Zhangzhou Prefecture.
On a small beach, a long line of officers and soldiers had already blocked the place. There was a hill not far away. Yu Qian, wearing a scarlet official robe, stood on the hill and looked at the boundless sea, twisting his head.
I frown, I don’t know what I’m thinking about.
This is the former site of Zhangzhou Port in the former Song Dynasty. Since the imperial court banned the sea, this port site has been basically abandoned, and merchant ships are prohibited from sailing from here. Logically speaking, it should have been in dilapidated condition long ago.
But in fact, after Yu Qian arrived here, he discovered that the port was far less dilapidated than he imagined. Although most of the buildings were indeed abandoned long ago, the basic port facilities were still preserved.
He once communicated with the prefect here. In name, these facilities were retained to facilitate fishermen to make a living fishing in the offshore. However, in fact, smuggling occurred frequently in this port. Although the imperial court sent officers and soldiers to patrol
, but if you can’t stand the convenience here, there will always be people who take risks.
Even in recent years, the Japanese pirates have obtained some sophisticated weapons from nowhere. Sometimes when they encounter the government troops, they not only do not hide, but even dare to fight. Moreover, these Japanese pirates are very cunning and often pretend to be ordinary fishermen.
If you are not careful, you will miss it. In short, it is just one sentence. It is very difficult to control it.
After hearing these words, Yu Qian laughed them off. Some of the things the local officials said could be believed, while others could not.
The prefect said that he was so conscientious and dedicated, but in fact, looking at the scale of this place, you can tell that it is no longer as simple as sneaking in. It has become a place where small-scale trade is often carried out.
That can be explained.
In the final analysis, local officials have their own difficulties and their methods. Smuggling sea trade has become a tacit secret along the coast. All the major local families are more or less involved. This time, if it were not for the army,
If we go out, I'm afraid it won't go so smoothly, but even so...
"My lord, a letter has just been sent from the capital, saying that your majesty has issued an order to start a thorough investigation of Liu Yi's case. People in the capital are now in panic and have no time to look around. Your Excellency, you can rest assured."
Behind him, a young man in a green official robe came forward, bowed to Yu Qian, and said.
Yu Qian didn't turn around, just shook his head gently and said.
"It's just not the right time..."
In this campaign to suppress Japanese pirates, Yu Qian adopted a completely different approach than in the past. He did not confront the Japanese pirates head-on. Instead, he started with the local gentry and followed the clues to catch all the Japanese pirates.
This is of course beneficial. Not only can a large number of Japanese pirates be wiped out quickly, but also its foundation can be destroyed in one fell swoop. Without the support of the local gentry, even if there are sporadic Japanese pirates, they will have nowhere to sell what they have stolen, and their daily needs
There are no sources of supplies. Before the new gentry family rises, it is conceivable that the Ming Dynasty's maritime borders will be stable for at least a few years.
However, the reason why the gentry family is called a gentry family is that there are people in their own family who are serving in the court. This time, Yu Qian used thunderous means to destroy these evil gentry families with a large army. Although it seems that
It seems happy, but in fact, the hidden dangers laid are also huge. If nothing else, the officials behind these squire families will definitely not give up.
In addition, he has been in the Zhangzhou area for more than half a year. In addition to blocking the sea area, he also found a lot of things. For example, the smuggling proceeds over the years should not be just the properties that have been seized now. There are a large number of
The whereabouts of the gold and silver are unknown, and if nothing else goes wrong, they all flowed into the officialdom.
For another example, since the army was stationed, intelligence leaks have repeatedly occurred in various state capitals. If these Japanese pirates were just some country squires, they would not be able to do such a thing.
Of course, Yu Qian's duty is to suppress the bandits, not to investigate the case. Apart from suppressing the bandits, he has no arbitrary power, so what he can do is to secretly report to the emperor and ask the emperor to make a decision.
As for himself...
Looking towards the vast and calm sea in the distance, Yu Qian's face became a little worried.
Among the entire army now, probably only Yu Qian knows what the real purpose of this Japanese campaign is.
Now, most of what the army should do has been done. Although there are still rogue pirates escaping nearby, large-scale Japanese pirates have been wiped out.
However, the merchant ship that the emperor mentioned showed no sign of returning. Over the past year, although Yu Qian was not in Beijing, he still roughly knew the news from the court.
Snow disaster in Fengyang, drought in Henan, and non-stop rain in Shandong for several months, I am afraid that these days are not easy for the court. Under this situation, the longer the army is stationed, the greater the pressure on the court.
Even putting these aside, in addition to Japanese pirates, there are also ordinary people who rely on fishing and hunting along the coast. In order to encircle and suppress Japanese pirates, Yu Qian ordered the sealing of the sea area. This also resulted in that ordinary fishermen were not allowed to go to the sea. If not
If this year's disaster had basically not affected the southeastern area, then I'm afraid it would have been unable to sustain it long ago.
Even so, according to recent reports from the state government, the grievances of the people are already extremely serious. If the ban on going to the sea continues, there may be some trouble. He cannot come to suppress bandits and end up with him.
The people must have been forced to rebel...
Yu Qian pinched his eyebrows and asked.
"Have I ordered to go down and have all the porridge shacks opened by the state government open?"
Again, Yu Qian is not the chief official of the local area, he is just the admiral of the Japanese army. Logically speaking, he does not have the power to interfere in local government affairs. If it does not involve places that need to cooperate with the army, at most, he
I can only make suggestions.
A month ago, the emperor's imperial edict had just come down, which was to hand over all the gold, silver and grain from the confiscated family property to the army as rewards. Yu Qian had the idea to ask for the grain to be handed over to the local state capital for use in the war.
They opened porridge shacks to help fishermen who were unable to go to sea due to the blockade of the sea area, and they could barely make ends meet.
The young man on the side leaned over and said.
"Back to your lord, as soon as the decree arrived, the lower officials have already notified all the prefectures. Now, porridge sheds have been opened in various places in accordance with the decree. In Zhangzhou Prefecture alone, thirty-two of them have been opened. Most of them have been opened since yesterday.
We have already started giving out porridge, please don't worry."
After hearing this, Yu Qian felt a little relieved. However, this is only a temporary solution, not the root cause. As long as the army is still stationed here, it will inevitably disturb the local people. This is almost inevitable.
With a slight sigh, Yu Qian looked at the young man beside him and asked.
"Wang Yue, do you think the Ming Dynasty's maritime ban policy has more benefits than disadvantages, or does the disadvantages outweigh the benefits?"
ah?
The young man on the side widened his eyes and did not react for a moment. The name Wang Yue is still very inconspicuous in today's officialdom. However, to be able to be by Yu Qian's side, he is certainly not an ordinary person, and the same is naturally true for Wang Yue.
The first and second place on the gold list of the imperial examination in the first year of Jingtai. His Majesty's first encore after he ascended the throne. It was also the examination that caused a major case of fraud in the palace examination. After the emperor re-marked the papers, the second place on the list was this.
Bit.
This year's Enke, the number one scholar Ke sneaked into the Hanlin Academy, the number two Wang Yue went to the Ministry of War to observe politics, and the scout Yu Zijun was in the Ministry of Household Affairs to observe politics. The latter two were directly with the minister. At that time, they were enviable
It shocked all the others.
After all, not everyone has the opportunity to make friends with powerful ministers when they first join the officialdom.
After observing the government for one year, both Wang Yue and Yu Zijun successfully stayed in the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs. Yu Qian valued this young man very much. He was heroic and ambitious. What was even more rare was that he served in the border defense department.
He has a profound understanding of the mechanics, and many of his views coincide with Yu Qian's. In Yu Qian's opinion, as long as he is well cultivated, he will definitely be a pillar of the Ming Dynasty in the future.
Because of this, when Yu Qian was later transferred out of the capital, all the generals he had personally guided stayed in the capital, but Wang Yue was the only one he took with him, even this time.
After the brief accident, Wang Yue was not in a hurry to answer.
He has been with this Master Shaobao for two or three years. Naturally, he has experienced scenes like today. Master Shaobao may have asked this question for a school exam or for teaching. As for his answer, you can
It can be right or wrong, but it cannot be nothing.
Therefore, you need to think carefully...
Seeing Wang Yue frowning and thinking, Yu Qian did not rush him, and just waited quietly. After about half a cup of tea, Wang Yue cupped his hand and said.
"Returning to your lord, I feel that the pros and cons cannot be limited to one moment."
Hearing this, Yu Qian raised his eyebrows and turned around to ask.
"What's the explanation?"
So Wang Yue continued.
"Your Excellency, the ban on the sea was decided by Taizu. Taizong, Renzong, and the previous emperors all added it. Its original intention was to calm the sea and make the people live in peace without being disturbed by Japanese pirates. This policy was beneficial in the early days of the country.
It outweighs the disadvantages, as it allows the court to devote its energy to planning the north, stabilizing the defense line, and ensuring peace for one side, which is actually beneficial to the country and the people."
"But it's different now..."
At this point, Wang Yue paused for a moment, as if he was looking at Yu Qian's expression. However, Yu Qian's expression did not change at all, and he just asked lightly.
"What is the difference?"
"At the time of Taizu, the divine weapon was established, and there were still Yuan forces in the north who coveted it. But now, thanks to the current Holy Emperor's planning, the grassland tribes are in civil strife and have no time to take care of others. Once the mutual trade is opened, the grassland tribes exchange their needs with the imperial court, and even more
This makes various ministries more dependent on the imperial court, and within a few decades, border troubles can be solved. This is one of them."
Wang Yue's tone became a little cautious, but what he wanted to say remained unchanged at all.
He knew very well that what he said was very different from the mainstream views in the court. However, during the days when he went out with the army, he saw a lot, learned a lot, and thought a lot.
Now, since Yu Shaobao asked him, he must tell what he was thinking.
"At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, wars in various places were over, and hundreds of wastes were waiting to be renovated. Even in the barren land of Zhangzhou, there were many fields that were uncultivated. At that time, we only needed to ensure that the people were not disturbed and could farm with peace of mind, and encouraged them to practice farming.
, it will naturally restore the national strength, but now..."
Wang Yue sighed, raised his head and looked around, looking beyond the officers and soldiers stationed everywhere and looking further away. Many lean fishermen were picking up scattered fish washed up by the rising tide on the shore.
I plan to take this to the town and sell it in order to get some money for the winter.
It is now mid-October, and the weather is getting colder, but these fishermen are still wearing thin clothes, which shows how difficult their livelihood is.
Withdrawing his gaze, Wang Yue spoke again and said.
"The current situation is not mentioned elsewhere. In Zhangzhou Prefecture alone, there are thousands of people who have no land and can only rely on fishing for a living. These days, when I am a low-ranking official, I follow the adults to suppress the Japanese, and I also see some things.
.”
"Of course these Japanese pirates colluded with the local gentry, but those were all done by the ringleaders, like some of the lower-level Japanese pirates. Most of them couldn't survive and just became bandits."
"The lower official has no intention of defending these thieves, but in my humble opinion, if the livelihood problem of these people cannot be solved, then the Japanese pirates may be like weeds, they will grow again with the spring breeze..."
After saying this, Yu Qian was silent for a moment, then he looked up at Wang Yue and said.
"So, do you think we should open the sea?"
The tone of these words was slightly harsh, so much so that Wang Yue's heart trembled, and the originally firm answer in his heart also wavered.
Finally, facing Yu Qian's gaze, Wang Yue lowered his head and said.
"Sir, I don't know, but no matter what..."
At this point, Wang Yue raised his head again, his eyes became firm, and said.
"In any case, I feel that as an official of the imperial court, I should ask for orders for the people. These people living along the coast are also the people of the Ming Dynasty. If I sit back and watch them live in poverty without doing anything, I feel guilty, so
, something must be done. The policy of sea ban is a major policy of the imperial court, and lower officials dare not discuss it arbitrarily, but it is indeed a method that can be tried..."
After saying these words, Wang Yue lowered his head again, not daring to look at Yu Qian's face. He actually said all his thoughts, but he didn't know what the result would be.
However, because he lowered his head, he did not see the flash of approval on Yu Qian's face.
Therefore, this is what he admires about Wang Yue. He has a heart to manage the world and benefit the people. At the same time, he is not bound by the old rules. He dares to think and do, but he does not rush forward recklessly.
Although his understanding of what he just said is not deep enough, in Yu Qian's opinion, it has only been three or four years since he first entered officialdom, which is already considered very good.
In that case...
Just as Yu Qian was thinking this, the soldiers on the side suddenly came to report and said.
"Master Shaobao, an imperial edict has arrived!"
This chapter has been completed!