Komatsumata breath

  No matter how depressed the atmosphere was, in short, the General's mansion was filled with joy because Yu Shi had been diagnosed with good news three months after entering the door, which made everyone overjoyed. Like Qings spent the whole night writing letters to the capital to inform them of this great joyful event.

  Hu Bu Shilang, dispatched by the capital, also arrived in Datong and was warmly received by Fu Yuan and other civil and military officials. They drafted the preliminary preparations for trade with foreign tribes. After a month of consideration from all sides, the measures for mutual trade between Datong and foreign tribes were officially promulgated at the end of January in the fourth year of Qingyuan.

  The Mongols had nothing else, but horses, cattle and sheep were countless. A bag of salt could be exchanged for a Mongolian horse in one area, while a Mongolian horse could sell for hundreds of taels of silver. Under the heavy profit, some sharp-eyed businessmen had already sensed the strong business opportunities and rushed to Datong regardless of the treacherous military geography of Shanxi.

  Because Shanxi borders Mongolia, the nomadic tribes on the vast grasslands are naturally skilled in riding and shooting, and they consider plundering to be a righteous deed. The Qing dynasty, which seized power from the Mongols, has never relaxed its vigilance against them. Shanxi is adjacent to the Mongolian grasslands, especially Datong, which is only separated from Mongolia by a single wall. If the Mongols want to invade our dynasty, they must attack Jinzhou City via Datong and then take the imperial city directly. Shanxi is also known as the "imperial garden" of the capital, so Datong has an exceptionally important military geographical position.

  The Taizu Emperor founded the empire, but did not put his mind at ease regarding the Mongols, a major threat. The Hongwu Emperor, with his remarkable talents and strategies, although the Mongols had already been driven out of the borders, still dared not to be careless, frequently sending light cavalry to attack and raid the enemy over a thousand miles away. In order to effectively defend against the Mongols' potential counterattack at any time, he moved the imperial capital from Nanjing to Beijing, with the Son of Heaven guarding the national gate, this small city was guarded by 100,000 strong soldiers.

  However, the strict defense of the border is passive, and the suffering of the soldiers from the cold is an undisputed fact. Fu Yuan and Zhiyi joined forces to promote trade with the Mongols, which would only bring benefits to the Great Qing dynasty without any drawbacks. Firstly, a small bag of salt and food could be exchanged for valuable Mongolian horses. Secondly, deepening commodity trading with the Mongols would improve their living standards, but greatly weaken their combat effectiveness (who likes to fight all day on horseback when they are full, warm, and comfortable?). This is indeed a very good deal for the Great Qing dynasty.

  Previously, General Fu had been stationed in Datong for over a decade and was deeply aware of the ferocity of the Mongols, never underestimating them. However, although the previous emperor had great talent, he lacked grand strategy. He valued military strength but also heavily relied on officials like Liao Chenggui and Yang Mingfang, who headed the civil official group. These officials often opposed using force against the Mongols, citing reasons such as "Our dynasty is a nation of etiquette, heaven has the virtue of giving life, when dealing with external barbarians, we only need to use benevolence and righteousness to transform them, if we use military force, it would be a loss of heavenly harmony." They were strongly against using troops and instead focused solely on strict defense. This was also why General Fu, despite being stationed in Datong for many years and not allowing the Mongols to encroach on Leihai by even an inch, still had the local people frequently harassed and plundered by the Mongols, causing great resentment.

  After the new emperor ascended to the throne, just by looking at his series of severe measures after ascending to the throne, it can be known that this person is an extremely unpeaceful emperor. However, Fu Yuan was able to deal with the Mongolian invasion and harassment without using military force, which greatly suited his taste, and he also approved Fu Yuan's proposed policy of appeasement.

  In the fourth year of Qingyuan, in January, the Great Celebration Dynasty officially adopted a policy of appeasement and friendship towards the Mongolian tribes. In Datong, three horse markets were set up, several monthly markets were established, and small markets were opened for a long time. The Tartars were allowed to "pay tribute", which promoted the recovery and development of social productive forces inside and outside the Great Wall. Datong became a hub for economic exchanges between the Mongolian Huren and the Central Plains region, and a commercial port outside the pass, presenting a rare prosperous scene. The Mongolian Huren traded their local specialties with the dynasty in exchange for salt, food, warm clothing, and other non-iron products. Under the benevolence and severity of the Great Celebration Dynasty, the Tartars retreated and stopped fighting, and the Great Celebration Dynasty was able to play a vital role in reviving and nurturing life.

  After the border was pacified, the imperial court finally put all its energy into production and social development, continuing to enrich the national treasury. The imperial court again put the salt industry, which accounted for half of the tax revenue, in the first place.

  Fang Jinglan, as the salt transport commissioner appointed by the imperial court, set out in late December of the fourth year of the Qingyuan era to go to the Jiangzhe region, where he would severely crack down on the increasingly rampant private salt smuggling and inspect and reform the salt merchants' taxes.

  At the end of the month, Fang Jinglan arrived in Fuyang, while at this time, the imperial envoy team led by Li Xiu also arrived in Datong, Shanxi.

  As expected, Li Xiao came to Shanxi and found trouble for her, but she was worried for nothing. The main purpose of Li Xiao's visit to Datong was to reward the three armies, and he rarely participated in other private matters. Because this time Datong set up a commercial market, all officials were busy, and with the Ministry of Household Affairs and Li Xiao on site at the same time, no one dared to slack off, and they all worked hard to cope, whether for their own official positions or to respond to the superior's assignment. In short, in the fourth year of Qingyuan, this Spring Festival was very bleak.

  Although Li Xiu came to Datong again as a special envoy to reward the three armies, he stayed in Datong as a deputy monitor and assisted in establishing trade with foreign tribes. He further standardized market buying and selling rules. The military governor's mansion was located on South Main Street, so whenever Li Xiu went out, he had to pass by the gate of the military governor's mansion.

  However, fortunately, what she was worried about did not happen. Probably because Zhiyi had married a wife, this guy finally understood worldly etiquette and no longer visited unannounced. Because, even if he came to the door, there would be no master to entertain him. Zhiyi spent most of his days in the military yamen and only returned to the General's Mansion at night.

  Li Xiao, however, did not set foot in General's Manor even after half a year in Datong, and his heart was slightly relieved.