Redundant soldiers, redundant officials, and redundant expenses have always been a major drawback in dynasties throughout history, and the Song Dynasty was the most serious of these problems.

However, the policies introduced and implemented by the emperor in recent years are worrying.

The number of officials has certainly increased, and the army is expanding, but after the abolition of the garrison system and the hereditary military system, there is no obvious increase in the overall number.

As for redundant expenses, officials' salaries have increased, military salaries have been paid on time, and people's taxes have been reduced. The increase in fiscal expenditure is an obvious fact.

But the other side of the spending increase was an increase in fiscal revenue. Promoting maritime trade, setting up customs, increasing commercial taxes, opening banks...

This does not include the glass factories, mirror shops, perfume factories, soap factories and other workshops opened in the name of the royal family. After all, those were earned by the emperor himself, and they were the imperial treasury and private money.

In fact, many people have figured it out. The main cause of the previous financial difficulties was the corruption of officials and the embezzlement and fraud of merchants and gentry.

The taxes that should be collected were not collected, and the taxes that should be paid were not paid. There was no shortage of money, but it all went into the pockets of individuals, and only the country and the court were impoverished.

The emperor saw this problem and made up his mind to take ruthless action to crack down on corrupt officials and evil gentry, so that the finances could support the normal operation of state affairs.

He defeated the Jiannu, recovered Liaodong, put down the She'an rebellion, and wiped out all the chieftains who assisted the rebellion. He won both the wars in the north and the south, but the people's taxes did not increase. It is really amazing and admirable.

The emperor proposed compulsory military service, which shows that he had strong confidence in the finances.

You know, although the salary of conscripts is less than that of regular soldiers, based on the population base of the Ming Dynasty, if it is implemented nationwide, the overall number will be quite astonishing.

Mao Wenlong decided to ask the court for permission to try it out in Liaodong, also because he saw this point. The court had money, so it could recruit soldiers and build settlements in the newly occupied areas, which was the best of both worlds.

Because, as the construction of Liaodong deepened and expanded, the work-for-relief program was still attractive to the people in the first one or two years. But as they settled down and had a good life, they were obviously unwilling to leave home for that little relief.

Moreover, Mao Wenlong also knew the benefits of compulsory military service, which would be beneficial to the future security and territorial expansion of the Ming Empire and would have no harm.

For young people of military age, it is only two years of service; for the military, it means rotation of troops, renewal of the standing army, and keeping the officers and soldiers young and strong; for the country, it means reserve troops, which means that millions of troops can be quickly recruited in times of crisis.

In the emperor's view, millions or even tens of millions of well-equipped troops would make Ming Dynasty the undisputed world's number one power.

The population of the Ming Dynasty must now exceed 100 million, and in a few decades it will be 200 million, 300 million, or even 400 million. This represents about half the world's total population. With weapons and equipment up to date and no conservative, insensitive, or cowardly ideology, what could possibly stop the Ming Dynasty's conquest?

If there is not enough land, go and rob; if there is not enough food, go and rob; if there is not enough gold and silver, go and rob...

The emperor had this kind of thinking. With the help of the supreme imperial power, he tried his best to build the Ming Dynasty into the powerful, domineering and invincible empire on which the sun never sets in his mind.

Apart from the north, Yunnan Province had the clearest understanding of the emperor's will. The tens of thousands of Ming troops would begin to conquer and plunder in a few months.

Tengchong was once a key point on the ancient Southwest Silk Road in history, and was heavily garrisoned by troops throughout the dynasties.

The ancient city was built during the Zhengtong period of the Ming Dynasty and reinforced during the Jingtai period. The city walls are made entirely of huge stones, with a circumference of about seven li and three fen, a height of twenty-six feet, and a thickness of one foot and eighteen feet. The city tower is more than forty feet high, and it is also known as the "No. 1 City on the Extreme Border."

The strength of the city was secondary. A few hundred miles southwest of Tengchong were the Tong and Tie passes on the Ming-Myanmar border. Therefore, this place also became the forward base for the Ming army to attack Myanmar.

The attack on Burma was divided into two routes, the other being in Longchuan. According to the plan, the two routes would meet in Bhamo after the attack on Burma, and then advance by land and water to attack Ava.

"Your humble servant Lu Qin pays his respects to Lord Wang." Lu Qin, who had been welcoming the emperor for half a day, finally saw Governor Wang Sanshan and hurried forward to salute.

Wang Sanshan smiled and offered his hand, saying, "General Lu, please don't be polite."

After Lu Qin finished his ceremony, he stood up and introduced to Wang Sanshan the generals and officials who came to greet him. Wang Sanshan was kind and not arrogant.

After the greetings and small talk, Lu Qin and other generals accompanied Wang Sanshan and his entourage on horseback, and entered the military camp outside the ancient city of Tengchong half an hour later.

Wang Sanshan nodded slightly, expressing his appreciation for Lu Qin not living in the city.

Although Tengchong was the Ming army's forward base for the attack on Burma, only five or six thousand Ming troops were stationed there. This was done to keep the situation secret and prevent the Burmese from learning of the situation, and also to reduce the cost of transporting food and supplies.

The military camp was arranged in an orderly manner, the soldiers were in high spirits, and Wang Sanshan had a smile on his face, looking very satisfied.

"Please come in, sir." Lu Qin extended his hand to invite him in. Wang Sanshan was not polite and walked into the central military tent first and sat down at the main seat at the arranged conference table.

Generals such as Lu Qin filed in and took seats on both sides of the conference table.

During the war to suppress the She'an Rebellion, Lu Qin was renowned for his bravery and skill. Thanks to his strategic and tactical prowess, he avoided the historical tragedy of committing suicide by drawing his sword, but instead achieved considerable merit and was hailed as the greatest general in the southwest.

Likewise, Qin Liangyu's troops, who participated in suppressing the rebellion, also made invaluable contributions. Qin Liangyu was even granted the title of Earl by the emperor, marking the first time that a woman could be granted a title.

Wang Sanshan took two sips of tea and said slowly, "The Burmese invasion is still several months away. Since I have been entrusted with the emperor's trust, I dare not slack off. Therefore, I will inspect the various armies and listen to your suggestions and opinions."

After a pause, Wang Sanshan continued, "Before that, I would like to convey the latest strategic and tactical arrangements for the attack on Burma."

The pretext for attacking Burma was to avenge old humiliation and punish unjust people. Wang Sanshan, Lu Qin and others considered it looting, while the emperor wanted to use it to pave the way to India.

Therefore, the destruction of Burma was not the top priority for the emperor and the soldiers on the front lines. However, the emperor and the soldiers had different ideas and goals for this.

"Destroying Burma would be best, but forcing them to cede territory and pay compensation is also acceptable. Your Majesty has already instructed that Ava City will be the final destination of our operation."

Wang Sanshan glanced at the generals, cupped his hands and said, "We have firmly occupied the area north of Ava City. This battle has achieved its goal."

After suppressing the Burmese to the south of Ava City, the Ming army will expand westward, expand the area and firmly occupy northern Myanmar.

Then, the Ming army used northern Myanmar as a base to advance westward and expand all the way to India.

Simply put, the emperor did not want his army to advance too deep into Myanmar, but instead focused more on northern Myanmar and India to the west.