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

Two days later.

The atmosphere inside the meeting hall was tense and confrontational.

The leader of the Oirat delegation, Angke, was sitting in the spacious hall.

He was broad-shouldered and burly, with a face full of fat, and he was wrapped in a heavy bearskin coat.

At that moment, he was angrily overturning a square table in front of him.

"This is outrageous! The emperor of the Southern Dynasty is going too far!"

Angke roared and kicked a shattered rough porcelain bowl.

The bowl originally contained a thin broth so watery you could see your reflection in it, along with a few shriveled, yellowed pickled vegetables.

"We are envoys sent by the Grand Tutor! We are noble eagles of the steppe! The emperor of the Southern Dynasty actually serves us this swill that even pigs and dogs wouldn't eat!"

"This is an insult to the great Oirat tribe!"

Outside the hall, thousands of accompanying Oirat warriors and merchants crowded together.

They were shivering in the wind and snow, their stomachs growling with hunger.

They thought that once they entered the capital, they could eat meat and drink wine to their heart's content, but who would have thought that they would be met with such inhuman treatment.

"My lord! Let's storm out and confront their Minister of Rites! If the Southern Dynasty emperor doesn't give us an explanation, we'll burn down the entire reception hall!"

Several hot-tempered Oirat commanders drew their scimitars and shouted loudly.

Just as the crowd inside the meeting hall was filled with anger and a conflict was on the verge of breaking out.

Outside the gate, a series of synchronized footsteps and the sound of armor plates rubbing together could be heard.

Zhao Si, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, wore a flying fish robe and had an embroidered spring knife at his waist.

Leading hundreds of Imperial Guards armed with muskets and spears, he strode confidently into the courtyard of the meeting hall.

Behind the Imperial Guards were dozens of large horse-drawn carriages loaded with goods.

Seeing this, Angke snorted coldly, strode into the courtyard, and glared at Zhao Si.

"Who are you? Did the emperor of the Southern Dynasty send you here to deliver wine and meat, or to send you to your death?"

Zhao Si remained expressionless, his cold gaze sweeping over the Oirat people wielding swords and knives.

He took out a scroll of yellow silk imperial edict from his bosom and held it high.

"Imperial Edict of the Great Ming Emperor! The Oirat delegation has come from afar, which greatly pleases me. However, the nation is in dire straits and cannot afford extravagance. I have heard that the Oirat warriors are all men of immense strength."

"You are granted the privilege of earning wine and meat."

Zhao Si waved his hand, and the Imperial Guards behind him immediately lifted the tarpaulin off the carriage.

Splash,

Countless black iron picks, iron shovels, thick hemp ropes, and huge bamboo brooms used for clearing snow were poured into the snow-covered courtyard of the meeting hall, piling up into small mountains.

Angke and the others from the Wala were stunned as they looked at the farm tools and miners' equipment, their faces filled with bewilderment.

"What...what does this mean?"

Onke pointed at the pickaxe on the ground, burning with rage.

"What we want are cattle, sheep, and fine wine; what good is this junk you've given us!"

Zhao Si's lips curled into a mocking sneer, his voice clear and loud in the wind and snow.

"My chief minister, Gu, has decreed that from this day forward, the Huitong Hall will no longer provide free rice, noodles, wine, and meat. These utensils on the ground are your tokens for exchanging food."

Zhao Si pointed to the pile of pickaxes.

"Those who are willing to go down into the Xishan coal mine to dig coal will have plenty of top-quality wine and meat every day. When they return at the end of the year, each person will be rewarded with two bolts of fine silk. Those who are willing to sweep the snow on the city wall will have plenty of medium-quality steamed buns and vegetables every day."

Zhao Si's gaze suddenly turned cold, and he placed his hand on the hilt of the Embroidered Spring Blade.

"If you don't want to do anything and just want to stay in your room and sleep, then you'll get a bowl of plain porridge every day. Anyone who dares to cause trouble in the capital, the cannons of the Five Cities Garrison are not to be trifled with!"

These words caused a brief moment of deathly silence in the entire hall, followed by a deafening roar.

"Outrageous! They actually want us to dig coal and do hard labor!"

"We are envoys, not slaves!"

Enraged Oirat warriors, their eyes bloodshot, brandished their scimitars and charged at Zhao Si.

"Snap!"

Hundreds of dark muskets were raised instantly, their matchlocks flashing a deadly red light in the wind and snow, fixedly aimed at the Oirat people in the courtyard.

The outer walls were now filled with archers from the Beijing garrison, armed with powerful bows and crossbows.

If they dare to take a step forward, they will surely be shot into a pincushion.

Although Onk was rude, he could still understand the situation.

This is the capital city, a crucial and important place. Although these three thousand men are brave, they are no match for the firearms of the Ming Dynasty.

He gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the humiliation in his heart, and stopped his agitated subordinate.

"Excellent! What a magnificent Ming Dynasty! What a capable Chief Minister Gu!"

Angke laughed in anger, staring fiercely at Zhao Si.

"Our Grand Tutor will remember this debt!"

"Whether you write it down or not is a matter for later, but if you don't work today, you won't even have any porridge to drink."

Zhao Si refused to back down.

Glug glug...

An untimely rumbling sound came from the stomachs of several Oirat warriors.

The people of the grasslands have a large appetite, and the hunger and cold of the past few days have left them dizzy and lightheaded.

Even the proudest eagle of the grasslands must lower its noble head in the face of hunger.

Finally, a burly Oirat man, who was so hungry he could hardly stand it, swallowed hard.

He slowly walked to the pile of pickaxes and picked one up.

Once there's a first, there's a second.

Before long, those thousands of arrogant grassland warriors put down their scimitars and humiliatingly picked up their iron shovels and brooms.

Half an hour later.

On the streets of the capital, where snow was falling heavily, a rare and unusual scene appeared, a sight unseen throughout history.

More than three thousand Oirat barbarians, dressed in animal skins and with robust physiques, were escorted by Ming soldiers in a long procession.

Some people carried brooms and painstakingly swept the snow off the city walls and streets.

Most of the able-bodied men, carrying pickaxes, were put on horse-drawn carts bound for the Xishan Coal Mine.

The people of the Ming Dynasty along the way stopped to watch, pointing and laughing.

"See that? Those usually fierce and menacing Tartars are now doing the hard labor of sweeping the streets for our Great Ming!"

"I heard those guys who went to mine coal are working really hard. They can dig out a huge lump of coal with one swing of their pickaxe. They're much better than the miners in our Shuntian Prefecture!"

At this moment, inside the private residence of the Grand Secretary in Xuanwu Ward.

Gu Yannian was sitting in his warm and cozy study, holding a tattered copy of a military treatise.

Zhao Si strode into the study, reporting with a beaming smile.

"Your Excellency's strategy is brilliant! Those Oirat people, after going hungry for two meals, have all obediently gone to work. The manager of the Xishan Coal Mine just sent someone to report that these barbarians are incredibly strong, and they can dig coal down the mine 30% faster than ordinary miners!"

"If we keep digging like this, not only will we not have to worry about coal supplies this winter, we can even stockpile enough for next year!"

Gu Yannian put down his military treatise, picked up his teacup, brushed away the foam, and smiled warmly and deeply.

"The men of the grasslands are tough and well-built. But mining coal is hard work, so remember to tell them to make sure they have plenty of food and drink."

"We need to make them feel that their efforts were worthwhile."

Gu Yannian looked out the window at the gradually stopping snow, his eyes clear.

The prosperity of the Ming Dynasty was not solely achieved through meticulous planning and thrift.

It was achieved through making the most of everything and turning waste into treasure.

As long as he, the Grand Secretary, is in charge of the central government, no matter how brave and skilled the Grand Tutor of the grasslands may be.

Once they arrived in the capital, they had no choice but to obediently pick up their pickaxes and contribute to the Ming Dynasty's treasury.