Full text without ads Chapter 1001 The word "profit" is placed in the center
Xia Xun nodded seriously and said: "What you gentlemen said is all true. If they are just bullying the postmen and harassing the place, they can also be strictly controlled by law, but hundreds of people often occupy the posthouse.
In order to eat and drink, many people are forced to serve and transport, and many worthless sundries are used as tribute, forcing my court to collect them. This is indeed a problem!"
When Xia Xun said this, Manchu Wu and the emperor were a little confused. They didn't know what kind of medicine Xia Xun was selling in the gourd.【】
However, although I did not understand his intention, these words were of great benefit to the opposition to the Western voyages. Jin Youzi, a great scholar, seized the opportunity and admonished: "Your Majesty, the tributes from all countries are in the tens of millions of dollars from the Ming Dynasty.
But if you can't get enough, you will waste the country, ruin the people, and allow the barbarians to take advantage one after another, and let the villains think they have their own tricks and underestimate our empire. This is really not advisable!"
Xia Xun immediately continued what he said: "Yes, they are tribute envoys. How can I, the Ming Dynasty, not receive them? It is natural for them to install the post office. It is natural for them to drive the corvees. Even the so-called tributes they contributed are clearly for Fanyi's profit-seeking purpose.
I have to accept it. But this is not the crime of our Ming Dynasty’s transportation to all countries. The disadvantages are actually caused by the tribute trade! Therefore, I ask your Majesty to stop the tribute and restart the trade!"
Xia Xun's words were shocking, and everyone in the hall was shocked for a moment.
The market shipping system has existed since ancient times. During the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties, the market shipping system was implemented, and the system became more and more perfect each time.
The municipal shipping system is jointly led by the local chief executive and the local finance chief. The court sends people to manage specific affairs. The main responsibilities are to issue seagoing licenses based on the people on the cargo ship and the destination declared by the merchants, board the ship for inspection, and prevent
Carrying items and fugitives prohibited from export by the imperial court, "reading the truth" on the ships returning to Hong Kong, and levying taxes and duties on the imported and exported goods.
It can be said that this is a relatively mature way of trade between countries. It no longer assumes the political task of Huaiyuan and Fuyi. Businessmen from various countries come and buy and sell goods on their own. The court does not care how high your price is, as long as the market
I accept your price.
The imperial court is also not responsible for reception tasks. It does not have to entertain you for free, nor provide free labor to help you transport goods. It will not accept whatever rags you bring in the guise of tribute.
Because it is free trade, the visitor does not have the status of a tribute envoy. The local officials do not have to receive him for free, nor do they have the right to deal with any crime just because they are a diplomatic envoy. They can only report it to the court at various levels. More importantly, if
It was the ship trade, and both the local government and the imperial court benefited from it, and now the tribute trade...
The ministers communicated quickly and in a very secretive way. Suddenly, like frogs waking up from hibernation, they jumped out one by one and soon covered the entire golden palace. They all shouted in unison: "Your Majesty, please wait."
, Attached to the advice of the Duke of Fu, I hope that your Majesty will stop paying tribute and prosper the market!"
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"Xuan, the military officials can be controlled by one word! You are really amazing!"
Zhu Di sent the soldiers out with the words "Let's discuss it later", and he and Xia Xun were the only two people left in the palace.
Zhu Di took a deep look at Xia Xun and couldn't help but sigh.
Xia Xun didn't seem to hear how heartbreaking Zhu Di's words were. He replied seriously: "Your Majesty, all officials are not controlled by ministers, but controlled by profit!"
Zhu Di raised his eyebrows and asked: "Controlled by profit?"
Xia Xun said: "Exactly! Tai Shigong said that the prosperity of the world is all for benefit; the earth and soil are all for benefit. The king of thousands of chariots, the prince of ten thousand families, and the king of hundreds of families are still suffering from poverty.
, and what about the people who have to make households? The opposition and approval of hundreds of officials are actually, in the final analysis, the word "profit" at work!"
Zhu Di asked: "Where is the benefit?"
Xia Xun said: "Your Majesty, you know that today's tribute trade has one disadvantage and three contradictions, which are irreconcilable!"
The anger on Zhu Di's face subsided, showing a look of surprise, and said: "You tell me!"
Xia Xun said: "The disadvantages of paying tribute have been made very clear by the ministers just now, so there is no need for me to elaborate on them, right?"
Zhu Di nodded and said, "Well, tell me, what are the three contradictions?"
Xia Xun said: "These three contradictions are the contradiction between officials and eunuchs; the contradiction between the court and local governments; and the contradiction between the royal family and wealthy families, landlords, and wealthy businessmen!"
Zhu Di leaned forward slightly and said in a deep voice: "What do you mean by this? Please explain it carefully!"
Xia Xun said: "The minister will speak frankly. Let's talk about the first contradiction first, that is, the contradiction between officials and eunuchs. The voyages to the West, the construction of ships, and the purchase of various commodities are all the responsibility of Ouchi, and the eunuchs purchase them.
, the officials have absolutely no way to get involved.
Not only are the officials unable to intervene, they also have to assist and take orders from the eunuchs. The eunuchs not only manage finances, but also lead troops. They not only lead troops, but also arrange posts, allocate corvees, and intervene in government affairs. This is called an official who takes the world as his own responsibility.
How can they endure it?
What's more, because eunuchs brought disaster to the world during the Han and Tang Dynasties, since then, all officials have always been suspicious, wary, hostile, and contemptuous of eunuchs. Seeing that the eunuchs' power is getting more and more powerful, how can they rest assured?"
Zhu Di's eyes flickered slightly, but he said nothing.
Xia Xun dared to raise this point because he knew that the so-called emperor was worried that sending ministers to sea would lead to rebellion and self-reliance, which was simply the imagination of ignorant people! To worry about this, since ancient times, eunuchs have taken power and acted arbitrarily.
Is there no such thing as an emperor? If he doesn't leave the official position, he can feel relieved if he is replaced by a eunuch? Besides, officials have families and businesses, and their families, wives and children are all in the country. Isn't it easier to control them than eunuchs?
Apart from anything else, although the leader who took the ship out to sea was a eunuch, the tens of thousands of troops he brought were followed by generals. Military generals are more likely to be ambitious than officials. If someone really wants to escape overseas and make a name for himself,
Emperor, if you only need to kill the leading eunuch with one sword, aren't those generals still self-reliant?
Furthermore, the consumption and supplies of such a huge fleet are also staggering. Without the support of the country and no supplementary personnel and armaments, it is not easy to stand on its own in a distant foreign land. This is not a reason at all.
The reason why Zhu Di used eunuchs was because when he was in trouble, many eunuchs served him and contributed their strength. He reused all the ministers and generals who were loyal to him. Naturally, he had to arrange a way out for these meritorious eunuchs. What's more, this
The matters of envoys, propaganda, and inspections were all temporary duties. Even Zhu Yuanzhang, who hated eunuchs intervening in politics the most, sent eunuchs on more than one occasion, because under Zhu Yuanzhang, although these things were prestigious, they were not
Failure to hold on to power for a long time will cause no harm.
Therefore, the reason why Zhu Di used eunuchs to send envoys was actually very simple. First, he had great trust in the eunuchs, and second, he followed the old rules of the country. Due to Zhu Di's own strength, he was confident in intimidating the officials, and in fact he did it.
Therefore, he has no idea of establishing a group of eunuchs to fight against the group of officials. This is also the basis for Xia Xun to raise this issue.
Otherwise, he would not raise this point at all, because for the higher purpose of safeguarding imperial power, economic interests can be decisively given up. This will still be the case hundreds of years later. He will not expect an emperor to do what he hopes.
s Choice.
Zhu Di tasted it for a long time, his face gradually softened, and he asked in a deep voice: "What about the second point, what is the conflict between the court and the local government?"
Xia Xun said: "Your Majesty, all officials hope to serve as an official for one term, to benefit the country, to be able to serve the king, to have good political performance, to be popular among the people, to be loved by the people, and to have a good reputation. Some officials insisted on it in the previous period.
What’s the reason for abandoning sea transportation and promoting river transportation? Isn’t it because river transportation is beneficial to the people in the cities and towns along the canals they govern or in their hometowns?
But what good does the tribute trade do to them now? When the imperial ships go to sea, everything provided by the local government is taken for granted, and even the many corvee services are free of charge. When foreign envoys come to visit, they are responsible for receiving them, which arouses resentment among the people.
Sometimes, they have to be scolded and punished. What are the benefits? Not at all. These foreign envoys deal directly with the imperial court!
Including our treasure ships going to sea, the same is true. Most of the profits go to the inner government, and the smaller half goes to the national treasury, completely bypassing the local governments. Local officials only have responsibilities and no benefits, so how can they object to it without being disgusted to the bone and reporting it to every level?"
Zhu Di's face began to look a little troubled, and he asked again: "What about the third one?"
Xia Xun said solemnly: "Third, and what worries me the most, is the conflict between the royal family and local wealthy families, landowners, and wealthy businessmen. Your Majesty, every time the imperial court goes to sea, there are countless giant ships, all like floating cities, transporting goods
, extremely profitable. As Eunuch Zheng has just said, those boatloads of spices, with dozens and hundreds of times the profit, are priceless!
But where did such a huge profit go? The inner government and the treasury! Not to mention that the imperial court did not allow them to conduct such large-scale trade. Even if it was allowed, their purchasing scale and transportation scale would be comparable to the royal family's ocean-going trade.
Is it compared to the fleet? If the procurement scale is small, their purchase cost will be high. If the transportation scale is small, the goods they have will be less.
Speaking of transportation costs, they have to bear them entirely by themselves. The goods shipped back to the country must be sold at a higher price than the goods shipped back by Zheng Gonggong. In this case, no one will buy their goods at all. How can they compete with them?
Royal competition? The emperor has issued edicts more than once, prohibiting officials from doing business and competing for profits with the people, but in this tribute trade, the royal family has become the largest official business, competing for profits with the world's wealthy families, landlords, and merchants!"
Zhu Di's body shook, but he still didn't speak.
Xia Xun's words were carefully considered. Since he made that important decision, he had thought about many funeral arrangements that needed to be made. This matter was an important issue he wanted to tell the emperor.
Historically, as soon as Zhu Di died, Zhu Gaochi, who succeeded him, ordered all treasure ships to be stopped, tribute envoys from various countries to be repatriated, and all shipbuilding at sea to be stopped. This was because Zhu Gaochi, who relied heavily on the official group and trusted the official group, was controlled by the official group, and he had no regard for the maritime policy advocated by Zhu Di.
In his first counterattack against trade, he even wanted to move the capital back to Nanjing. Zhu Gaochi was a benevolent emperor, but his entire foreign policy was restrained and Confucian-style.
Fortunately, Zhu Gaochi died early and the plan to move the capital was not implemented. After Zhu Zhanji, who was more similar to his grandfather, succeeded to the throne, the proposal to move the capital became completely impossible. Zhu Zhanji allowed Zheng He to sail to the West again, but it was only because of the official group's pressure that he allowed Zheng He to go to the West.
The pressure, scale and frequency are greatly reduced.
When Zhu Zhanji passed away and the young emperor Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne, the entire court was at the mercy of the officials. The official clique that had been patient for a long time completely broke out. They stopped all possibilities of ocean trade. After the little emperor ascended the throne, he announced
A series of edicts, the first of which was to prohibit overseas trade and navigation.
Can you imagine? In such a huge empire, the first important decree of the new king is to ban overseas trade. This has been regarded as an eyesore by the official group and cannot be tolerated for another day. It is a thorn in the heart!
Some merchants who tried to engage in foreign trade were executed. For a period of time, even learning foreign languages or teaching Chinese to foreigners were prohibited. The blueprints for building huge treasure ships and Zheng He's navigation records were deliberately destroyed, so that later generations could not even connect Zheng He.
It is not entirely clear where the fleet has been.
In the tenth year of Tianbao in the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty and other countries in the Western Regions failed in the Battle of Talas. From then on, the Chinese people lost the ability to intervene in foreign countries. Seven hundred years later, the Chinese people returned to the world's political stage through sea routes, and the Ming Empire once again became the world's hegemon. However,
In just thirty years, it rested on its laurels and withdrew its iron fist, and its harm continues to this day.
The benefits of the voyage to the West are huge. Even if its income goes to the internal government and the national treasury, it also has great benefits for the country. As Xia Xun just said, it has an impact on coastal cities and various commodity production areas.
, especially the impact of purchasing a large number of handicrafts on the vast number of handicrafts, the internal government has to sell and spend money, and the impact on the entire market...
Zheng He's seven voyages to the West did not empty the treasury and impoverish the country. On the contrary, during the Yongle period when the voyages were most frequent, the Ming Dynasty continued to launch various large-scale construction projects, including the construction of Beijing City, the construction of the Forbidden City, the construction of Changping Royal Cemetery, the construction of Wudang Mountain, and the construction of Wudang Mountain.
The Great Baoen Temple sent troops to the Northern Yuan Dynasty five times to repair the Great Wall and dredge the North-South Grand Canal, all of which were major national projects. What was the result?
The people are abundant and the government's treasures are overflowing! After stopping the Western voyages, the country has almost no major projects, but the country's finances are stretched and in trouble. In the third year of Tianshun reign of Yingzong in the Ming Dynasty, the internal officials reported: Yongle period, the state supplies are sufficient. Today's government
The treasury is empty. The internal and external yamen have spent many years building various jade palace treasure books and ceremonial gates. There is a lot of gold. The official treasury is insufficient to collect and store it. They beg for Yongle. In the year of Xuande, they asked internal and external officials to go to the West and other places to purchase..."
Huang Fu, the Minister of Industry during the Xuande period, said: "In the Yongle period, although Beijing was built, Jiaozhi was conquered in the south, and the desert was conquered in the north, there was no shortage of funds. Now there is no big expense for the country, but only the annual rations. Even if there are floods and droughts unfortunately, how can we recruit troops?
Ji?"
During the Jiajing period, the Criminal Division was strict and concise, saying: "Since Yongle changed to the Yuan Dynasty, envoys were sent out to give advice, and all the contributions came in. Strange goods and treasures, which the previous generation had hoped for, flooded the treasury and the market, and the poor were ordered to buy, or more
Get rich, and the country will be rich."
The so-called voyages to the West caused national financial difficulties are just lies and myths carefully fabricated by some people. Why is there such criticism? Because this is a royal monopoly of trade, which has cultivated a large number of officials for wealthy families, landowners, and wealthy businessmen.
There is no benefit to the middle class. If people are cut off from their financial resources, such as killing their parents, as their representatives, the official group will naturally oppose it with all their strength.
The later emperor of the Ming Dynasty was surrounded by the official clique from birth, and all the information he received was provided by the official clique. Under the constant bombardment of information accumulated by the official clique for many years, how could he still know the truth?
Only a few officials revealed a few truths, but unfortunately they could not reach heaven to hear it. Even if the emperor heard it, he would not believe it at all.
Xia Xun knew very well that in addition to its own drawbacks, the tribute trade also ran counter to the interests of the most powerful force of the entire ruling class: the official group. Instead of desperately fighting against the official group, it was better to bring them on board to share the benefits.
.In this way, through exchanges with countries around the world, their horizons can be broadened, and new ideas will be born from them.
They were once the heroes of history, and they were also the sinners of history. The hope for the future is also in their hands.
Xia Xun's words made Zhu Di a little shaken, but his thinking was still a little fixed on the glory of "tribute to all barbarians". Since the time of his father Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty has implemented a tribute trade policy. Now his voyages to the West,
It's just that the tribute trade is taken to the extreme. There is no difference in essence, but what Xia Xun said...
Seeing that he was a little moved, Xia Xun said sincerely: "Your Majesty, I have already discussed with Eunuch Zheng the benefits of opening the sea, and the disadvantages of paying tribute have also been discussed by Wu Baiguan. Is it necessary to pay tribute to open the sea? If we open the sea, we must pay tribute."
If we don’t pay tribute, wouldn’t we be able to gain benefits, eliminate disadvantages, and make everyone happy? By paying tribute, can the foreigners really be subdued?
From the tributes they contributed, from their display of power in the post house, did the emperor show any signs of sincerity? Through the ship trade, he occupied their market, took away their wealth, and used it as the clothes they wore and the utensils they used.
, all the books I read come from my Ming Dynasty, are you still afraid that he will not sincerely admire the Celestial Dynasty and serve the Emperor?"
Zhu Di was still hesitant, but when Xia Xun saw him, he said something provocative: "Does it mean that the emperor has no confidence that the Siyi Kingdom will truly serve him, so he would rather exchange favors for a false reputation?"
Zhu Di's body trembled, and his tiger eyes stared at Xia Xun with a fierce light!
Xia Xun showed no fear, and then added: "I'm just afraid that such a policy is not in line with the will of heaven and man, and the result will be...the government will be in power and the people will be there, but the government will perish and the people will perish!"
Zhu Di finally couldn't hold back his anger, stood up suddenly, slapped the imperial case hard, and shouted sternly: "Yang Xu, you are brave!"
Xia Xun was not afraid and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty inquires, and I will tell you everything I know!"
"Damn! Get out!"
"I resign!"
Xia Xun patted his butt and left. Zhu Di stood behind the imperial court, his chest heaving and furious.
When Xia Xun's figure completely disappeared at the entrance of the palace, Zhu Di's anger disappeared and he became calm.
He sat down slowly and said, "What do you think of what Yang Xu said?"
"Every sentence comes from the heart!"
Following the sound, the Sanbao eunuch flashed out from behind the screen.
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