City restarting the maritime supply line, but... but organizing Jizhou soldiers to build large shipyards and ports, and specifying that at least 40,000 men are needed, is probably a bit difficult."

“At present, there are a total of 120,000 soldiers in Jizhou, Miyun, Yongping and Changping. Among them, 40,000 are recruited soldiers and 80,000 are garrison soldiers. The garrison soldiers are responsible for the logistics of farming and the recruited soldiers are responsible for training and guarding the border. It is probably difficult to spare 40,000 people to perform labor. Why not conscript civilians?”

Shen Nian smiled slightly; he knew Qi Jiguang would have this question.

"General Qi, it's not that you can't spare 40,000 men, it's that you don't want your soldiers to participate in forced labor, right?"

Qi Jiguang smiled awkwardly. As the Minister of War, how could Shen Nian not know the situation in Jizhou? Withdrawing 40,000 men would not affect the defense of Jizhou at all.

"I can't hide it from you anymore. The soldiers are already suffering enough from farming. If they are forced to do manual labor as well, I'm afraid many more will run away!"

Shen Nian shook his head slightly.

"This isn't forced labor; I'm here to secure a stable job for the soldiers of Jizhou!"

"What do you mean?" Qi Jiguang asked, somewhat puzzled.

Shen Nian asked, "Commander Qi, there are currently nearly 80,000 people responsible for land reclamation. Is there enough food? Are the soldiers in the garrisons able to eat their fill? Are their families able to live comfortably?"

Qi Jiguang shook his head helplessly.

If the imperial court had not mandated that every military household must have a male member enlist, the garrison system would probably have collapsed long ago.

Military households today are no different from commoners, but they have no other way out.

Good men don't want to be soldiers.

Shen Nian continued, "In the next three to five years, there will most likely be no war in the Jizhou region of the northern border. Defending the capital can be done by recruiting soldiers with combat capabilities, plus the gradual upgrading of firearms. Do you think the court will increase or decrease military pay in the future, and will continue to increase or reduce the number of soldiers?"

"Military pay and troop numbers will both be reduced!" Qi Jiguang answered truthfully.

Shen Nian paused for a moment and said, "Currently, the annual income of soldiers in the garrison is about six to ten taels of silver, but they can only leave the army at the age of sixty and it is already difficult to get land again. The annual income of recruited soldiers is about forty taels of silver plus bonuses, which seems like a lot, but if they are not promoted after the age of forty, they will be eliminated. After that, they will almost all become vagrants and refugees, with no way to make a living, and they will also disrupt the social order. We must find a way for them to live!"

"I want to build a super port that private individuals cannot touch and that is entirely operated by the military. This port will have commerce, shipyards, and a navy stationed there. In the future, it will not only be able to connect with the commerce of the entire North, but also allow countries and tribes from overseas to do business with us here."

"My plan is that once this port is completed, the commercial tax revenue will be enough to cover the military expenses of Jizhou within five years. This is a way for the court to increase revenue. As long as it can make money, the court will agree to open it."

"The reason I want to entrust the infrastructure project to the military is because I value the military's execution capabilities, and more specifically, because I value the soldiers you have trained. This port must be kept clean from now on!"

The cleanliness that Shen Nian spoke of.

There was no corruption or bribery, no favoritism or worldly wisdom, and not many people seeking personal gain in the port. The civil officials of the Ming Dynasty obviously could not do this, but the army might.

"This time it's not unpaid labor, but paid according to work. I will not only guarantee the soldiers a stable income, but also ensure that the area from Jizhou to the East China Sea will experience unprecedented development, and I will use a series of policies to guarantee the soldiers' retirement..."

Simply put, Shen Nian wanted to build a large-scale military industry that was completely subordinate to the imperial court, and to use the port as a platform to facilitate the flow of goods throughout the world.

Once the port is built, the North will no longer need to rely on land transport. Once the North's unique goods can be quickly transported to the South, a large number of merchants will be willing to come here to make their fortune.

As for the imperial court, as long as Shen Nian doesn't ask the court for more money, the young Wanli Emperor will definitely not object.

Shen Nian had already planned that once the young Wanli Emperor agreed to this plan, he would immediately open up the sea routes, increase tax revenue, and thus bring wealth to the local areas.

Qi Jiguang thought about it and felt that this move was worthwhile.

At present, the troops stationed in Jizhou can almost be considered a liability.

Many military households are just coasting along. There's no need for so many people to farm. It would be better to involve them in infrastructure projects. This would not only improve their treatment but also ensure they have support in their old age.

Just then, Shen Nian added, "Of the 40,000 soldiers, 10,000 must be recruited!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang immediately stood up.

Why recruit soldiers?

Qi Jiguang became anxious. It was not easy for him to recruit soldiers, some of whom were his old troops from the southeastern region during his fight against the Japanese pirates.

These soldiers were known to others as Qi Jiguang's army, and they determined the fighting strength of the Jizhou army.

"Because they are excellent enough, efficient enough, and some of them have experience fighting the enemy at sea, they know ships and the sea, so they are better able to do this job!"

Shen Nian had already figured it out; what he needed most were Qi Jiguang's group of veterans who had fought at sea.

Shen Nian specified 10,000 men because if he asked for more, it would shake the foundation of Jizhou's military strength, and the young Wanli Emperor would not agree.

He wanted to ensure that Jizhou's military defense capabilities remained unshaken.

"General Qi, I will advocate military control for the construction of the new port, meaning that local officials will not be involved in its implementation. Even the governors and viceroys will only have supervisory power, while you will be in charge of everything and report directly to the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works!"

"Of course, while you are in charge of this matter, you also need to do a good job in the defense of Jizhou. Your responsibilities may become quite heavy from now on!"

Qi Jiguang was somewhat bewildered.

In the blink of an eye, he became the person in charge of building a super shipyard and a super port.

However, he knew in his heart that having heavy burdens was not terrible; having no burdens at all was the most terrible thing.

With Zhang Juzheng's death, his position was already unstable, and this assignment would help solidify it.

"The more prosperous the trade in the northern border, the more commercial taxes it pays to the court, and the more the court will pay attention to the military preparations in the northern border. In addition, the Mongols and Jurchens on the other side will become more dependent on us, and it will be less likely to wage war. The purpose of war is to stop war and to allow the people of the Ming Dynasty to live safely and happily. The purpose of this matter is also the same."

……

"Commander Qi, now that we're in Jizhou, the brothers have almost no chance of getting promoted through military merit. Why not devote some of our energy to infrastructure development, boosting commerce, and improving military preparedness, so that the northern border can become as prosperous as the Jiangnan region, and so that no one will be warlike anymore!"

Qi Jiguang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'm willing to do it!"

Qi Jiguang knew very well that the constant border wars were not only caused by the Mongols and Jurchens, but also by internal conflicts.

The soldiers of the garrison kept deserting, some even going to the Mongol territory to become bandits and outlaws, because they could not make a living. If the recruited soldiers could not receive enough pay in a few years, a mutiny might break out.

This is a task suitable for the military.

“Alright, let’s work together to formulate a more detailed strategy and report it to the court!” Shen Nian said.

……

The next day, Qi Jiguang convened a meeting of his officers and guerrillas to explain Shen Nian's reform plan. After persuading them, the group discussed the plan with Shen Nian.

In the past, the court's strategies did not take their feelings into account at all.

However, Shen Nian now provides feedback from the bottom up, and only after everyone is satisfied does the final draft come together before being reported to the imperial court.

Shen Nian believed that the young Wanli Emperor would not object.

Because this is a good thing that doesn't require the imperial court to spend money and can even make money for the imperial court in the future.

In addition, Shen Nian earnestly requested that the young Wanli Emperor bestow a name upon the new port to be built, as this was one of the young Wanli Emperor's favorite things to do. (End of this chapter)