Shanghai's outer port overlooks the sea and controls the Yangtze River. Port No. 1 is the home port of the Han Dynasty's East China Sea Fleet. When you go out of the Yangtze River and across the sea, you can always see the mighty and domineering warships. Every move is a warning to the foreign merchants who are sailing away.
Shocking, especially after the East China Sea Fleet completed the replacement of gunboats.
Port No. 2 is a certain distance away from Port No. 1. It is the largest civilian port in Shanghai. It is large in scale and has many berths. It can accommodate hundreds of large ships at one time. Unlike the inland terminals spread along the Songjiang River, Port No. 2 is mainly used for offshore,
Ocean-going ships are anchored, and late autumn is the busiest time in the port.
Due to the tight berths, we were unable to enter the port. There were many merchant ships cruising outside Shanghai Port, and they were all very "well-behaved". I had no choice but to disobey. Not long ago, a large merchant ship arrived in Shanghai. I don't know if it was its first time here.
There is no experience, or the captain is deceived and loses his mind. He dares to disobey the regulations and listen to the orders, and wants to forcefully enter the port to replenish the water and unload the cargo.
The customs patrol boat refused to listen to several warnings, and then led out two gunboats from the East China Sea Fleet. In front of all the other ships, they fired hundreds of cannonballs, destroying the large merchant ship, which was shocking.
A large group of people.
Under normal circumstances, the reaction in Shanghai would not be so extreme, and the navy would not be dispatched so easily. However, Shanghai is in a special period this time, and the emperor is about to visit here. How can we tolerate the barbarians and the rules of the Han Dynasty?
The foreigners must abide by it honestly, otherwise they will lose the power of the great Han Dynasty and lose the national dignity. If the heaven listens to it, it will not be easy to explain.
Not only the scholars, citizens and merchants of Shanghai were happy about the emperor's visit, but also thousands of foreign businessmen. To a certain extent, they were even more excited than the people of the Han Dynasty. After all, although many commercial ports were opened along the coast of the Han Dynasty, the mainland of the Han Dynasty
Especially the Gyeonggi region, which is close to the core of imperial power, has become increasingly difficult to enter.
For many barbarian merchants who came from far away from the sea, the whole Han Dynasty was still shrouded in a layer of fog. The open window was bright, prosperous and eye-catching, but compared with the mysterious authority, the Han Dynasty ruled thousands of miles of mountains and rivers and billions of people.
The emperor, at least at the moment, is not that attractive anymore.
And how could they not flock to the barbarian merchants who arrived in Shanghai during this season, so much so that some merchant ships preparing to leave the port and return home changed their time plans just to catch a glimpse of the Han Emperor's peerless elegance, even if it was just to join in the fun.
Emperor Liu Yang's inspection of Shanghai still started from the basic political and people's livelihood. Of course, for this commercial city that has become the largest trading port in the Han Empire, his affairs should be more or less focused on business.
In this regard, there are several statistics that even shocked Liu Yang. By the 13th year of Emperor Yongxi's reign, the ten-day turnaround load of all ports in Shanghai had reached 320,000 shi. Such a scale of cargo throughput has already made Shanghai
Become truly the largest port in the Han Dynasty.
At the same time, the total commercial tax revenue of Jianghai Customs alone is nearly 3 million gu each year. Due to the imperial court's low tariff on grain imports, the grain imported from Nanyang to Shanghai Port every year also exceeds 300,000 gu, which is enough to supply the entire Shanghai.
The food consumption of 400,000 people in the territory for two months.
In addition to grain, the throughput of various commodities and materials also reached a new high in the 13th year of Yongxi's reign.
When the string of modified data was placed in front of Liu Yang, he couldn't help but be dazzled. Compared to the huge size of the boss's empire, Shanghai's achievements were nothing. However, it had only been a few decades.
What was once a fishing village and farmland has developed to this extent.
For a time, Liu Yang, as the supreme ruler of the empire, also felt magical and filled with a sense of unreality. He couldn't help but be curious to explore how such a metropolis was built. After careful consideration, Liu Yang realized that for the first time in his life,
For the first time, the driving force of "business" was truly accepted and affirmed.
There are already many foreign merchants and barbarians in Shanghai, and there are tens of thousands of foreign merchants and barbarians living here all year round. Liu Yang is not like Emperor Shizu, who wants to clear them out because they are an eyesore. Of course, this is also because Shanghai is such a
Most of the foreign businessmen here are more disciplined.
Along with merchants from "friendly" countries like Korea and Japan, Liu Yang ordered some people to be selected from merchants from various countries as representatives to have dinner with him.
As a result, twelve foreign businessmen became the "lucky ones" and were able to talk to the Emperor of Han nearby. Of course, these twelve people had one characteristic in common: they were wealthy, well-known, and had lived in Shanghai for a long time. They knew Chinese characters and spoke Chinese.
, follow Han etiquette.
While in the capital, Liu Yang had more than one contact with foreign merchants from far away land, and learned about the religion, politics, military, economy, language and culture of Central Asia and even further regions from the mouths of those merchants.
But in the past, Liu Yang saw many people coming from the sea, mainly early envoys from indigenous countries. As the Han Dynasty dominated almost the entire Southeast Asia, this diplomatic situation gradually turned into the "New Han Dynasty vassal system" today.
As for maritime merchants, to be honest, this is the first time Liu Yang has had a dialogue as an emperor.
The content of the conversation was generally the same. It mainly allowed Liu Yang to understand the countries, people, culture, and customs he was interested in, and enhance the emperor's understanding of foreign countries. There is a saying that the foreign colonization started by Emperor Shizu was
It greatly broadened the horizons and perspectives of some Han people. Not to mention the navy, dignitaries and maritime merchants who had been running on the sea for a long time. Even the emperor Liu Yang also had doubts and a strong inquiring mentality.
At present, the foreign sea trade of the Han Empire is mainly aimed at Goryeo, Japan, and the Nanyang feudal states. Goryeo and Japan will not be discussed in detail. They are the "traditional" trade objects. Only Shanghai Port has traffic between the two countries every year.
There are no less than a thousand merchant ships in this country, and the gold, silver, and bronze from these two countries are the most popular among the Han Dynasty.
As for the Nanyang countries, after nearly twenty years of development, they have become more and more decent, and they are able to provide more resources to the Han Dynasty, especially spices and grains, which can hardly fill the Han market.
In contrast, the Dashi merchants who were once the "main force" have become somewhat depressed. For a time, the empire rejected and even imprisoned their religious beliefs, and on the other hand, it was also because of the chaos in the Dashi area.
Another drastic change is taking place there, and the addition of the Anxi Three Kingdoms has intensified the turbulence and chaos of the local situation. Frequent wars will not only delay production, but also affect trade. In the past, the Silk Road on land was only intermittent, but now it is
Even the Maritime Silk Road has been blocked.
In fact, due to the chaos in the Arab world, the exchanges between the Han and the entire West had almost come to a standstill in the 13th year of Yongxi. Therefore, in the past few years, the expansion of Han power was actually mainly concentrated in Nanyang and the Indochina Peninsula.
Of course, there is another target, the Tianzhu area
Learning about the foreign world from the mouths of Nanyang maritime merchants is still a novel experience for Liu Yang. After all, there are huge differences between the land and the sea. This novelty even made Liu Yang want to go out with his own eyes.
Of course, the urge to take a look only stops here. Not to mention whether it is unrealistic or not, his current age and body cannot satisfy his more ideas and ambitions.
Finally, Liu Yang ended this not-so-grand but significant banquet with thanks and praise to Yanhai. Liu Yang affirmed the benefits brought by these business contacts to the Han Dynasty, and also encouraged foreign businessmen to come and strengthen
The relationship between the two was welcomed by the Han Dynasty as long as it was operated with integrity and in accordance with the law. Before the banquet was over, everyone also received a set of exquisite porcelain as a reward from the emperor.
When the process and results of the banquet spread, the merchants in Shanghai, regardless of their origins, Han or Yi, were all in a state of joy, and their enthusiasm for doing business increased further. Liu Yang's move to banquet the Yi merchants was a sign of the supreme rule of the empire.
For the first time, the author truly recognized the contribution of businessmen.
Even though such an approach was questionable and easily aroused criticism in the Han Dynasty's official system and the cultural atmosphere that suppressed business, Liu Yang still chose to do so and made some breakthrough remarks.
It is still unknown what the future holds, but at least for the merchants and people of Shanghai in the late autumn of the 13th year of Yongxi's reign, it was as joyful as a holiday.
The emperor's arrival brought an extremely positive and enthusiastic effect to the entire city of Shanghai. However, amidst the joy and joy, there were always people who were depressed, depressed and bored, such as Ruyang King Liu Wenhuan.
Liu Wenhuan, who is in his thirties, is in his prime and should be high-spirited. However, at this time, he has a decadent temperament all over his body, and the word "mourning" is almost written on his face. Judging from his appearance,
It is not an exaggeration to say that he is over 40 years old.
Obviously, what happened three years ago was a huge blow to him. The emperor wanted to take him out for a walk to heal his mental illness, but the effect was obviously not good.
Liu Wenhuan came with him, but he didn't know where he had left his soul. He was absent-minded all day long and kept drinking. During the camp, in the clean and elegant room, the night was not yet deep, and Liu Wenhuan was already drunk and hazy.
"Your Highness!" A concerned voice rang in my ears. Crouching beside the food table was a beautiful woman, with worry on her face and affectionate eyes as she stared at Liu Wenhuan.
Liu Wenhuan raised his head and glanced at the woman, but ignored her. Instead, he continued to pick up the wine bottle and poured it into his mouth. Seeing this, the woman finally couldn't help it anymore and leaned forward, holding Liu Wenhuan's hand tightly with both hands.
, advised with a sob: "Your Highness, please stop drinking. If you do this again, your body will collapse!"
It stands to reason that a woman's tears should not have much power to Liu Wenhuan, but this woman is different. Her name is Liu E. When Liu Wenhuan was still a Marquis of Wannian, she entered the Marquis's mansion and grew up step by step from a little maid.
She became Liu Wenhuan's personal concubine and stayed with him for more than three years when Liu Wenhuan was frustrated. She was one of the few people who could open a crack in Liu Wenhuan's heart.
Liu E's concern was beyond words, and Liu Wenhuan could also feel it. He raised his head, and his blurred drunken eyes regained a little clarity. Liu Wenhuan spoke in a depressed voice: "What's the use of keeping this skin?"
"Your Highness is a good man who is upright and upright, how can he give up on himself like this! How can His Highness be worthy of the earnest teachings of Emperor Shizu and the great expectations of His Majesty the Emperor?" Seeing Liu Wenhuan so depressed, Liu E finally couldn't help it and said sincerely: "
I'm a poor concubine, so I beg your Highness to cheer up!"
A woman could actually speak such sonorous and powerful words. Liu Wenhuan seemed to be summoned back to his senses by him. He was stunned for a moment, turned his head and looked out the door, with a little bitterness on the corner of his mouth, and said sentimentally: "Your Majesty, to me,
What more can be expected?”
Hearing this, Liu E said perhaps the boldest thing she had ever said in her life: "How can I be a true man if I am reduced to a servant because of a woman?"
After hearing this, Liu Wenhuan's eyes instantly became sharp and he stared at Liu E, his eyes were red, and there was even a hint of violence flashing in them. However, after noticing Liu E's sincere gaze, Liu Wenhuan slowly regained his composure.
But she still didn't put down the jug in her hand, and continued to pour a sip into her mouth. When Liu E was about to give her advice, she threw the jug in her hand against the wall. The jug broke and water splashed out.
For a moment, the room was extremely quiet, with almost only the sound of Liu Wenhuan's heavy breathing. When she noticed Liu Wenhuan's rising and falling chest and cold eyes, Liu E was not afraid, but instead had a slight smile on her lips.
It was a coincidence that under Liu E's "stimulation", when Liu Wenhuan cheered up a little, his chamberlain came to report and the emperor summoned him.
Under the night, it was very bright everywhere, especially where the imperial driver was, with many candles and oil lamps lit. With the help of Liu E, Liu Wenhuan, who had simply tidied up, walked slowly and bumped into his attendant.
Linzi King Liu Wenji came out.
When he saw Liu Wenhuan, Liu Wenji was surprised at first, looked at him twice, hurriedly came up to him, bowed his hands and said: "Brother!"
Looking at Liu Wenji who looked respectful, Liu Wenhuan's face was filled with silence. He didn't say a word, he just nodded to him and went inside.
Liu Wenji didn't feel embarrassed at all, but when he looked at Liu Wenhuan's back from behind, he sighed quietly. The relationship between the two brothers has always been very restrained, and there were many conflicts in the past, but it was more of a conflict of ideas and styles. However,
The arguments and bickering at that time were more or less brotherly than the "talking to each other without speaking" today.
The emperor's room was brightly lit, and it was not yet time for Liu Yang to go to bed. He was still immersed in reading the reports submitted by all parties. However, because of the cold autumn night, he wore an extra robe.
It wasn't until Liu Wenhuan came in to salute that Liu Yang put down the memorial in his hand and looked at the depressed eldest son with complicated eyes. Liu Wenhuan, on the other hand, knelt there like a piece of wood and did not move. However, it was probably the first time in the past three years that he
Liu Wenhuan dared to raise his head and face the emperor's scrutiny.
The father and son looked at each other for a long time and were silent for a long time. Finally, Liu Yang took the lead and said in a sad tone: "I know that you have been wronged in the past three years."
On this autumn night, Liu Wenhuan stayed with Liu Yang for a long time. The father and son held a candle and had a long talk. This was the first time in more than three years that the father and son chatted openly and faced the scandal together that no one wanted to mention.
Liu Wenhuan's heart was obviously not easy to open, but on this autumn night, he cried more than once. He had not shed so many tears in the past thirty years.
On the next day, Liu Yang issued an edict, naming the emperor's eldest son Liu Wenhuan as King of Annan, and granted him almost the entire Annan Road. At the same time, he also gave him the four states of Chenla that he led his army to capture. At this point, the foundation of the Indo-China Peninsula was laid.
The pattern of three kings eating together.
Not to mention the four states of North Chenlan, the key lies in Annan Road. In the past three years, under the management of Kou Zhun, the development has been very good. Obviously, this is a generous enfeoffment, and Liu Yang still loves his eldest son very much.
Yes, this was almost the only time in Emperor Liu Yang's career that selfishness overshadowed justice.
Dianshan Lake is located at the junction of Su, Xiu and Shang. Before the arrival of winter, Emperor Liu Yang, accompanied by Wang Xuanzhen, visited this place in person.
Standing by the lake, letting the wind blow his white beard, Liu Yang stared at the lake, silently listening to Wang Xuanzhen's plan to dig a new pond and connect the three rivers and one sea, and exported to Zhao Wang Liu Fang some speeches he had made back then.
Liu Yang.
Regarding this matter, while Liu Yang recognized his attitude and vision, he also said that human life has an end and some things cannot be finished and can only be left to future generations.
Yongxi's southern tour in the 13th year of his reign was probably Liu Yang's longest tour. He stayed in the south for more than a year, traveling from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, passing through Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong, and returning to the capital from the two Hubeis.
In his later years, he used his own feet to measure the beautiful scenery of the southern country.
At the same time, this was also Liu Yang's last tour in his life. Shortly after returning to Beijing, he became ill in bed.
In the winter of October of the fourteenth year of Yongxi's reign, Liu Yang, the third emperor of the Han Empire, passed away without regret. He died of illness in the Qianqiu Hall of Ziwei City in Luoyang at the age of fifty-seven. His temple name was Taizong.
The entire Yongxi era was a glorious period in a country with an autocratic monarchy. On the basis of Shizu, Liu Yang carried out the overall design to further improve the Han system and solve a series of problems caused by Shizu's government.
Various political, military, economic and people's livelihood issues.
The politics of the Han Dynasty also started from the Yongxi Dynasty. Politics became more rational and harmonious, productivity continued to increase, the economy developed rapidly, society was stable and orderly, and culture was splendid and prosperous.
Liu Yang left, a little suddenly, but what was left behind was a central empire that was reaching its peak, a dynamic and innovative dynasty that was more innovative than the previous generation. After the entire Yongxi era of hard work in internal strength, recovery and development,
The family fortune Liu Yang left behind was much stronger than when Shizu passed away.
There is no doubt that the person who received this family property was the 19-year-old prince Liu Wenpeng. With the support of a group of Yongxi veterans, Liu Wenpeng succeeded him in Chui Gong Hall, and the Han Empire once again welcomed a young emperor.
