Shaowu's eighteenth year, the first day of August.
Autumn tigers are still wandering throughout the north, but the green and yellow wheat waves create a different kind of scenery, making farmers happy.
However, for Tianjin, food only accounts for 30% of the harvest. The Triangle Lake brings together the Fenghe River, the Xunhe River, and the Huitong River, making it one of the richest places in the north with water resources.
Therefore, a large amount of cotton is grown throughout Tianjin.
A large amount of water was wasted for irrigation, causing the cotton cultivation area in Tianjin to reach 80,000 acres.
It has greatly boosted the development of Tianjin's textile industry.
People are happy to grow cotton because the Tianjin government pays a two-cent local tax and selling cotton is more expensive than grain, so their income is naturally higher.
Cotton yields about two hundred kilograms per acre, while wheat is only slightly better, and the money earned when sold is doubled. Anyone who is not a fool will have a choice.
The government also values cotton.
By growing cotton, you can pay taxes, earn another amount by selling the cotton, and collect another amount by spinning it.
As a result, a dispute over water between the cotton fields and the grain fields was born, and it was very noisy.
The Tianjin government agencies can only make peace with the people and suppress them blindly.
"Sir, it's not good, we're grabbing water again!"
In the dilapidated county government office, several white servants were working hard to report. The sweat on their bodies had already soaked their clothes, which were extremely close-fitting.
"Which villages are they?"
The magistrate raised his head helplessly.
"Zhaojiacun and Lijiacun."
"Audacity."
When the county magistrate heard this, he scolded angrily and then lost his temper: "Tell them, if there are any casualties and delay the master's examination, the entire village will be drafted for corvee this winter."
"yes!"
Just when he took a breath, suddenly the master ran over:
"Dong Weng, Master Fu Zun sent a letter asking you to go to Fu City as soon as possible."
"Why?"
"I heard that His Royal Highness the King of Yue is here."
When the county magistrate heard this, he couldn't help but said: "It's such a hot day, it's time to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, why is His Royal Highness the King of Yue running around?"
He had no choice but to pack up and take a carriage to Tianjin Fucheng.
When he rushed to Fucheng, the magistrates of the counties under Tianjin also came in a hurry.
After waiting for a long time, I met His Royal Highness the King of Yue at the government office.
The King of Yue, who was only seventeen years old, had developed some courage in the past few months while observing politics in the Eight Departments. He held his head high and sat down directly:
"Everyone, please sit down!"
"yes!"
There were more than a dozen officials, large and small, standing close to each other's buttocks, looking at the prince cautiously.
"I think you may not be able to speculate on my intention at this time."
The King of Yue said casually with a smile on his face.
The magistrate had an awkward smile on his face: "The king's thoughts are not something that I can figure out."
"I won't hide it from you either."
The King of Yue ignored him and looked directly at the crowd and said: "Tianjin government will pay 1.3 million yuan in taxes this summer and 600,000 yuan in grain."
"There's no adulteration here? No harsh treatment of the people?"
"Or is this a real tax from Tianjin government?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone's expressions changed drastically.
Is it wrong to pay too much tax?
"Don't make blind guesses."
The corners of Yue Wang's lips curled up, it felt so good to control people's hearts.
"The annual tax of Suzhou Prefecture is 5 million yuan, and Songjiang Prefecture is 6 million yuan. This amount of money in Tianjin is nothing."
"I came to Tianjin just to verify it and find out if it is true or false or if there is anything hidden."
These words made them feel relieved.
The prefect of Tianjin interjected: "Your Majesty, how much taxes are there now? Isn't it collected by the Ministry of Finance?"
"Hucao in the county can only save money, but not collect taxes."
The Ministry of Finance set up tax departments in various prefectures and counties, directly hired people to collect taxes, and then divided the taxes according to 30:7, and directly handed over the taxes belonging to the local yamen to them, and the remainder was sent to the capital.
Therefore, the prefect is right, the local government cannot interfere with taxation.
In response, the King of Yue straightened up, looked at the prefect, and said with a chuckle: "Of course it is, but the tax receipts collected by the tax department are measured by your county government."
"If you transfer more or less, it's a lot of money."
The local government measures the land and prepares a yellow book, and then each township pays taxes based on the book.
Although tax departments are located in all major provinces, if the matter of land statistics is to be handed over to them, the number of tax departments, which is five to six thousand, will need to be increased at least seven to eight times.
As soon as he said this, everyone's expressions did not change, but their eyes were no longer right.
"Forget it, I'll just tell you!"
Seeing that these people were finally serious, the King of Yue became more and more relaxed. He said casually: "Someone talked about Tianjin Prefecture and changed the language from wheat to cotton. A large amount of river water was used in the cotton fields, but there was no dripping water in the wheat fields."
"You know, food is the most important thing for the people. Tianjin Prefecture's food must not only be used for its own use, but also supplied to the capital. Nowadays, the food is getting less and less year by year. How is this inappropriate?"
Farming is the foundation, food comes first.
Although the court and the emperor ate rice from the south, the food of Tianjin Prefecture involved the food of the people in the capital, and had to be taken seriously.
Of course, in this era, someone from above had to convey it, otherwise how would the censor know?
The fight for water in the cotton fields became more and more intense, and some people in the Tianjin Prefecture mobilized their connections in the Xiang Party, thus alarming the censor.
When the censors heard about the incident, they naturally started to impeach the emperor on this issue.
Because it involves a consensus that has existed for thousands of years: food comes first.
Taxation is less important.
The words fell silent.
But it made a big splash in everyone's heart.
Cotton is related to taxes, and it also involves an obscure chain of interests that cannot be easily moved.
For example, if local cotton is lost, Tianjin's textile industry will lose a supplement, and its interests will naturally suffer.
"Is the imperial court going to change the cotton fields?" the prefect asked cautiously.
"I have this plan."
The King of Yue tapped his fingers on the table: "Not only in Tianjin, but also in the fields near Gyeonggi Province, cotton is basically grown."
"The imperial court in Shuntian Prefecture, Tianjin Prefecture, and even Hebei Prefecture mainly focused on collecting grain, and the purpose was naturally to supply the capital."
When he said this, his eyes narrowed and his voice was sonorous and powerful: "The capital is greater than everything else."
All the officials were silent.
This sentence is very reasonable.
To be honest, even if the entire Tianjin Prefecture starved to death, as long as the capital was stable, this price would be easily accepted.
"After this autumn, when cotton picking is over, I want all cotton fields to be destroyed."
The calm voice of the King of Yue sounded, making all the officials confused:
"I, the king, will personally supervise the handling, so you can take care of yourself."
After seeing him leave, all the officials started discussing.
"Tianjin produces more than 100,000 bales of cotton a year, which affects the livelihood of tens of thousands of people and the operation of hundreds of factories..."
"Once these cotton fields are destroyed, the consequences will be disastrous."
"I'm afraid the tax (small purse) looks ugly——"
After discussing it for more than half an hour, everyone had to admit that it was really a good move for the emperor to send the king of Yue.
How could this young and energetic king be bribed by them?
It’s hard to do all the things in the lake.
At this time of being unable to do anything, Tianjin's cotton spinning industry had to usher in reforms: importing a large amount of cotton from Shandong and Jiangnan.
Cheap local cotton can no longer be used and can only be imported from other provinces.
Cotton prices, which had dropped somewhat, rose again.
Cotton cloth in the capital also rose in response.
Many people who were preparing their winter clothes could not help but curse.
At the same time, grain prices in Beijing and Tianjin also dropped slightly.
…
At this time, in Mindanao.
After the King of Qi arrived, he ordered it to be Anhai Island.
The capital of Qi State was Linzi.
With the arrival of King Qi, the city seemed to become more and more prosperous, with a large population and a bustling atmosphere.
But the king had no intention of admiring the prosperity of the city. Instead, he rode a horse and quickly came to the port, staring at a ship at the port.
As time went by, more and more ships gradually filled the harbor.
"Foreign minister, the Luzon Navy guerrillas Ma Ying and comes to see the king."
On the largest flagship, the sun and moon flag was hoisted and fluttering in the wind. After docking, a big man with a dark face and a straight waist came down.
I saw him wearing a military robe and carrying a sword. When he saw King Qi wearing a python robe, he immediately took a few steps forward and knelt down straight.
"Thank you for your hard work, General Ma."
King Qi laughed: "General, we are waiting for the rain!"
The Luzon Navy is responsible for protecting the Nanyang routes, the Luzon Governor's Palace, and the protection of the Qi State, so it is large in scale.
According to statistics, there is one large ship with 3,000 materials, seven ships with 1,000 materials and above, and the rest are all sea-going ships with 800 materials.
The total number reached three thousand.
In the entire Southeast Asia, second only to the Dutch, they can be said to be powerful.
Luzon's annual water maintenance project alone costs more than 100,000 yuan, which is a huge sacrifice.
But with the emperor's words, the Luzon Navy must obey the instructions of King Qi and attack the Sulu Kingdom.
"Your Majesty, the flagship is a large ship with three thousand materials, named Jiaolong, which travels throughout the South China Sea."
Ma Ying smiled and led the way while bowing to explain:
"There are a total of sixty-eight cannons on the upper and lower decks, carrying more than five hundred sailors. It is like the Dragon King of Kai, unrivaled."
"Now the foreign minister has not only brought the Jiaolong, but also thirty large and small warships and two thousand soldiers. No one in Nanyang dares to provoke him except the Dutch."
"In addition, the Luzon Governor's Palace has also requisitioned twenty merchant ships, which can carry three thousand troops and horses..."
"nice."
King Qi nodded and looked at the deck, which was wide enough for a horse to race on. He was extremely satisfied.
Our country, Qi, will one day have so many ships.
After getting off the boat, King Qi said with a smile: "Although Linzi City is not as good as Luzon, it has become somewhat popular in recent years. Drinks and clothes can really supplement it."
"If you like to eat fruits, the sugar cane here is pretty good."
Ma Ying smiled, complimented a few words, and immediately returned to the boat:
"Tell everyone that no one is allowed to disembark except to replenish supplies. Anyone who violates the order will be dealt with according to military law."
"Follow orders——"
Looking at Linzi City in the distance, with the tall city walls looming, he couldn't help but mutter:
"The State of Qi is also growing sugar cane, and it looks like the Sugar House has another rival."
Although there is a group of islands separating Luzon and Qi, the similarities are too high.
With the same island climate, tropical humidity, and the same abundance of mountains and few plains, competition naturally exists.
He is in Luzon, but he has a lot of sugar cane plantations, and there are also sugar houses. The drop in sugar prices will affect his income.
"You Dan, you still need help."
Ma Ying sighed.
The next day, two thousand Qi troops who were fully prepared boarded the ship.
The man who commanded this army of land and water was the King of Qi.
Standing on the deck, the sea breeze blew against his face, and the salty taste lingered on his lips. After a while, his entire face became dry and took away the moisture.
But he was ambitious.
The war to destroy the country.
Even if it is a small country, it can still increase his prestige as a king.
"Your Majesty——" Ma Ying came over and said respectfully.
"General Ma, as the saying goes, if you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger." King Qi said solemnly:
"The situation in Sulu Country is very complicated..."
It turns out that the entire Sulu Kingdom is one country on the surface, but is actually divided into three parts.
East King in Sulu Islands, Tun King in Palawan, and West King in Sabah (Malaysia).
Therefore, in the Ming Dynasty, fifteen qualified trade certificates were issued, but there were only three in Sulu.
In fact, these are three countries.
Therefore, Qi State only captured the Eastern King near Mindanao this time.
"Under the Dongwang, there are three main islands, Hele on the main island, Basilan on the largest island, and Bangao on the far west."
"There are only twenty to thirty thousand people on Hele Island, and there are more than a thousand soldiers and horses..."
"And the people belonging to King Dong also number in the tens of thousands."
"So, you only won these two kings this time?"
Ma Ying asked.
"That's right." King Qi said simply: "The Western King of Sabah is located on Borneo. In addition to Bo Ni, the Dutch have also established a stronghold on it."
"It's not the right time to play against the Dutch."
Ma Ying thought to himself, King Qi knows how to advance and retreat.
Soon, after walking for a long time, the ship arrived at Hele Island and arrived at Hele City.
Surprisingly, this is a city.
It is more than two feet high. Although it is made of compacted mud, it can be regarded as a strong city.
Trenches were even dug outside the city to eliminate the barbaric image.
"Oh? These natives do have some skills."
Ma Ying chuckled. Although his tone was contemptuous, there was a hint of solemnity in his eyes.
King Qi casually said: "According to the information I have gathered, Sulu has faced Spanish invasions many times. Although there are fewer of them on Dongwang's side, there are still necessary defenses."
In Hele City, the Sultan was enjoying the delicacies of beauties when he suddenly received news of the invasion of foreign enemies.
"The red-haired ghost is here again?"
He was shocked.
"No, it seems to be Akito."
"No matter who it is, follow me to defend the city, and send all the muskets down——"
Years of war with Spain have made Sulu progress rapidly and it can now use muskets.
"Boom——"
Unfortunately, under the attack of several artillery pieces, Tucheng persisted for less than an hour before it collapsed.
The entire palace was already revealed in front of King Qi.
"Taking this city means taking down the Eastern Kingdom."
King Qi smiled and said.
After resting for two days and leaving hundreds of people to guard it, the fleet headed north again to attack the King of Dong in Palawan Island.
This time it was crisp and clean again.
King Qi thought, King Xi must be a tough guy, so he should save it for later.
After capturing these two countries, Qi benefited greatly.
Among them, there are about 300 households of carpenters, 50 households of blacksmiths, and many brewers, pottery makers, and weavers.
For Qi, these technical talents are the most important and scarce.
Specialty products such as sappan wood, cardamom, alfalfa, rattan, pipe pepper, etc. can also be exported in exchange for money.