Chapter 205 That's billions of silver! [Seeking a monthly ticket]
Although the actions of Dongchang and Jinyiwei were expected by many, such a large-scale arrest really shocked many people.
If I really want to say it, the people who felt the deepest impression were the civil and military officials. Although those officials had been taken down first due to Lu Wenyang's involvement, now they were targeting the family members of those officials.
Although except for some of the leading officials, the cruel punishment of the Nine Clan was applied, but in the final analysis, the rest of them were subordinate and rebellious. Although they were not punished by the Nine Clan, they were all executed.
Based on the marriage relationship between these officials, many of the relatives of the officials arrested this time may be their relatives.
But in the face of this situation, everyone can only watch, and no one dares to be involved in this major rebellion.
After Chu Yi issued the order, he had people sort out the results of the three divisions and prepare them for submission to the emperor for his final review.
In the remote courtyard of Dongchang, Chu Yi's figure appeared again, and Wang Zheng had already made preparations.
It can be said that since Chu Yi reminded him a few days ago, Wang Zheng has focused all his energy on understanding the data and performance of these treasure ship models.
With the guidance of many outstanding craftsmen, and Wang Zheng himself being diligent and studious, he naturally gained a better understanding of these ships.
It may not be as good as these craftsmen, but if Wang Zheng were to explain the performance of these treasure ships, he would definitely be able to speak clearly.
After glancing at Wang Zheng who was slightly excited, Chu Yi said calmly: "Take these models with you and prepare to go with this governor to meet the emperor!"
With a bit of excitement, Wang Zheng nodded respectfully towards Chu Yi and said: "Don't worry, Lord Governor, I have already prepared this."
Soon several carriages loaded these models and headed straight for the Leopard Room.
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but his eyes lit up when he saw several eunuchs carrying boxes one by one. He remembered that Chu Yi had said before that he would give him a gift. Now that he saw this scene, he naturally guessed this.
Inside the box may be the gift that Chu Yi once mentioned as a gift to himself.
Thinking of this, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but be full of curiosity and expectation, wondering what kind of gift Chu Yi would present to him.
A young eunuch placed a thick stack of files on the table, but Zhu Houzhao looked at the boxes parked outside the hall with a curious look on his face, and said to Chu Yi in front of him curiously: "Big companion
, are these the gifts you want to present to me?"
Chu Yi chuckled and said, "Your Majesty's guess is correct. These are exactly the gifts I prepared for Your Majesty."
Chu Yi said to Zhu Houzhao: "Your Majesty, you might as well guess what gift I have prepared for your Majesty?"
Zhu Houzhao pondered for a while, looked at the boxes and said, "I don't think my eldest brother would give me some gold, silver, jewelry or the like as treasures. To be honest, I really can't guess what's in this box!"
Guessing out of thin air, there is no clue at all. To be honest, Zhu Houzhao really doesn't know how to guess.
Chu Yi nodded slightly to the eunuchs, big and small, and saw the eunuchs stepping forward and opening the boxes one by one.
At this moment, Zhu Houzhao walked to the entrance of the hall, stood beside Chu Yi, and looked at the boxes that were opened one by one.
The box was opened, and all the things contained in the box were immediately visible to everyone.
In addition to Wang Zheng and others who followed Chu Yi, Gu Dayong and others, like Zhu Houzhao, also looked at the boxes curiously. When they saw the lifelike treasure ship models in the boxes, they couldn't help but wonder.
The young people opened their eyes wide with surprise on their faces.
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but take a few steps forward and walked to a box. In the box, he saw models of several large and small ships that looked like shrunken real ships. Even Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but be amazed by their sophistication.
"This... these seem to be models of ships. These ship models seem to involve all aspects. This is a fleet!"
After all, Zhu Houzhao also received a good imperial education and training. He can't say that he knows everything about astronomy and geography, but he still knows something about warships and the like.
So Zhu Hou looked at these models and judged that these should be models of a fleet.
Chu Yi nodded slightly and said with a smile: "What your Majesty said is true. These are the models of the main ships of Zheng He's treasure fleet as a gift presented to your Majesty!"
"Zheng He's fleet!"
Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he murmured.
As an emperor, how could Zhu Houzhao not know about the existence of Zheng He's fleet? It was a fleet that shocked the coast during Chengzu's time. It sailed to the West several times and spread the power of the Ming Dynasty to all directions. It is a pity that such a fleet did not
It was gradually downplayed later, so that when several emperors tried to recreate Zheng He's fleet, they found it extremely difficult due to the obstruction of some people.
Banning and opening the sea has always been a big issue. Some emperors of the Ming Dynasty supported banning the sea, while others tried to open the sea. But now, opening the sea seems to have become a taboo in the court.
It can almost be said that whenever someone wants to open the sea, they will be attacked by a group. Even the emperor will be jointly reported by the ministers, and the ancestral instructions will be given to strictly prohibit the opening of the sea.
Because he knew Chu Yi very well, when Zhu Houzhao saw these ship models, he vaguely guessed Chu Yi's purpose.
Similarly, Zhu Houzhao was also a little confused about whether to open the sea. After all, the forbidden sea seemed to be the mainstream, and there was an ancestral precept above his head, which made Zhu Houzhao even more uncertain.
There was a solemn look on his face, and it was obvious that Zhu Houzhao was weighing the gains and losses.
Chu Yi saw Zhu Houzhao's reaction in his eyes. To be honest, Chu Yi was not surprised at all that Zhu Houzhao had such a reaction. In other words, if Zhu Houzhao had no reaction at all, then he could really be said to be an unqualified emperor.
Chu Yi saluted Zhu Houzhao and said, "Your Majesty, please move. I have something to say to Your Majesty!"
Zhu Houzhao glanced at Chu Yi, nodded slightly, and directly rejected the people around him. The monarch and his ministers walked into the garden.
Except for the imperial guards in the distance, it can be said that there was not even a chamberlain around. Zhu Hou looked at Chu Yi and said solemnly: "My companion, if I am not wrong, you are presenting these ship models because you want to
I allow the sea to open!"
Chu Yi nodded and said: "What your Majesty said is true. I came here this time just to ask for your Majesty's support in opening the sea."
Zhu Houzhao looked a little worried and said: "It's just the ancestral instructions of Taizu, but I should know that there are absolutely few civil and military officials in this dynasty who will support the move to open the sea. I, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, have all thought
After crossing the sea, they were all admonished by a group of ministers and were unable to carry out the plan."
Chu Yi naturally understands these things, and it can even be said that he understands them more deeply than anyone else.
With a straight look on his face, Chu Yi looked at Zhu Houzhao and said, "Your Majesty, do you know how beneficial opening the sea is to our Ming Dynasty?"
In the eyes of many civil and military ministers, opening the sea would be a thankless effort. Apart from harm, there would be almost no benefits. Otherwise, given the wisdom of Taizu, why would the sea be banned?
To be honest, Zhu Houzhao didn't really know much about the pros and cons of opening the sea, so he looked at Chu Yi intently, wanting to hear what Chu Yi had to say.
Chu Yi said slowly: "Your Majesty, do you know why the land south of the Yangtze River is so prosperous and wealthy?"
Zhu Houzhao hesitated and said: "Does this have anything to do with the opening of the sea?"
Chu Yi chuckled and said: "It is precisely because the imperial court banned the sea that there are many maritime merchants in the coastal areas south of the Yangtze River. The benefits these merchants gain from the sea every year are beyond your Majesty's imagination."
Zhu Houzhao said in surprise: "It's not that all overseas countries are barbaric lands. What's the profit in such a barbaric land? How can those maritime merchants make huge profits?"
In Zhu Houzhao's impression, his old books all said that the Central Plains is the center of the world with its vast land and abundant resources. Outside of China, everything is a barbaric land. As for overseas, it is even more barbaric.
of savagery.
Chu Yi sneered and said: "Really? If overseas is really such a wild land, then those merchants in the south of the Yangtze River are all worth millions. Isn't it possible that all their money is blown by the strong wind?"
Chu Yi looked at Zhu Houzhao and said: "Your Majesty, you might as well think about it. During the two Song Dynasties, most of the Central Plains fell, and how did the Song Dynasty support the endless amount of coins, redundant officials, and soldiers?
There are millions of forbidden troops that need to be supported by the imperial court, but from the beginning to the end, the Song Dynasty has never worried about taxes, so what does this rely on?"
A bright light flashed in Zhu Houzhao's eyes, and he blurted out: "Sea trade, if I remember correctly, it is recorded in the history books that business was prosperous during the Song Dynasty, especially sea trade. It was through this that the Song Dynasty obtained a steady stream of taxes and revenue.
Support the huge imperial army and official system."
There was no need for Chu Yi to continue reminding him at this moment. Zhu Houzhao thought divergently and said: "Since maritime trade was very prosperous during the Song Dynasty, there is no reason why the Ming Dynasty was in ruins and the overseas lands suddenly became barren!"
Chu Yi chuckled and said: "Your Majesty, the overseas lands are not just barren lands, but treasures everywhere. Not to mention the distance, just talking about the small country of Japan, your majesty can dare to imagine that on that small island, there is a giant island called "Japan".
The silver mine of Shijian Yinshan is located, with hundreds of millions of silver reserves!"
"What!"
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but exclaimed, staring at Chu Yi with wide eyes, his face full of disbelief. If he hadn't looked at Chu Yi's solemn look, Zhu Houzhao would have doubted whether Chu Yi was in the same room.
He was kidding.
The silver reserves of some silver mines are calculated in billions. What is the concept? It is almost equivalent to the total tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty for decades.
Just thinking about that number, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but have the urge to send soldiers to seize the silver mine.
Staring at Chu Yi, Zhu Houzhao's eyes were a little red, and his voice was trembling: "Daban, you are not lying to me, are you? There are really such amazing reserves of silver mines in this world, then... those are hundreds of millions.
!”
Chu Yi was not surprised at all by Zhu Houzhao's reaction. It could even be said that Zhu Houzhao's reaction was what he expected. Not to mention Zhu Houzhao, I am afraid that anyone would be like this when they hear that a silver mine contains hundreds of millions of silver.
Zhu Houzhao is ordinary.
That is Chu Yi, how can others know what an amazing silver mine that Iwami Yinshan is, especially since Iwami Yinshan has not been discovered yet. You must know that more than ten years later, Iwami Yinshan will be discovered.
From this silver mine, millions of taels of silver are mined every year, not including the associated gold mines.
Nodding slowly, Chu Yi looked at Zhu Houzhao and said: "Your Majesty, have I ever deceived Your Majesty? What's more, I don't dare to talk nonsense about such things!"
Zhu Houzhao took a moment to digest the shock that Chu Yi had given him. He naturally knew that Chu Yi would not deceive him about this kind of thing. It was precisely because of this that Zhu Houzhao was so shocked.
There was a bit of a smile on Chu Yi's lips. Since he had already stimulated Zhu Houzhao, he wanted to make him angry again.
Chu Yi could only be heard saying slowly: "Your Majesty, do you know that there is a continent on the other side of the sea, and on that continent there are God-given seeds that can prevent our people of the Ming Dynasty from suffering from the threat of hunger, and it also contains many kinds of seeds.
Silver mines, iron mines, and gold mines can be said to be treasures everywhere.”
Chu Yi didn't lie at all. In the late Ming Dynasty, silver was almost used as currency, but hundreds of millions of people were able to use silver as currency. One can imagine how much silver there was in the country of Ming Dynasty.
However, China has been a silver-barren land since ancient times. How could it be possible to have so much silver circulating in the market based solely on its own output.
After all, almost 90% of this much silver is imported, of which Japanese silver accounts for a very small part, and the largest one is American silver.
Through overseas trade, hundreds of millions of silver continued to flow into the Ming Dynasty. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Chenggong and his son, who dominated the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty, were able to collect millions of taels of tolls every year just by collecting sea tolls. It can be seen that
During this period, how much silver flowed into the Ming Dynasty from overseas?
Although overseas silver has not flowed into the country in large quantities at the moment, it is because the Ming Dynasty was relatively stable and the effect of the sea ban was more or less still there. However, after waiting for decades, the Ming Dynasty's national power began to weaken, and Japanese pirates were rampant along the coast, and maritime merchants were in power.
There was a huge increase, overseas trade surged, and a steady stream of silver began to flow into the country.
But even so, through those maritime traders, the silver flowing into the Ming Dynasty every year was skyrocketing at an alarming rate.
If this were not the case, the land south of the Yangtze River would not be so prosperous, and Chu Yi would not be able to steal so much silver easily.
Even for the large amount of silver that was not confiscated from Lu Wenyang's house, almost half of it was profited by Lu Wenyang's crazy smuggling and overseas trade with the convenience of his own water transport governor.
