Swaying unsteadily into the study, William Foster saw Thomas Bolton still writing and drawing on the "map." Hearing footsteps, he messed up the water stains on the table, turned his face and said, "David Foster, from your analysis just now, I feel that you are not optimistic about the Nine Borders of Great Ming, am I right?"

William Foster had no pressure from the imperial examinations, so he replied easily, "Trouble at the Nine Borders is only a matter of time, and in the end, what will doom our Great Ming will inevitably be the Nine Borders."

With a sudden movement, Thomas Bolton stood up, his face full of anger, eyes narrowed as he said calmly, "David Foster, please speak plainly."

William Foster let out a drunken hiccup, a waft of Maotai liquor drifting out, then leisurely said, "The so-called Nine Borders are nothing more than watchdogs. If our Great Ming's military system does not keep up with the times, sooner or later we will end up like the Mongols. This is not something that can be changed by human will."

Fanning his mouth with his hand, William Foster saw that Thomas Bolton was still angry but thoughtful, so he said, "You're still young. Go back and read more history books, see how those dynasties turned from prosperity to decline."

"Take history as a mirror, and you can understand the rise and fall!"

Mr. Foster the Good said with compassion for the world.

At present, Great Ming's military power is at its peak, beating the steppe barbarians into utter defeat, but in less than a hundred years, perhaps even less than fifty, that Ming Yingzong who favored Wang Zhen will bury the last morale of Great Ming at Tumu Fortress. From then on, the Ming army never again made large-scale incursions into the steppe.

The anger on Thomas Bolton's face miraculously disappeared. He sat down again, smiling as if he were a different person from before.

"David Foster, then do you see any flaws in our Great Ming's military system?"

This question was too big, and William Foster didn't dare to speak carelessly, fearing that the Yongle Emperor might have his head chopped off, so he replied perfunctorily, "In the annals of Chinese history, only the Han and Tang dynasties perished at the height of their strength."

This point Thomas Bolton agreed with, so his gaze grew fervent as he looked at William Foster, making him feel a bit creeped out.

"Ahem!" William Foster coughed dryly, "In the Song dynasty, the status of soldiers was the lowest in history, but do you know why the Song dynasty was able to last so long?"

Thomas Bolton said somewhat confused, "Perhaps because of its outstanding civil administration."

The Song dynasty's civil administration was indeed "outstanding," directly sharing the world with the scholar-officials.

William Foster glanced sidelong at Thomas Bolton, pointed at him and said, "You're not being honest."

Thomas Bolton protested, "David Foster, I really am speaking from the heart!"

William Foster said lazily, "The Song dynasty simply relied on the benefits of opening up the seas, with a full treasury, so it could persist until the Southern Song even without the protection of the Great Wall and with the low status of soldiers. The Southern Song even almost wore the Mongols out."

"That's the benefit of having money! But what about our Great Ming?"

Chapter 11: Snow-White Flour

In the study of a spacious mansion in Beiping, the once high-spirited Thomas Bolton was now saying to a middle-aged man seated below, "…That is the view of David Foster. Mr. Carter, what are your thoughts?"

The lamplight illuminated Mr. Carter's contemplative face. Upon hearing this, he replied slowly, "That David Foster can say that the Nine Borders will inevitably rot, and discuss the pros and cons of the former Song, shows that he is not one of those who only read dead books. Yes! Our Great Ming's Nine Borders…"

After murmuring a few lines, Mr. Carter looked up and said, "Actually, what His Majesty is more worried about is…"

Thomas Bolton recalled what William Foster had said earlier today: "Actually… I suppose the worry is that after staying long in prosperous places, the descendants and officials will eventually become soft and complacent."

"…The prosperity of Jinling, after a long time, will cause the core of our Great Ming to deteriorate."

After Mr. Carter finished speaking, he saw the look of shock on Thomas Bolton's face.

Because William Foster had also said something else…

"But even if we move to Beiping, it only delays things a bit. If we don't make adjustments to the system, the future of our Great Ming…"

Such foresight…

…

When Ethan Brooks sobered up, he was worried about being scolded at home, so he ran off clutching the bottle with a bit of wine left. Before he left, William Foster even had him take a big bag of gifts, all rare items.

After the family finished dinner, they sat outside to enjoy the cool air. Little White thoughtfully fanned William Foster with a round fan.

Grace Bolton looked at this leisurely scene, couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, then brought a peeled grape to William Foster's mouth.

With those slender jade-like fingers, William Foster ate it, then asked, "How are things at the manor lately?"

Grace Bolton smiled, "Not bad, just a bit lazy."

With a charming smile and curved brows, this girl who once felt dead inside had finally come back to life.

William Foster smiled, "Being too lazy won't do. How about this: you organize it, have each farming household send someone to tidy up the ditches and clean the manor. We'll distribute three jin of flour per person per day."

Upon hearing this, Little White couldn't care about status and blurted out, "But young master, even though we've just collected the rent, our family can't afford to be so extravagant!"

The summer grain had already been harvested, and the rent due to the landlord had been paid, but all the new wheat was now in the granary, meant to feed the whole family in the main house!