During the Wanli era, what most infuriated the upright gentlemen—leaving them fuming in helplessness—was this: all the servants wore the same triple-layered official shoes as the scholars and officials, with no distinction between them, and the scholars and officials even enjoyed seeing the servants dressed this way. This was the most detestable custom of all.

　　Aside from these economic and cultural changes, the Wanli reign was also a time of political and military intrigue, with the famous Three Great Campaigns in history all occurring during this period.

　　I arrived in this world in the 17th year of Wanli, a year of hidden undercurrents beneath the calm surface, right at the forefront of coming change. Two years later, the Battle of Ningxia would break out in the Ming dynasty. In that same year, the first Japanese invasion of Korea would occur, and six years after that, the second Japanese invasion of Korea would take place. One year later, the Bozhou Rebellion would erupt, and seventeen years after that, Nurhaci of Jianzhou would rebel against the Ming.

　　All of these were the dramatic changes about to unfold in the Wanli era. What would I gain from these transformations? One thing is certain: no matter what, I will strive my hardest!

　　Yes, Samuel Howard said to himself.

　　This year, the 17th year of Wanli, 1589 AD, Samuel Howard arrived in the Ming dynasty.

　　This year, the Deputy General of Ningxia, Bo Bai, retired, and his son Bo Cheng'en inherited his position.

　　This year, the new governor Liu in Zhaoqing Prefecture, Guangdong, issued an expulsion order to the Western missionary Matteo Ricci, making him leave Zhaoqing but allowing him to settle in Shaozhou.

　　This year, Henry IV of France commanded 8,000 troops and, with his outstanding tactics and powerful artillery, decisively defeated the 24,000-strong Catholic League and Spanish allied forces.

　　This year, Wei Zhongxian was selected to enter the palace, assigned to serve under Sun Xian, the chief eunuch of the Eastern Depot in the Directorate of Ceremonial, performing cleaning and menial tasks. Not long after, he managed to curry favor and was transferred to the Jiazi Treasury.

　　This year, Nurhaci unified the five tribes of Jianzhou Jurchens, and the Ming government appointed Nurhaci as "Vice Commander of the Jianzhou Guard."

　　Samuel Howard looked westward and saw the world and sky as one, the scenery incomparably magnificent. He couldn't help but slowly exhale and silently say, "Great Ming, here I come!"

Chapter 7: Planning

　　When Samuel Howard returned to Wuzhai Fort with David James and Little William, it was already dark. At this time, his family was waiting for Samuel Howard to eat dinner.

　　At this moment, Samuel Howard was still filled with excitement. He greeted Henry Howard and The Young Family, then returned to his own room. His outer robe was loose, and his laptop bag was wrapped around his waist, so no one could tell. Once inside his room, he placed the laptop bag in the wooden chest by the kang, calmed his excited mood, and only then went to the main hall to eat.

　　After hastily eating a little, Samuel Howard returned to his room. The Young Family said from behind, "This child, why doesn't he have an appetite at night?"

　　Samuel Howard closed the door, lit the oil lamp, and leaned on the kang, browsing his computer. Although he had the memories of the previous Samuel Howard, he was still unclear about the exact location of Wuzhai Fort in later times.

　　He opened the national satellite map data and historical maps of Wuzhai Fort from the Ming dynasty. Only then did he discover that Wuzhai Fort was actually the modern-day Wuzhai County in Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, located in the northwest region of Shanxi. It borders Shenchi County to the east, Kelan County to the west, Ningwu County to the south, and is adjacent to Pianguan County and Hequ County to the northwest. The total area is about 1,391.3 square kilometers.

　　In later times, Wuzhai County had a population of around 100,000, but at this time, even counting the regular troops and all the military households, Wuzhai Fort had only a few thousand people. At this time, Wuzhai Fort and Piantou Pass, Hequ, Shenchi, and Ningwu forts had not yet been established as counties.

　　This would be my base of development—a small county, with just over 1,000 square kilometers of land and a population of less than six thousand. What should I do?

　　Samuel Howard examined the situation of modern Wuzhai County, trying to find some inspiration for his own development. Next to a map of Wuzhai County, he found some related introductory information:

　　The terrain of Wuzhai County is high in the southeast and low in the northwest, with a "T"-shaped flat plain running from south to north in the center, covering about 164 square kilometers.

　　The total land area of the county is 2.087 million mu, of which arable land is 600,000 mu, accounting for 28.7% of the total; land suitable for forestry is 747,000 mu, accounting for 36%; and land suitable for grazing is 500,000 mu, accounting for 24%. Limestone, granite, and clay are widely distributed in the county, with large reserves and broad development prospects.

　　The main rivers are the Zhujiaguan River, Xianchuan River, Lanyi River, Qinglian River, and Lujiao River, making it one of the water-rich counties in northwest Shanxi.

　　Wuzhai County is a major county for agriculture and animal husbandry. The main grain crops are potatoes, naked oats, corn, millet, beans, and other minor grains; especially potatoes, with the county's annual planting area consistently over 200,000 mu, accounting for one-third of the total arable land.

　　Seeing potatoes, Samuel Howard shook his head regretfully. According to what he knew and the information he found, potatoes—commonly called "tudou"—and sweet potatoes—also called "hongshu" or "digua"—were only introduced to Guangdong and Fujian from Luzon after the 22nd year of Wanli, 1594 AD. The first to bring them were Chen Fulong, Lin Huailan, Chen Jinglun, and others. It would not be until after the fall of the Ming that they would reach Shanxi and be widely promoted.

　　If high-yield crops like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn had been introduced to Shanxi and Shaanxi decades earlier, giving the locals enough to eat, perhaps there would not have been the great uprisings of bandits like Li Zicheng.

　　Though potatoes and sweet potatoes are unremarkable in appearance, they are truly valuable crops. In the Ming dynasty, even in years of favorable weather, the yield per mu of grain was only three to four hundred jin, and that was on good land. In years of disaster, it was common to have a total crop failure.