The first naval escort of the imperial court set out from Guangzhou.
Guangzhou is the largest port in the country and should also be the largest port in this era.
Due to the imperial edict, there are only merchant ships returning this year and no merchant ships going out to sea.
Basically all maritime merchants have connections with the court officials. This is not the past. Now the officials have absolute authority, and the court's way of discussing matters has also changed.
The imperial court is no longer the noisy and noisy court that settled matters, nor is it a court that can be fooled casually.
Regardless of the fact that it was a voyage, it was far away from the court. A royal bank was enough to clearly show the merchants' dealings with the court. However, the merchants were already accustomed to this kind of transaction. Even if the maritime merchants did not want to do this, they still had to pay for imported goods.
Trading with land merchants...~
What's more, most of the people that HNA relies on, or whose family members and nephews are officials, are more or less involved in the industries of the country. These industries are not only the income from inland trade, but also the source of goods going overseas.
No one was worried about offending the court, so they immediately broke off the deal.
At this time, the trading volume of new items from the imperial dynasty was almost equal to that of traditional silk and porcelain, and was still increasing year by year.
Who can afford it?
The supervisory offices of the imperial dynasty were not only in the state capital, but also in Shibo Temple. It was difficult for merchants to make a fuss in both the state capital and Shibo Temple at the same time.
The transfer of officials in the imperial court, the local prefectures, the Shibo Department and the Shiyi Temple are all at different time points.
If maritime merchants want to be cunning in the entire transaction, they must open up all the joints between these three parties... Now they are basically eliminated.
Therefore, when the imperial navy escorts the expedition this time, the whole country's maritime merchants have been eagerly waiting for it...~ They have been waiting for almost a year.
"Mr. Lu Ge, the trade wind has risen and the troops have gathered. It's time to set sail."
"That's right, Mr. Lu Ge, we and other sea merchants follow the imperial order and dare not go to sea for a year. If we go to sea, we must contribute to the pirates, which is against the imperial order. But if we don't go to sea, we can support a large family..."
"Mr. Lu Ge, we have been looking forward to the stars and the moon, and finally we have arrived at the imperial convoy. Who would make friends with pirates if we have no choice? We firmly support the imperial court..."
Lu Gongzhu was surrounded by a group of businessmen, including those who talked about difficulties, expressed their loyalty, and sang high-profile stories.
No one expected that the official family would send Lu Gongzhu to preside over the naval expedition.
Zhang Dun knew he had no hope, so he didn't dare to think about it in the first place.
The Zhang family in Quanzhou is a big family. In the early years, due to Zhang Dun's unruly nature, the relationship with the family was not good.
But as Zhang Dun's status rose, he even reached a position that had never been reached by the Zhang family in previous generations...
Clan is the foundation and this cannot be changed.
The Zhang family in Quanzhou was also a famous maritime merchant. Considering avoiding suspicion, Zhang Dun knew that he would not be able to lead the naval expedition.
The imperial court thought that the official would appoint Wang Shao, but no one expected that it would be Lu Gong.
It doesn't matter what you think about letting the Northerners dominate the navy.
Lu Gongzhu also knew his shortcomings, so after arriving in Guangzhou, he was not in a hurry to go to war.
Therefore, for several days in a row, we were surrounded by these merchants, forcing us to set sail.
"Don't be anxious, gentlemen. When you go to sea, you will not travel in a hurry. The imperial navy's mission to escort is not only to covet your escort expenses, but also to ensure the safety of your shipping."
"When you go to sea, some go to Goryeo and Fusang, some go to Persia for food, and some sail to Kunlunnu and other places. Isn't it necessary for the public to arrange troops for you reasonably?"
"For example, how long is the route to Korea? What is the probability of encountering pirates? How many escort warships should be sent, how many soldiers should be sent? Wait, this all requires planning."
"I would like to assure you that I will not delay your plans to go overseas this year. Please be patient and don't be impatient."
For the imperial court, the main purpose of naval escort was to train the team, and the other was to find out the route. The most important thing was that the official asked Lu Gong to calculate whether the escort and the navy could be balanced.
The imperial court also discussed this matter, and even suggested that the navy should escort the ship and carry cargo at the same time to protect the ship.
The officials refused, and the army should have the same look as the army. If the navy could carry goods for trade, there would be no way to prevent the new army from doing the same thing. In the end, the entire dynasty's army would be destroyed.
Lu Gongzhu deeply agreed.
The official sent him to lead the naval expedition this time in order to let him know whether the escort could support the navy, so that the court could decide whether it needed to make additional contributions from the court.
In the past few days, Lu Gongzhu has read through the accounts of the Shibo Department over the years, and in accordance with the official authorization, contacted the Imperial City Department, and at the same time sent people to inquire in the market.
"Mr. Ge, based on the calculation of the goods and merchants sent out to sea this time, the merchants' expenses for the escort can not only meet the daily expenses of the navy, but there will even be a surplus."
Lu Gongzhuo did not know much about shipping, but the court did not lack such talents.
Fan Ziyuan is an expert who travels with you.
"This time, we have accumulated a year's worth of merchants who have gone to sea. It is considered an explosion. We cannot count the whole year based on this escort."
Lu Gongzhu also probably calculated the benefits of escorting. However, judging from the intelligence compiled these days, it is true that the majority of merchants have not gone to sea for a year.
"Mr. Ge, sea trade is different from land trade. Merchants who sail on long voyages may only go to sea once a year."
"Even for transactions with Goryeo, Fusang, Chenla, Champa and other places, we rarely go to sea more than twice a year."
"The so-called difference is nothing more than concentration and decentralization. In fact, there won't be much difference in the number of goods, ships, routes and merchants going to sea."
"In addition, the navy's expedition starts from Guangzhou, and the escort after going to sea is not limited to the merchant ships going to sea from Guangzhou. Maritime merchants from Quanzhou, Mingzhou and even Dengzhou to the south also need escort."
Fan Ziyuan knew more about shipping than Lu Gongzhu did.
"Can the merchant ships going out to sea from Quanzhou, Mingzhou and other places arrange escort troops?"
"Go back to the pavilion, I will make arrangements for you. In the past few days, the Municipal Shipping Department and the Imperial City Department have reported back the merchant ships that went to sea from Quanzhou, Mingzhou and other places, and I have made proper arrangements according to the regulations."
"Ziyuan, do you think it's time to go on an expedition?"
"Back to the pavilion, except for the accident after going to sea, I think that everything is ready and we can go to sea!"
It's not that Mr. Lu was being cautious. This was the first time for the navy of the country, and he only half understood it, so he had to be cautious.
At the very least, he must straighten out all the matters before the expedition. As for after going to sea...~that is not something he can control. Even a veteran who has been doing shipping for many years is not sure that everything will be smooth sailing.
The eighth day of the second lunar month, Jiaxu day, is an auspicious day.
On this day, the entire city of Guangzhou was almost deserted, and all of them were concentrated at the port.
At the mouth of the Pearl River, rows of ships lined up on both sides, and the mighty imperial warships slowly moved out from the middle...～
On this day, the Navy of the Song Dynasty set out to escort the sea for the first time.