Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Once the imperial decree was issued, the massive war machine of the Ming Dynasty quickly adjusted its operating direction.

The withdrawal of troops from Jiaozhi proceeded in an orderly manner.

Those Ming soldiers who had suffered from miasma and guerrilla warfare in the tropical jungles were overjoyed and wept with joy when they learned that they could finally withdraw to their homeland.

Meanwhile, Le Loi, the rebel leader far away in Jiaozhi, was overjoyed to see the Ming army withdrawing from the city and retreating to the border.

They assumed that the Ming Dynasty was simply too weak and had conceded defeat.

He immediately ascended the throne in Thang Long and lavishly rewarded his generals, immersing himself in a jubilant celebration of restoring his kingdom.

Little did they know, an invisible, giant meat grinder had already quietly tightened along the border of Vietnam.

Three months later, in early summer.

Crowds thronged in front of the Imperial Academy Stele Forest in the capital.

The first phase of the Grand Canal dredging project has been completed.

Those merchants who donated money to build schools and monopolized river projects finally got the glorious moment they had been waiting for.

Today, Gu Yannian changed into a comfortable blue robe instead of the eye-catching purplish-red python robe.

Accompanied only by Linghu An, the chief steward of the inner court, he strolled leisurely through the Stele Forest like an ordinary wealthy man.

In front of the newly built Imperial Academy gate, dozens of tall white marble steles stand quietly.

The outermost row is densely engraved with the names and hometowns of the merchants who donated funds.

Many merchants, along with their family members, stood before their family's monuments of merit, moved to tears.

They stroked the cold stone tablet as if they had found the golden key to their family's upward mobility.

"Master, look, our names are engraved on it! The instructors at the Imperial Academy said that the young master can enroll and audit classes tomorrow!"

A shopkeeper pointed at the inscription on the monument and cheered to the wealthy merchant beside him.

The wealthy businessman wiped away his tears and nodded repeatedly.

"May our ancestors bless us! May our ancestors bless us! This money was well spent! We should really erect a longevity tablet for Chief Minister Gu!"

Gu Yannian listened to the cheers not far away, his expression calm, and did not stop.

Instead, they continued deeper into the Forest of Steles.

As you walk to the very center, in front of the first row of stone tablets closest to the main gate of the Imperial Academy, the noise gradually fades away.

Instead, a solemn and dignified atmosphere prevailed.

This row of stone tablets is three feet taller than the ones on the outside, and the bases of the tablets are carved with menacing crazed demons, such as the Chaofeng and Yazi.

The names of those wealthy merchants were not on the stone tablet.

Only rows of cold, heavy characters.

"Liu Sheng, Marquis of Anyuan of the Ming Dynasty, died in battle in Jiaozhi in the second year of the Xuande reign, sacrificing his life for his country."

"Wang Tiezhu, a centurion of the Xuanfu Left Guard of the Ming Dynasty, died in the third year of the Hongxi reign when he fought bravely against the Tatars on the border at the age of twenty-four."

"The Ming Dynasty..."

Inscribed on it are the life stories of soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the Ming Dynasty's vast territory.

Several students from the Imperial Academy, dressed in Confucian robes, stood solemnly before these monuments commemorating merits.

Holding a brush, he carefully copied the events inscribed on the stele.

Gu Yannian stopped and watched the scene quietly.

"Prime Minister Gu."

Linghu An lowered his voice, his tone revealing deep respect.

"You erected these soldiers' monuments at the main gate of the Imperial Academy, and now in this capital, no one dares to say that a good man should not become a soldier."

"With students coming and going every day, they are constantly exposed to this, and the pedantic atmosphere of valuing literature over martial arts has largely dissipated."

Gu Yannian nodded slightly, and a summer breeze blew by, fluttering the hem of his blue robe.

"Peace and order in the world cannot be achieved by writing a few eloquent articles. If civil officials are not greedy for money and military generals are not afraid of death, what is there to worry about in governing the world?"

Gu Yannian's tone was calm, yet it conveyed a profound philosophical insight.

He turned around and walked out along the tree-lined path.

"Is Chen Dingyuan's navy successfully blocking the sea route to Jiaozhi?" Gu Yannian asked as he walked.

Linghu An quickly replied, "Your Excellency, General Chen's military strategy is divine. The navy has laid an impenetrable defense in the Gulf of Tonkin, not even a fly can get into Jiaozhi."

"A few days ago, several Annam smuggling ships tried to break through the checkpoint at night, but General Chen ordered them to be bombarded into wood chips. Now the sea route to Jiaozhi is completely cut off."

"What about the black market at Zhennanguan?"

"It was incredibly lively."

Linghu An couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"The merchants from Jiaozhi went crazy when they saw us buying grain at three times the market price. I heard that even some of the close advisors in the Le Loi royal palace secretly sent people to transport their own stored grain to the border to exchange for silver and salt."

"The Prime Minister's brilliant strategies are draining them of their last drop of blood."

A relaxed smile appeared on Gu Yannian's lips.

Greed is the most insurmountable weakness in human nature.

When the allure of silver becomes too great, national and personal grievances become worthless in the eyes of those who have already benefited.

"Keep a close eye on it. Jiaozhi will be in chaos within a year. Tell the Ministry of War to keep the border troops' firearms in good working order. Once the internal strife breaks out in Jiaozhi and refugees rise up everywhere, the army can go in and clean up the mess."

"At that time, we won't even need to fight them; they will beg the Ming Dynasty to take over."

In just a few words, Gu Yannian completely decided the fate of a nation.

The two walked out of the Imperial Academy, where the streets were bustling with people and the city was thriving.

Under Gu Yannian's manipulation, the Ming Dynasty, like a giant ship equipped with strong armor and powerful cannons, sailed steadily in the vast ocean of history.

There was no more brutal factional infighting, and no more meaningless border skirmishes.

Everything was progressing steadily toward that prosperous and powerful peak.

Gu Yannian looked up at the sky.

As the sun sets in the west, its afterglow falls upon the gray tiles of the capital city.

In the distance, the faint sound of familiar drums could be heard.

The evening drum at dusk is steady and rhythmic.

"Chief Steward Linghu."

"This servant is here."

"Tell the cabinet ministers that I will review today's memorial tomorrow."

Gu Yannian looked at the time-honored shop with its wine sign hanging at the end of the long street, a smile flashing in his eyes.

"The braised pork hock from that century-old braised pork knuckle shop on Qianmen Street just came out of the pot today. If you go too late, you'll miss it."

Having said that, this chief minister, who held the reins of power and could overthrow a country with a single scheme, left the country in a state of chaos.

He then left behind the helpless and bitterly smiling chief eunuch, and with light steps, blended into the bustling world of mortals.

The path to immortality is long and arduous; why can't we delay?

This freshly cooked braised pork knuckle is the only dish we absolutely must not miss.