Chapter 315: The general will not rule the country
"Nan Ming."
Ambassador Yang recited this very historical name with some regret.
Of course, he calls himself Zhengshuo of the Ming Dynasty.
That's what he calls people.
Moreover, most of the local officials and gentry of the Ming Dynasty also believed that he was the Zhengshuo of the Ming Dynasty. However, they were frightened by his despotic power and had to compromise, so they refused to recognize the Guangzhou court. After all, the empress was brought out here, no matter whether it was a Confucian scholar
Even the gentry with serious traditional ideas were almost furious with this result. This clearly shows that they are on the road to disaster for the country and the people.
The country will not be a country!
Counting it this way, Zhu Yunzhen represents light.
Although officials and gentry did not dare to take refuge in the light.
The reason why the officials, gentry and generals who supported Annan in Guangdong and Guangxi, including Wang Bi and the He family, followed Zhu Yunwen was very simple.
Just two.
One is overseas trade.
The He family had already sent people to test it out. If the imperial court liberalized overseas trade and allowed private merchants to go overseas, they could send Zhu Yunwen back. They took Zhu Yunwen over, really intending to use it as a bargaining chip, but Yang Feng refused.
If they want to participate in overseas trade, they must join the government-run Nanyang Company. To be precise, it is a monopoly overseas trading company jointly owned by the government's commercial office, the royal family, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the little princess. This company has obtained a charter and specializes in dealing with Nanyang
All trade in the vassal country, whether exporting or importing, must go through this company in the future.
At the same time this company has armed rights.
Non-Nanyang Company ships that encounter this line of trade at sea can be directly sunk.
No matter what status.
Tribute trade at sea also ceased.
Paying tribute is paying tribute, and you are not allowed to bring goods privately for trade in the future.
Not prohibited on land.
Paying tribute by land can still bring goods for trade.
In addition, it has the right to attack vassal states that trade with merchants other than the Nanyang Company without authorization.
So there are marines too.
And they are powerful. Although there are five thousand in total, they are already equipped with flintlocks and even rifled flintlocks. After all, in the Nanyang environment, matchlocks are too restrictive. Although flintlocks still cannot work all-weather, at least there will be a light rain.
No need to worry anymore.
In addition, the flash cap is already being developed. Once this thing is available, the problem will be completely solved.
Moreover, such actions by Nanyang Company do not need to be approved by the court. As long as they discover such a situation and the evidence is conclusive, they can take direct action. Of course, they cannot frame or frame them. The bottom line of being a human being must still be adhered to...
Well, this means that it can actually be done.
Got it all!
The second is the issue of forced exchange settlement.
In order to facilitate trade, banks will also be opened in these dependent countries.
In short, no matter buying or selling, treasure banknotes must be used. Even if it is a transaction at the port of a vassal country, both parties must use treasure banknotes. Those who dare not use it are still the rules of Emperor Taizu Gao. Reporting is allowed, and the reporter gets everything in the transaction. Both the buyer and the seller are equally guilty.
, all have to be beheaded. If the vassal country does not agree, it is a disobedience, and the Ming Dynasty can send troops to attack, including directly destroying the country.
Just these two questions.
As long as the imperial court promised to open up private overseas trade and abolish the compulsory foreign exchange settlement system, the Guangdong officials and gentry gave up their resistance and sent Zhu Yunwen back to the capital.
As for Wang Bi, it is not important. His troops did not resist him, but followed and surrendered to Zhu Yunwen. It was just because the transportation of military supplies from Guangdong to Annan was not interrupted, so they were raised by the Guangdong gentry, who also needed them. The He family
The Guangdong maritime merchants headed by them, including the smuggled Fujian maritime merchants, conducted a large amount of trade with Nanyang through Annan, and then through the Fujian maritime merchants, Jiangxi, and Huguang land smugglers, they sold Nanyang spices and other spices to the areas controlled by the imperial court, and then used the earned profits
Use part of the money to support Wang Bi's army...
What else do they want?
Isn’t it just money?
The Nanming court was not short of money.
Now they have a monopoly on Southeast Asian trade.
Originally, there was no such thing in the past. Lao Zhu did not liberalize overseas trade. He only authorized merchants from some vassal countries to trade at a few customs offices in the Ming Dynasty, and then only allowed them to use treasure banknotes for transactions.
He didn't really let go.
Now the Annan coastal port controlled by He Rong's navy and Wang Bi directly blocked this trade.
There is no need for these merchants to come to Ming Dynasty.
Maritime merchants from Guangdong and Annan sailed their own ships to these vassals, and then went directly to their ports for trade. Anyway, sailing from Guangzhou to Hoi An in Annan was under the control of the Guangzhou court. In fact, these vassal states were also under the control of the Guangzhou court.
It was also an entrepot trade. After the porcelain, silk, steel, etc. of the Ming Dynasty arrived at them, they were then transported to India and even the Arabian Peninsula. What they used for trade were spices, medicinal materials, and various luxury goods such as gemstones. So in the end, it was actually
Guangdong and Annan maritime merchants have become what can be said to be monopolistic middlemen in this trade chain. It is impossible not to make money just like this.
The court can't control them yet.
Unless Yang Feng has the ability to block the entire land border checkpoint.
But this is also impossible.
In fact, due to the involvement of various matters during this period, the imperial court's control over local areas was not as good as before, and it was unable to control these checkpoints at all.
Even smuggling along the coast of Fujian cannot be controlled.
It can be said that the chaos that lasted for nearly a year in the Ming Dynasty made Lao Zhu's thirty years of hard work in vain. The ruling system he established with brutal means and which he believed to be the most perfect was on the verge of collapse.
The monsters, monsters and monsters along the way are unlocked one after another...
Even Japanese pirates appeared again.
Of course, it is difficult to say whether it is a real Japanese or a fake Japanese.
Anyway, they are all active along the coast of Fujian, especially the coast of southern Fujian.
Anyway, local officials in Fujian often reported that Japanese pirates had landed and occupied the islands. Then it can be explained that the goods shipped from Guangdong were all traded between Japanese pirates and unruly people along the coast.
It's like this everywhere.
On land, in areas like Meiling, smuggling can be said to be open and honest.
The levels are in name only.
The entire country is quickly breaking free from Lao Zhu's shackles.
This is also the source of the confidence of these gentry in the south.
As soon as Lao Zhu died, they felt that the sky above them suddenly opened up, and the air that they could hardly breathe was so sweet, and they felt that their whole bodies were suddenly filled with strength. The northern gentry were much more sober on this point, after all, they were all true
Those who had seen Yang Feng's methods, including the Suzhou gentry, were more sober than the Guangdong gentry. So when Yang Feng refused both terms without hesitation, the Guangdong gentry also supported the new emperor without hesitation. The reign of Zhu Yunwen when he ascended the throne in Guangzhou
It is also Jianwen. This reign has pinned the ardent hopes of the Confucian scholars. Even Enke has been opened. It is estimated that the first batch of Jinshi will be admitted this year, not only the scholars from Guangdong, Guangxi and Annan, but also the scholars from Huguang, Jiangxi and Fujian.
They all ran away secretly.
Abandon darkness and embrace light.
If Yang Feng was struck to death by a thunderbolt from God, wouldn't Emperor Jianwen be able to return to the capital?
As ministers of the Dragon, they naturally prospered.
Of course, the main reason is that the imperial examination has been reformed here, and they don't bother to join in the same trend.
"It's not because you look so ugly when you eat alone."
Sister Liu said.
The little princess nodded in agreement.
In fact, she is not very opposed to opening up coastal trade, she just cannot tolerate the banking problem.
After all, banks make money while lying down, but overseas trade requires huge investments, especially according to Yang Feng's plan, which also has to add the cost of suppression. According to this model, just to eliminate pirates will require huge sums of money.
It would be better to liberalize coastal trade but insist on mandatory foreign exchange settlement.
In the end, gold and silver still end up in banks.
There is no need to pay for suppression costs.
"childish!"
Yang Feng said.
"Then tell me, if you're not eating alone, what are you?
You won't even get much benefit.
You don’t know that the East India Company finally had to be handed over to the British government because it couldn’t survive, right? The same goes for the Dutch East India Company, and the Portuguese East India Company only lasted for a few decades. Do you think that the monopoly will bring huge income?
?But in fact, a monopoly will not bring huge income. You need to pay huge costs to maintain your monopoly. Do you think they will stop smuggling if you don't let them smuggle?
You have to deal with pirates.
You have to hunt down the smugglers.
You must send troops to suppress the resistance of the vassal country.
These are all money.
You can obviously just lie down and collect the money, so why do you have to do such a thankless task?"
Sister Liu said.
The little princess continued to nod.
Now the three of them are equivalent to the highest decision-making center of Ming Dynasty.
Of course, Sister Liu only uses her voice.
They made a decision, and then the cabinet headed by Zhang Xianzong drafted an edict. Finally, the Supervisor of Ceremonies issued a sealed imperial edict, but they still had to go through six subjects. The whole process was the same as in the past. The system itself is also the most advanced at present. In this case, of course
No need to change.
As for the queen...
The queen is suckling the baby.
The most important job of the Empress of the State now is to let the Empress grow up healthily.
"But this is what I want?
Does the Ming Dynasty need the profits from overseas trade? No, the Ming Dynasty is not short of money, but the Ming Dynasty needs control over Nanyang, needs to establish a real governance system in Nanyang, needs all vassals, and must truly surrender to the Ming Dynasty. Just like
At that time, Qin Shihuang's books were in the same track as Wen Che. They had to accept the rules of the Ming Dynasty. The Nanyang Company's monopoly was indeed likely to outweigh the gains in terms of profits. Huge additional funds were needed to maintain the monopoly system. In the end, it was likely that the money earned from the monopoly trade would
They all had to invest in maintaining their monopoly. The East India Company was indeed unable to maintain its monopoly, but don’t forget that it was the East India Company that turned India into the most dazzling jewel in the British crown.
It turned India into what the British wanted.
make money?
At our level, why should we consider making money?
What is money?
In our printing factory, new ones are printed every day.
Money is defined by us.
open?
So do you like Li Jin, Pan Xiu, and Guo Zhen who led the way for the foreign colonists? Or do you like Wang Zhi who organized pirates and raids along the coast? Or do you prefer Li Dan and Zheng Zhilong who bypassed the national tax system for smuggling? Don’t you know these?
What kind of virtues do businessmen have? Do you think they are all good, law-abiding citizens, and they will pay taxes honestly if you tell them to? The fact is that as long as you dare to let go, they will have a hundred ways to destroy you.
That childish design.
I have a monopoly and they are smuggling. Do you think they will stop smuggling if we let them go?
They will only intensify their smuggling.
Didn’t Daming let go?
After the Longqing switch, the Guangzhou Customs in the Ming Dynasty received tens of millions of taels of silver a year. An official's notes recorded that he encountered three Spanish ships arriving in Guangzhou, and each of them invested 300,000 taels of silver in the city's shipping department.
Then there are shipping taxes, water rates, ship navigation, etc., a bunch of exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, which add up to forty thousand taels.
By the way, do you think that in this era of Ming Dynasty, it is possible to cultivate coastal officials who are truly law-abiding, incorruptible, and serving the country and the people? Let’s speak from our conscience, do you think it is possible? The governor of Guangdong and Guangxi earns hundreds of thousands of taels of black money a year.
Ah, wouldn’t it be easier for them if I let go?”
Yang Feng said.
This is the real world.
Longqing switched on and off, and then the smuggling was solved?
All taxes of Guangzhou Customs, the official ship tax of customs ships calling at the port, is a tax based on the estimated value of the goods. At first, I looked at the goods, but later I found it troublesome to directly estimate the size of the ship. The ship tax is the franchise tax of domestic merchants who go to sea for trade. All
All kinds of taxes add up to 40,000 taels a year. Among them, Chuan Yin is the most pitiful, with around 100 taels of silver a year. This is the franchise tax that allows Ming merchant ships to go to sea for trade, but they can only receive 100 taels a year.
Two, which is not enough for the officials to have a feast of wine.
so……
It has to be a monopoly.
Sister Liu was speechless.
At this time, Zhang Ying walked in. She was on duty in the palace. The little princess, she, and Chun Ji took turns on duty in the palace, taking care of the queen and handling some minor matters of the court. Of course, big matters had to be sent here.
"List!"
She threw a pamphlet in front of Yang Feng.
Then she sat down next to her and looked at Yang Feng who was reading the brochure...
"Don't you think we caught a little too much?"
she said.
"Thousands of people are still too many? Emperor Taizu and Emperor Gao always arrested tens of thousands, but his cases were just small corruption cases. In our major regicide case, how many thousands of people are still considered too many?
"
Yang Feng said.
This is the arrest list for the regicide case.
"But didn't the queen already issue an edict before, saying that only Fang Xiaoru and a few others were guilty? Can the officials and gentry from all over the country who have been deceived by it feel at ease?"
Zhang Ying said.
"The queen broke her promise. She is the queen of the prison country. She just broke her promise. What can others do? She is a woman who has just given birth and suddenly breaks her promise. Is it any wonder? This is called postpartum depression.
We are all loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty, and we are also loyal to the queen. In order to accommodate her postpartum depression, we can only follow her wishes. She insists on severely punishing these officials and gentry who were rebellious in the past. What can we do, we can only do it.
, go back and publish a book specifically explaining the problem of postpartum depression, this is science."
Yang Feng said.
"When I give birth someday, I will also give you some depression."
Zhang Ying said.
"Do you want me to treat you then?"
The little princess said grimly.
"Well?"
Zhang Ying quickly revealed a charming smile.
At this time, the little princess had already approached Yang Feng, happily looking at the booklet, and began to study the future of these people...
"Everything you eat from me must be vomited out by me, and everything you take from me must be returned to me. The bank has lost more than 5 million yuan this year. Do they think I am not prepared to pursue it further?"