It was precisely because of his talent in financial management that Bi Ziyan was able to realize the importance of the Imperial Bank to the country, as well as the emperor's long-term vision, and admire the emperor's means of making money.

The interest from coinage was already a considerable income, and as the amount of silver coins issued increased, until they completely replaced silver, Bi Ziyan roughly calculated that it would be no less than one or two million taels.

Of course, this profit was not made all at once. It took about three to five years to abolish the two-yuan system and change the currency, so on average it doesn't seem like that much.

But the Imperial Bank is about to start foreign exchange and loan business, which will bring in a large amount of income and be long-term and stable.

Others saw that the emperor wanted to target merchants, but Bi Ziyan knew that the emperor was only targeting officials and businessmen, and illegal merchants.

However, the emperor encouraged and supported commercial activities. The reason was simple: the more prosperous the business, the faster the money circulated in the market, and the more money the banks could make.

Li Banghua has been in Tianjin for several months, supposedly to observe politics. He has been promoted to Right Censor-in-Chief in recognition of his contribution to the reorganization of the Beijing camp. It is a foregone conclusion that he will take over as the Governor of Tianjin.

Therefore, the handover went quite smoothly. We were all prepared and had a good understanding of the situation, so it was naturally fast.

"Brother Jinghui, you're coming to the capital to see the emperor. You must be taking up a position at the Ministry of Revenue." Li Banghua didn't know anything about the Imperial Bank and assumed that Bi Ziyan's financial management skills would make him a backup for Li Qiyuan, the Minister of Revenue. Li Qiyuan was old and reportedly in poor health.

Bi Ziyan did not reveal anything. How could he dare to tell anyone about the secret report?

"Meng An is just speculating privately, but I don't know where he'll be assigned!" Bi Ziyan pondered for a moment, then changed the subject, saying, "Meng An's appointment as Governor of Jin demonstrates your Majesty's trust in him. However, your Majesty despises factional strife that harms the state. Meng An must be careful not to be exploited by villains."

Li Banghua and Zou Yuanbiao were from the same hometown and were also teachers and friends to each other. Li Banghua also spoke well of Gu Xiancheng and was regarded as a member of the Donglin faction.

Bi Ziyan kindly reminded him not to associate with certain people, so as to avoid being slandered and displeased by the emperor.

Having served as an official for so many years, Bi Ziyan's political sense could not have been dull. As soon as the newspaper article about the official-business relationship appeared, he realized that a large number of officials would be implicated, including many from the Donglin Party.

Li Banghua was a man who liked to distinguish right from wrong, but he was not pedantic. Furthermore, the emperor had not made false accusations. Withholding taxes, encroaching on military farms, and tax evasion were all illegal and warranted punishment, but the means were harsh.

Li Banghua smiled at Bi Ziyan's kindness and said, "Thank you, Brother Jinghui, for your reminder. As the successor to Jin, I serve as both Liaodong's rear area and the defense of the capital. I will emulate Brother Jinghui and Yuan Fu in fulfilling my duties faithfully and living up to His Majesty's expectations."

Bi Ziyan and Yuan Keli were very similar. They both understood the overall situation and cared about the country. Although they were ideologically inclined towards the Donglin Party, they both took a neutral attitude in party struggles.

Li Banghua said that he would follow the example of Yuan and Bi, which was a tactful way of saying that he would not participate in party struggles and would only do practical things.

Bi Ziyan smiled, stroked his beard and said with emotion: "At our age, what's the point of fighting for pride? Serving the country and doing something practical for the people is a comfort to the heart!"

Li Banghua nodded in agreement, saying, "The Eastern Tartars have suffered a series of setbacks and are already on the decline. This is absolutely not the time to relax. We must continue to strike hard, causing them to fail and ultimately to be crushed. Factional strife will harm the country and ruin the overall goal of pacifying Liao. How could I not know this?"

Seeing Li Banghua's clear stance, Bi Ziyan felt relieved and instructed, "Jinzhen has 15,000 soldiers. Although it is the smallest among the four garrisons, its combat effectiveness is also inferior. However, as a rear support, we cannot slack off."

Li Banghua said, "Brother Jinghui, rest assured. I will try to send more troops to help in the battle to strengthen the combat capability of the officers and soldiers of Jinzhen. When the decisive battle with the Eastern Tartars comes, Jinzhen will also be able to perform well and will not be inferior to other military towns."

Bi Ziyan raised his teacup and said, "If the Eastern Tartars are destroyed, the country will be stable and the people will live in peace. If we are fortunate enough to achieve this, we will not regret our lives. Congratulations to the Ming Dynasty and to His Majesty."

Li Banghua raised his glass with a smile and said in a loud voice: "Congratulations to the Ming Dynasty and to His Majesty."

……………………

Dengzhou.

"Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor!"

"It is necessary to be strict and honest."

After the roar of applause, Governor Yuan Keli completed the entire process of receiving the imperial edict. The eunuch who announced the edict also put away his seriousness, held the imperial edict in front of Yuan Keli, and said with a smile on his face: "Congratulations, Master Yuan."

Yuan Keli took the imperial edict with both hands, exchanged a few polite words with his eunuch, and then sent him out.

"Congratulations, sir." Zhang Keda, the general of Dengzhen, bowed and congratulated Yuan Keli who had turned around.

Because of the great victory in Ningyuan and his contribution to the containment of Liaonan, the emperor specially appointed Yuan Keli as the Minister of War and bestowed upon him the title of Baiqiewenmang to commend his meritorious service in command.

Yuan Keli smiled and said seriously, "Your Majesty's favor is too great. I am unworthy of it!" Then he waved to Zhang Keda to sit down and ordered the servants to serve tea.

Zhang Keda knew that there was an important matter to discuss, so he sat upright and waited for his superior to speak.

Yuan Keli took a sip of tea, stroked his beard, and thought for a moment before slowly speaking, "Dengzhen is not only a logistics transfer base for the Liaohai front, but also bears the heavy responsibility of recovering Liaodong. The troops have been training for nearly a year and have also participated in several battles. Guanfu, if there is a major operation this year, what are the officers and soldiers of Dengzhen lacking?"

Imperial edicts were public affairs, while secret reports would take a day or two longer. The emperor was to intensify his harassment and blockade of the Jiannu to support the Liaozhen's eastward advance.

Although Yuan Keli controlled Dongjiang and Dengzhen, he focused more on material transportation and recruiting and training soldiers. He still had to ask the commander Zhang Keda about Dengzhen's actual combat capabilities.

Zhang Keda pondered for a moment, then bowed and replied, "Dengzhen's officers and soldiers have taken turns to fight, and more than half of them have actual combat experience. But compared to Dongjiang Town, they are still inferior. However, if we need to defend, Dengzhen has 15,000 combat troops available."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!