Chapter 632: Only arrogance can defeat the Great Ming

Although the Great Ming's maritime ban policy had become sufficiently open under the rolling trend of opening the seas, it still required ship permits to successfully enter Great Ming ports. If merchant ships had no ship permits and tribute ships had no tallies, they would not be allowed to dock at Great Ming ports, and would even be treated as pirate ships for boarding inspections, expulsion, and annihilation.

The great galleons of Spain and Portugal every year held tallies, not ship permits. They were tribute ships, not merchant ships. In terms of characterization, the great galleon trade was tribute trade, because the great galleons only did business with the imperial court.

Merchant ships from Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and even England were active in the Great Ming's maritime territory. They couldn't reach the five major Maritime Trade Offices in the Great Ming's interior and could only dock at the port of Manila in Luzon. They were extremely curious about the Great Ming, but because of the Great Ming's conservative trade policy.

Letting these believers of the Wisdom Sect come to the Great Ming for a pilgrimage became a fantasy.

The main believers of the Great Ming Sect were sailors.

Sometimes, people are just like this: what they can't get is always stirring. The more they can't see, the more they want to see. These merchant ships in Manila port raised the appeal for pilgrimage to the Luzon Governor's Office. The Luzon Governor's Office had to take these appeals seriously, because if the Luzon Governor's Office didn't make any response, these merchant ships would take risks and head north.

Going to sea in this day and age was a risk in itself.

Therefore, the Great Ming Emperor received a memorial from Guo Cheng, requesting the opening of a pilgrimage route for these merchant ships to come to the Great Ming for a pilgrimage.

And the culprit behind all this was Xu Fan, who had created the "House of the Wise."

"This problem is extremely complex. In the doctrine of the Great Ming Sect, the Emperor is not a god, but the embodiment of wisdom." As the Minister of Rites, Wan Wan Shihe was already sweating profusely, but Wan Wan Shihe still explained this problem. The Emperor was not a god in the narrative of the Great Ming Sect, but the embodiment of wisdom.

The narrative of the Great Ming Sect that Xu Fan had created with his "House of the Wise," although hasty, was extremely rigorous. The Emperor was not a god. Fuxi of the Pre-Heaven Eight Trigrams was the creator god, and the Emperor was the Son of Heaven, the human emperor entrusted by Heaven to manage the human world. Therefore, it was very reasonable for the wisdom mastered by the creator god Fuxi to be embodied as the imperial monarch.

"As for the reason why the Westerners believe it without doubt, it is actually very simple. That is, the Great Ming enfeoffs the kings of Korea, Annam, Ryukyu, Japan, etc. In the West, kings need to accept the enfeoffment of the Holy See. In the distant East, the Great Ming Emperor also enfeoffs the kings of vassal states. In the eyes of Westerners, understanding the Great Ming with their own understanding, this is the Holy See of the East." Wan Wan Shihe explained why this distant Far Eastern Holy See that Xu Fan had fabricated had believers, because this was also a fact.

The enfeoffment of the Holy See was a shaping and maintenance of order. The Great Ming Emperor's enfeoffment of vassal states was also a shaping and maintenance of order.

"As for a pilgrimage, stop it! The Great Ming is not a holy land! For the sake of a little bit of cost, that Yuan Shen withheld the craftsmen's wages for five years! If the craftsmen hadn't been unable to endure it this time, this kind of beast would still be bullying people! Is this what a holy land should look like!" Zhu Zhu Yijun was still extremely angry. As an Emperor, he felt that "Celestial Empire" was essentially cursing him, cursing Zhu Zhu Yijun, the master of the state, for being incompetent.

"Your Majesty, there are all kinds of birds in a big forest, but the Great Ming is the Great Ming." Zhang Zhang Juzheng advised the Emperor not to be angry, as anger hurts the body.

This kind of thing happened yesterday, happens today, and will happen tomorrow. It is as normal as the universal existence of contradictions. With so many people in the Great Ming, it is normal for such things to happen. This doesn't affect the fact that the Great Ming is the Celestial Empire, because at this very moment, for all the countries in the world, the Great Ming is the most prosperous place and the holy land in their hearts.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng mentioned a small detail that was not noticed by others. He said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Western merchants are willing to pay."

"Oh? Paying? How much?" Zhu Zhu Yijun was stunned, then asked immediately.

"A donation of 50,000 taels of silver per ship." Zhang Zhang Juzheng had read Guo Cheng's memorial. The pilgrims didn't come empty-handed.

"A pilgrimage is not okay, but tribute is okay. Let's talk about business. Don't make it so complicated." Zhu Zhu Yijun deliberated again and again, but still opened a gap.

Zhu Zhu Yijun decided this absolutely not for the money. It was mainly for the stability of the maritime territory. If he didn't open a gap, these Western merchant ships would take risks in the Great Ming's maritime territory every day. Wasn't this looking for trouble for the coastal defense inspectors?

It was absolutely not for the money!

Not everyone could come to the Great Ming for tribute. The Luzon Governor's Office would screen and identify all merchant ships. For example, merchant ships from the Goa Governor's Office, which had been in conflict with the Great Ming for two and a half years, would not be allowed. For example, English merchant ships that still hadn't revoked their privateering licenses would not be allowed. Merchant ships suspected of carrying contraband or smuggling would also not be allowed. Luzon Governor Yin Yin Zhengmao had already listed the conditions when reporting to the imperial court. After screening, the number of ships that actually met the requirements was less than twenty. And after arriving in the Great Ming, they could only stay briefly in the "Ten Thousand Nations City" of the five major Maritime Trade Offices, for a maximum of no more than fifteen days for trade.

And Yin Yin Zhengmao provided more information about the West. These merchant ships didn't even need to pay money to obtain a large amount of true or false information. After Yin Yin Zhengmao organized these pieces of information, he reported them to the imperial court.

For example, the Great Ming Emperor finally figured out why Philip was acting like a madman, insisting on invading England.

Because English pirate ships raided Seville and burned down the main cathedral located in the city center. In this cathedral, there were the remains of a person—Columbus, who had laid the foundation for Spain's maritime hegemony and discovered the New World.

In the 5th year of During Zhengde, Columbus estimated that the distance to the Great Ming was about 10,000 li, but in fact, it was 40,000 li away. If he had known it was so far, Columbus would probably have found it very difficult to make up his mind to set off.

Columbus crossed the Atlantic four times in his life, explored the route, and allowed Spain to occupy a first-mover advantage in the Age of Discovery.

In the 5th year of During Zhengde, Columbus's remains were moved to Seville by his son Diego. After Diego died, Diego's widow intended to move the remains of her husband and Columbus to Santo Domingo in North America according to the will, but the Spanish royal family disagreed. For this reason, the Seville Cathedral was built to house the remains.

Columbus was destitute during his lifetime, but received extra honors after his death.

How much gold and silver did Columbus's discovery of the New World bring to Spain? The Seville Cathedral was just as golden and brilliant.

And English pirate ships looted Seville, and the "Four Kings Carrying the Coffin" were pushed to the ground. Because the copper coffin was too heavy, the pirates didn't take it away, but this matter still became a thorn in Philip's heart, a reason why he had to invade England no matter what.

Philip II didn't write these things in the state letter, because this was a shame and would be looked down upon by the Great Ming Emperor. Before Solon was beheaded, he didn't explain it either. As a result, the Great Ming still learned the truth from the mouths of maritime merchants.

"After slightly relaxing the ban on ironware, the price of ironware in the Great Ming did not fall, but rose." Zhang Zhang Juzheng reported some situations in maritime trade that were worth noting.

The ban on ironware not leaving the pass had been prevalent since the Han Dynasty. The Han Law: "In barbarian markets, officials and people are not allowed to carry weapons and iron out of the pass. Those who dare to violate it will be waist-chopped and abandoned in the market."

The Tang Dynasty added silk, gold, silver, and copper to the list of bans, but anyone crossing the western and northern passes would also be waist-chopped and abandoned in the market.

In the early Ming Dynasty, there was the maritime ban. The list of banned items for the maritime ban was extremely long. In the Emperor Longqing opening of the seas, the Yuegang Maritime Trade Office revised the list of items banned from leaving the pass. In the 2nd year of Emperor Wanli, the Great Ming additionally added a raw silk ban, meaning raw silk could not go to sea, imposing stricter restrictions on the outflow of silver. But correspondingly, it relaxed the ban on ironware and silk.

"After slightly relaxing the ban, supply increased. Shouldn't the price drop?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked suspiciously.

"Your Majesty, looking at ironware alone, that is indeed the case. But after the market opened, the growth in supply was far less than the growth in demand, leading to an even greater shortage of ironware in the Great Ming." Zhang Zhang Juzheng explained this phenomenon simply.

In short, maritime trade opened up the market, making the growth in demand even more vigorous.

"Taking the Guangzhou Maritime Trade Office as an example, for iron pots alone, the small ones are 200-300, and the large ones are 500, and some even reach 1,000. This iron pot has risen from 1 silver per pot to 3 silver per pot, and it is still growing rapidly." Zhang Zhang Juzheng took out Wang Wang Yie's memorial.

Wang Wang Yie introduced the phenomenon, problems, causes, and disposal methods in detail in the memorial.

The reason for the rise in the price of iron pots was very simple: the world needed the Great Ming's iron pots. Iron pots that were very common in the Great Ming were rare items in the world, just as scarce as silk.

A ship with a load of 600,000 catties had over 300,000 catties of iron pots. And one iron pot could be exchanged for 3 taels of silver, 15 catties of sandalwood or spices from the Thousand Islands or Yuanxu Islands, 12 waist knives, or 20 catties of ivory. This was still the price at the Guangzhou Maritime Trade Office before leaving port. Once it reached the destination of overseas trade, it was even more expensive.

In Wang Wang Yie's memorial, there was another commodity in the Great Ming that was very worthy of the imperial court's attention, and that was steel needles. In the Persian Gulf, one steel needle could be exchanged for a sheep. The terror of its premium was something that even Zhu Zhu Yijun felt surprised to see.

The Mughal King Akbar was extremely flattering to the Great Ming, precisely because Akbar was a middleman who made a lot of money.

Silk, cotton cloth, and ironware were the three major fist products exported by the Great Ming, and the silver that could be brought back every year could already be measured in millions of taels.

"Governor Wang said in the memorial that he wants to strictly limit sea ships to prevent overloading." Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial in his hand and said with a sigh.

The Guangzhou Maritime Trade Office was checking for overloading. No ship was allowed to overload, because overloading had become one of the killers of maritime trade. The murderer who killed the ship was human greed.

Ironware has a high specific gravity. Overloading of ships will greatly increase the ship's own weight, reducing stability and maneuverability. Turning and anti-wind-and-wave capabilities will decrease. Moreover, if the ship is overloaded and not placed properly, the ship will capsize with a big wave. And after research by the Songjiang Royal Ship Design Institute, it was found that overloading will cause structural deformation of the whole, further reducing safety.

The more you load, the greater the profit. This is the unbreakable truth in maritime trade. But only pursuing economic interests while ignoring safety considerations and carrying a lucky mentality often results in losing both the wife and the army, losing both people and money.

"Governor Wang has done a very good job. Let's follow Governor Wang's words and start a pilot at the Guangzhou Maritime Trade Office. If it is effective, by next spring, all five major Maritime Trade Offices will execute it together."

"However, if this decree goes down, I'm afraid the imperial court will be scolded for managing too broadly again." Zhu Zhu Yijun agreed with this management method. The opening of the seas was in full swing, and new challenges and new problems were appearing every day. And these rules formed by experience were constantly being perfected in practice.

The argument between Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Wan Wan Shihe ultimately didn't have a result, because there was no matter that could be solved by itself. After reporting some trivial matters of the country, they were just about to leave the Tonghe Palace when a little eunuch fell into the Imperial Study with a standard "threshold fall," holding a military dispatch in his hand, and said with great joy: "Your Majesty, a great victory!"

"A great victory in the Southwest! The Duke of Qian, Mu Mu Changzuo, the Sichuan Regional Commander, Liu Ting, the Marquis of Marquis Yingyang, Zhang Zhang Yuanxun, and the Yunnan Governor, Liu Liu Shiceng, attacked the capital of the Toungoo Kingdom from four directions and captured it in three days! The Burmese thief Mang Rili escaped alone!"

The little eunuch used a very fast and clear tone to briefly explain the matter. This was a report of victory, sent to the capital by the Duke of Qian's mansion at 800 li per day. The Ministry of War didn't report the good news immediately, but waited until the Jiugang Pacification Commissioner's report of victory was sent to the capital, verified each other, and then reported to the Emperor.

The capital of Toungoo had been captured by the Great Ming.

"Good! Good! Reward them heavily!" Zhu Zhu Yijun said to Feng Bao, "The Inner Treasury will allocate 600,000 silver to reward the soldiers at the front!"

There were less than 120,000 soldiers fighting on the Toungoo front, and an extra reward of more than 5 silver per person was an additional reward. The imperial court's rewards for merit needed to verify military merit.

Zhu Zhu Yijun picked up the military dispatch and looked at it twice, then suddenly said, "Feng, come back first. Don't allocate the silver yet."

It was true that they had won the battle, but both military dispatches said one thing: after the Great Ming captured the Toungoo city, they chose to retreat. This was the reason why Zhu Zhu Yijun asked Feng Bao to come back. They had captured it, but they couldn't hold it, so they had to retreat.

The territory of Toungoo was the three pacification commissions and six comfort commissions that the Great Ming had previously held: Meng Yang, Luchuan, Menggen, Burma, Laos, Babai Li Dadian, Dimasa, and Dacula.

This time, the four-pronged attack on Toungoo by the Duke of Qian, the Sichuan Regional Commander, the Marquis of Marquis Yingyang, and the Yunnan Governor, after capturing it, had to retreat. The reason was that the Great Ming used two tactics: "Tian Ji's Horse Racing" and "Leapfrog Tactic."

"Tian Ji's Horse Racing" was used against the enemy's strongholds. A batch of collaborative forces, such as the local raw and cooked Miao people and local chieftains in Yunnan, were sent to surround the enemy's strongholds without attacking, or attacking without breaking them, to contain them. Then, the Great Ming's superior forces, like a frog jumping on lotus leaves, bypassed the enemy's military strongholds and charged directly at Toungoo.

But after capturing Toungoo, they found that the supply line was too long, the military strongholds along the way hadn't been pulled out, and because Toungoo's combat effectiveness was too low, it collapsed at the first touch, failing to effectively damage the enemy's living strength. They had no choice but to retreat and make other plans.

The Marquis of Marquis Yingyang, Zhang Zhang Yuanxun, and the Duke of Qian, Mu Mu Changzuo, had different opinions on this matter. According to Zhang Zhang Yuanxun's idea, holding Toungoo was not a problem, and there was no need to worry too much about logistics. It could be transported by sea. But Mu Mu Changzuo believed that the uncertainty of sea transport was too great. In the end, Mu Mu Changzuo ordered the evacuation of Toungoo.

"Ascend the Zhao Wenhua Palace and summon the Five Prefectures and Court Ministers for a court meeting." Zhu Zhu Yijun was extremely satisfied with this result, but the Great Ming was no longer in the era of "rewarding by heads," but "battle lines." This large-scale attack had not resulted in a substantial change in the battle line. Whether it was a great victory needed to be researched and judged by the court meeting.

Zhu Zhu Yijun summoned all the court ministers. Liu Zhang Xian, Ma Fang, Shi Shi Maohua, and others who were idle at the Jiangwu Academy were also summoned to the Zhao Wenhua Palace. The civil and military officials of the Great Ming gathered in the Zhao Wenhua Palace to discuss this military dispatch.

Qi Qi Jiguang, Liu Zhang Xian, Ma Fang, Zeng Ceng Shengwu, and others had been in front of the map, reviewing the progress of this battle. The three dukes who didn't lead troops—the Duke of Ying, the Duke of Ding, and the Duke of Cheng—didn't even surround the map. They didn't lead troops and only represented the Emperor in suburban sacrifices and the sacrifices of the four seas and mountains and rivers—that is, the duties of the high priest.

Qi Qi Jiguang and the others discussed for nearly half an hour, and the military nobility finally reached a consensus.

"Without a doubt, this is an out-and-out great victory." Qi Qi Jiguang first made a clear characterization of this report: a great victory.

"This surprise attack on Toungoo from four directions dealt a heavy blow to the enemy's morale, effectively killing over 7,000 enemy soldiers. The city of Toungoo was broken, and Mang Rili, as the King of Toungoo, had completely lost the hearts of the people. The entire defensive line of Toungoo against the Great Ming was already crumbling. Several mutinies, including collapsing camps, mutinies, killing of main generals and surrendering, and fleeing in all directions, have occurred, effectively striking the enemy's will to resist. It can be seen from the collapse of Toungoo's defensive lines in many places that the enemy's will to resist has already collapsed."

"In fact, it can already be announced that Toungoo has perished. After the newly succeeded Mang Rili was completely defeated, the chieftains spread throughout Toungoo have effectively broken away from the control of the Toungoo King."

Qi Qi Jiguang explained in detail why the military nobility believed this was a great victory, because Toungoo had already perished.

The capital was captured, yet it still hadn't perished? That was the Great Tang, not Toungoo. Toungoo didn't have such a stable national structure.

After Mang Rili's father died, he took control of Toungoo. Without sufficient support, he tried to consolidate his position by provoking and launching a war against the Great Ming. After the defeat, Mang Rili, who had fled the capital, had completely lost the hearts of the people to continue being King.

Qi Qi Jiguang continued, "I personally believe that after capturing Toungoo this time, choosing to withdraw from Toungoo in order to reduce unnecessary losses was a very rational decision."

"The reason why I think it is rational is because the goal of this operation was not to completely break the Toungoo capital, but mainly to verify new tactics—'Tian Ji's Horse Racing' and 'Leapfrog Tactic.' 'Tian Ji's Horse Racing' requires absolute control over the battlefield, while 'Leapfrog Tactic' requires superior forces to have a huge advantage."

"The Duke of Qian and others discovered during the conquest that the enemy collapsed at the first touch. Being able to remain calm in the face of huge results and choosing to retreat is rationality. The Marquis of Marquis Yingyang, Zhang Zhang Yuanxun, is a naval general and has enough confidence in the sea, but we don't have enough understanding of the local hydrology. Relying solely on naval supply is a military risk."

"Therefore, the retreat is rational."

Qi Qi Jiguang also analyzed why the situation of capturing Toungoo and then withdrawing occurred: the enemy was too weak, so that after the tactics were executed, they directly pounced on the Toungoo capital.

In the face of a huge victory, the soldiers at the front were not carried away by victory. War, especially guest-field operations, has many uncertainties. An epidemic could turn a winning situation into a losing one. Withdrawing troops is for better occupation in the future.

"Your Majesty, the differences among the generals at the front are worthy of high vigilance. Your Majesty should instruct the front that differences are extremely normal, but they cannot turn into infighting. This is something the imperial court absolutely does not allow to see."

"The teeth-soldiers and guest-soldiers of the Jiugang Governor's Office can continue to rely on naval superiority to continue striking Toungoo, while the Han soldiers from Yunnan and Sichuan should remain still, waiting for their infighting before punishing the crimes and saving the people."

Qi Qi Jiguang gave further strategic planning. Qi Qi Jiguang both recognized Zhang Zhang Yuanxun's radical view of naval superiority and recognized the conservative view of the Duke of Qian's mansion. This time, capturing the Toungoo capital could let Toungoo be in chaos for a while, until everyone couldn't stand it anymore, and then the Great Ming would continue its ground attack. Before that, the navy would continue to exert extreme pressure on Toungoo.

"After Qi Qi Jiguang's analysis, everything is clear." Zhu Zhu Yijun was extremely satisfied and nodded, "What do you think, my ministers?"

"I think we should reward the soldiers at the front. This is undoubtedly a great victory. Even if the battle line is basically maintained, we should still reward merit." Zhang Zhang Juzheng supplemented his point of view, which was to reward!

Winning is winning, and winning should be rewarded. This is rewarding and punishing clearly.

"Reasonable." Zhu Zhu Yijun was very satisfied with this and said, "Feng, send the reward to the Yunnan front."

The imperial court's reward for merit belongs to the imperial court, and Zhu Zhu Yijun gave additional rewards. Since it was a great victory, 5 silver per person, Zhu Zhu Yijun would never be stingy. In the matter of rewarding, Zhu Zhu Yijun had never been stingy once.

There was no need to transport 600,000 silver to Yunnan; just send the acceptance bill to Yunnan. The acceptance bill could be exchanged for silver at the household department of the Yunnan government office, and Yunnan copper flowed to the interior, while silver flowed to Yunnan, ensuring that Yunnan would not have a silver shortage.

The acceptance bill is a bookkeeping currency, a silver-standard paper currency. Yunnan received the acceptance bill and could purchase goods in the interior such as Huguang and the Southern Metropolitan area, or withdraw silver.

Zeng Ceng Shengwu, who was from the Southwest, bowed his head and said, "I still think that pacifying Toungoo cannot be rushed. The terrain in the Southwest is extremely complex. Staying in the capital for a long time, I don't understand the rainforest. There might be an illusion that Toungoo is just a clown. If you speak of quick victory lightly, you will inevitably suffer a quick defeat."

Fighting to this point, both the front and the rear would have an illusion that Toungoo was a broken house that would collapse with a kick. But if they pursued quick victory and ignored the objective factors of unfavorable fighting in the rainforest, Toungoo might very well become the graveyard of the empire.

Zeng Ceng Shengwu was a conservative. The Great Ming's war against Toungoo had reached this point, and there was only one possibility of losing, which was recklessness, which was arrogance.

With the Great Ming's huge advantage, only arrogance can defeat the Great Ming.

"The Minister of War's words are very reasonable. A trapped beast will fight, so we should be careful." Zhu Zhu Yijun was very satisfied with this. The Great Ming wasn't in a hurry; the one in a hurry was Toungoo.

Until now, the Southwest front still hadn't asked the imperial court to transfer grain and pay to Yunnan. In the early Ming Dynasty's multiple conquests of Luchuan, it required the supply of grain from the interior, and transferring grain from half the world caused too much loss. In the 8th year of During Zhengtong, just for the grain for the conquest of Luchuan, 500,000 laborers were conscripted from Sichuan and Huguang at one time, and these 500,000 laborers also needed to eat.

At that time, Yunnan's development was not sufficient, and the fields were too few. Two hundred years later, there was no need to transfer grain from the interior, and the cost of war dropped sharply. The Great Ming could now afford to attack Toungoo with the effort of grinding water, which was the reason.

"Then if there are no ministers to supplement, let's pass the victory report to all directions." Zhu Zhu Yijun stood up, clenched his fists, and said, "The Great Ming army is mighty!"

"Your Majesty is mighty!" The military nobility headed by Qi Qi Jiguang responded immediately. ===== CHAPTER 633 =====

There was no need to transport 600,000 taels of silver to Yunnan; one only needed to send the acceptance bills to Yunnan. The acceptance bills could be exchanged for silver at the household department of the Yunnan government office, while Yunnan copper flowed to the hinterland and silver flowed to Yunnan, ensuring that Yunnan would not experience a silver shortage.

Acceptance bills were a form of bookkeeping currency, silver-standard paper money. Once Yunnan received the acceptance bills, they could purchase goods in the hinterland such as Huguang and the Southern Metropolitan area, or they could withdraw silver.

Zeng Ceng Shengwu, who was from the Southwest, bowed his head and said: "Your subject still believes that pacifying Dongyu through a quick victory is not advisable. The terrain in the Southwest is extremely complex. Having stayed in the capital for a long time, I do not understand the rainforests and might have a misconception that Dongyu is nothing but a clown. To speak lightly of a quick victory will inevitably lead to a quick defeat."

Having reached this point, both the front line and the rear would develop a misconception that Dongyu was a broken house that would collapse with a kick. But once one pursued a quick victory and ignored the objective factor of the unfavorable rainforest terrain for warfare, Dongyu would very likely become the empire's graveyard.

Zeng Ceng Shengwu was a conservative. In the Ming Dynasty's war against Dongyu, having reached this point, there was only one possibility of losing, and that was recklessness and arrogance.

With the Ming Dynasty's huge advantage, only arrogance could defeat the Ming Dynasty.

"The Grand Minister of War's words are very reasonable. A trapped beast will still fight; we should be careful." Zhu Zhu Yijun highly approved of this. The Ming Dynasty was not in a hurry; the one in a hurry was Dongyu.

Until now, the Southwest front line still had not requested the imperial court to transport grain and pay to the Yunnan region. In the early years of the dynasty, multiple campaigns against Luchuan required grain supply from the hinterland, and transporting supplies across half the world caused too much loss. In the eighth year of During Zhengtong, just for transporting grain for the campaign against Luchuan, 500,000 laborers were conscripted from Sichuan and Huguang at once, and these 500,000 laborers also had to eat and feed the horses.

At that time, Yunnan was not fully developed and there was too little farmland. Two hundred years had passed, and now there was no need for hinterland supply, so the cost of war had dropped straight down. The Ming Dynasty could now fully afford it, which was the reason why the Ming Dynasty could attack Dongyu with such water-grinding effort.

"Then if there are no other court officials to add anything, let the news of victory be spread to all four corners." Zhu Zhu Yijun stood up, clenched his fists, and said: "The Ming army is mighty!"

"His Majesty is mighty!" The military officials led by Qi Qi Jiguang immediately responded.