Tapping his fingers firmly on the table, Li Dan emphasized, "We must spread the word and tell the Red Barbarians that if war breaks out, the Maritime Merchants Association will obey the imperial court's orders and cut off their trade with Japan. If the Red Barbarians dare to plunder the Maritime Merchants Association's ships in the South China Sea, we will also intercept their merchant ships."

Yan Siqi nodded vigorously and said, "That's right, that's right, that's how it should be. Right now, the Dutch have the upper hand in the South China Sea. We have more ships and more power in the East China Sea, and we have the support of the navy, so we're not afraid of them."

Li Dan sneered, "By cutting off trade with Japan and becoming enemies with the Ming, the Red Barbarians' financial resources are cut off. I think they still know the difference between benefits and disadvantages."

Yan Siqi blinked, suddenly lost in thought. After a moment, he spoke, "Dongfan just started immigrating and stationing troops this year, right? Does this count as preparing for a rainy day, preparing in advance for a war with the Red-haired Barbarians?"

Li Dan smiled and said, "There is also Penghu. Your Majesty is wise and wise. The court also has capable people with far-sighted thinking that we cannot match."

The court's actions at the time may have made it difficult to see the deeper meaning behind them, but after such a long time, when the red-haired barbarians were ready to make a move, people finally realized how long-term their thinking was.

Yan Siqi smiled and raised his glass, saying, "The Lord is wise and his ministers are virtuous. This is a blessing for us all. Come, let's drink to victory."

"Cheers to victory." Li Dan raised his glass and laughed happily.

……………………

Although they did not know that the bank and the abolition of the two-yuan system would be implemented in a few months, the gentry, wealthy merchants, and even ordinary people in Jiangnan realized that the court seemed to be making some moves in Jiangnan.

Starting from Suzhou Prefecture, within more than two months, the commanders-in-chief of the eight prefectures in Jiangnan were all replaced.

The new commander-in-chief was not only a martial arts background, but also brought with him 500 new soldiers. Then, the next commanders were replaced, and then the captains of the captain's office.

After the officers were gradually replaced from top to bottom, the weak were eliminated and the strong retained, and the army was retrained and reorganized. The former garrison soldiers were either re-enlisted or registered as civilians.

According to the military system of the Ming Dynasty, each prefecture had a station, and several prefectures had a garrison. The garrison commander commanded 5,600 soldiers, the thousand-household commander had 1,120 soldiers, and the hundred-household commander had 112 soldiers.

However, the corruption of the Wei Suo system led to shocking phenomena of ghost employees and vacancies.

Through the iron-fisted policy of "clearing the military farms to pay the soldiers" and the declaration of "letting bygones be bygones", the garrison troops in various places were basically accounted for, and most of the military farms that had been embezzled were recovered.

The removal of these obstacles allowed the newly appointed commanders-in-chief, commanders, thousand-householders and hundred-householders to begin to reorganize the army and restore its strength more smoothly.

The decline of the garrison system was an obvious fact. Whether it should be rectified or not seemed to be a minor issue, except for the obstacle of the ancestral system.

However, considering the various policies implemented by the court this year and the several actions taken to replace military officers and strengthen local garrisons, the purpose does not seem so simple.

"Will the imperial court use 'treason' as an excuse to kill and confiscate property again?" Zheng Shaokang asked with lingering fear as he supported his father, who had just recovered from a serious illness, as they strolled through the garden. "Strengthen the local garrisons, so there's no need to even bring in troops from other places."

Zheng Yuanjin wasn't entirely certain, so he could only speak based on his own analysis and judgment. "In my opinion, that's not the case. However, those local officials and gentry with a history of misconduct, as well as unscrupulous merchants, do have promising prospects."

Stopping beside several large vats, Zheng Yuanjin gently broke free from his son's support, admiring the goldfish swimming in them. He slowly said, "The Emperor has already defined the righteous merchant. He has also bestowed titles upon four, but none in Jiangnan."

Zheng Yuanjin casually threw some fish food into the tank and watched the goldfish float up to grab the food. He smiled and said, "Although not all Jiangnan merchants are lawless, in your opinion, there is nothing good to be said about them. I can't pick out a good example for now."

Zheng Shaokang nodded slightly, impressed by his father's analysis. He said, "The collusion between officials, merchants, gentry, and landlords is most severe in Jiangnan. Your Majesty, if you want to combat this force, you will need generals and troops who can control it like your own arms."

"There are also students. I'm afraid a large number of them will need to be eliminated as well." Zheng Yuanjin narrowed his eyes. "Spreading evil words to mislead the public? This crime isn't punishable by death, right?"

Zheng Shaokang was silent. This knife strike was indeed terrifying.

The famous scholars in the county were usually arrogant and conceited, but in the blink of an eye, they lost their heads without even a solid charge.

There are ghosts who died unjustly in every temple. Zheng Shaokang thought of his father's sigh and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"These corrupt scholars haven't grasped the situation!" Zheng Yuanjin slowly sat down in a nearby chair and sneered, "They think the court can't survive without them, that they can help in times of crisis. Actually, they're nothing."

Zheng Shaokang agreed, "No one can match his lofty rhetoric, but he has no strategy for maintaining national stability. Your Majesty's assessment was incredibly accurate."

After a pause, Zheng Shaokang continued, "How many corrupt officials have been driven out of the court, yet state affairs have improved. Liaodong has been victorious, and the rebellion in the southwest has been suppressed. This proves that Your Majesty has done the right thing and is truly wise."

Zheng Yuanjin smiled and nodded in appreciation. He gestured for his son to sit down and said slowly, "This is the reason His Majesty continues to suppress the Qingliu censors, as well as the gentry, merchants, and local officials and students in Jiangnan."

"If the state affairs deteriorate, Your Majesty might change the system." Zheng Yuanjin shook his head with a look of contempt.

With a sarcastic sneer, Zheng Yuanjin said, "On the contrary. Liaodong has already won several great victories, and the rebellion in the southwest has been suppressed. This only proves that those people are useless and there is no point in keeping them."

This is really a slap in the face. When the court was full of righteous people, the state affairs were getting worse; but after a bunch of them left, the state affairs began to improve and good news continued to come.

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