Chapter 141 Ming Dynasty, was choked by fate
"Invest?" Zhu Yijun looked at Antonio and said: "Prince, why do you get my investment? And you have already got King Franji With the investment of Felipe II, he is the king who established the empire on which the sun never sets. My territory is only limited to the land. Oh, there is an extra Luzon recently. "
Zhu Yijun said this. At that time, the courtiers of the Ming Dynasty all looked solemn. The Empire on which the Sun Never Sets was undoubtedly an achievement, or a title that was great enough, but the supreme emperor and son of heaven were actually outshined by other kings.
The emperor of the Central Plains Dynasty, in the known world, who can be more majestic than the emperor?
Now this title appeared in front of the courtiers of the Ming Dynasty, that is, the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets.
Broken!
Zhang Juzheng's breathing became rapid. During the frequent exchanges with Hongmao Fan, the chief minister of the empire realized a very serious problem, and the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty was challenged.
Although the land in the whole world is vast, it is not a royal land without a foot. On the shore of Litu, although there are many people there, there is not a single citizen who is not a minister of the king.
This is the emperor’s law and destiny!
In an imperial country, there are only two ways to challenge the etiquette and law, either to win this title, or not to know this title, but now this title has come out from the mouth of His Majesty the Emperor, and His Majesty the Emperor clearly knows the meaning of this title.
There is a globe in the side hall of His Majesty's Wenhua Palace. The meaning of the empire is that the sun never sets, which means that the sun will always shine on the territory of the empire.
But Zhang Juzheng thought about it and realized that this did not seem to be a problem. The ancestors of the Ming Dynasty brought all the known world under the Ming Dynasty, at least in name. Even the Japanese state was canonized by the Ming Dynasty. King - Muromachi Shogunate.
Now at least one target appears in front of the Great Tomorrow Son.
At least he must win this title in order to maintain his supreme authority as the emperor.
"Felipe II is also my opponent." Antonio said helplessly: "I found many people and described my plan, but no one was willing to help me. They only knew Laughing at the huge difference between my ambition and strength, only Felipe II is willing to be my relative and find something for me to do, just like now, be a captain and don't cause him any trouble. "
Finding investors is a very difficult and painful thing for Antonio, especially for someone like him, an illegitimate son who only has the support of civilians and almost no one will approve of it. He inherited the throne, and no one expected him to inherit the throne.
The current King Enrique I of Portugal is the uncle of King Felipe II of Spain, which means that Felipe II is also the legal heir to the throne of Portugal.
The Duke of Savoy, who controls the military, and the Duke of Parma, who controls the religion, in the Kingdom of Portugal, are very supportive of Felipe II's succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Portugal.
If we measure the gap between Antonio and Felipe II based on the Ming Dynasty's usual rhetoric, it is a huge difference.
In terms of military, economy, culture, and politics, Felipe II is a natural protagonist. He is strong enough and has the support of the vast majority of nobles. Antonio only has the support of civilians.
How powerful is Antonio's opponent Felipe II? Felipe II could declare bankruptcy.
Declaring bankruptcy when you can't repay your debts allows you to put down old debts and borrow new ones. And he has done this twice. The creditors who lent him money must borrow again. To Felipe II.
Antonio has been looking for his investors, but in the end he only found Felipe II as his ship owner. Felipe II was showing a kind of kindness. If Antonio is obedient enough, he can Let Antonio become a rich man instead of killing Antonio.
“You are honest, but honesty does not impress investors.” Zhu Yijun shook his head. If Antonio had a high-quality project, it would not be his turn as the far-off Ming Emperor to invest. There is never a lack of investment in the world. Careers and speculators.
Money is money, money doesn’t lie.
Antonio was also a little frustrated, but he still had to give the gift that should be given. He bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, I have a second gift to give."
"The territory of the Ming Dynasty is very vast, and the population is so large that the entire Western Europe combined is less than one-fifth of the population of the Ming Dynasty. This is a huge ethnic group, and it is also a huge market. I own some plantings in the South China Sea of the Ming Dynasty. There is a kind of material in the garden that Ming Dynasty needs. Its name is palm oil. "
"Palm trees from West Africa can be used to squeeze oil. This is my second gift, oil. . "
Zhu Yijun looked at Antonio, then at the bowl of oil with a clear color, and said with great conviction: "Prince, I suddenly understand why you are supported by almost all civilians. , it is not a treasure that cannot be eaten by the hungry or cannot be clothed by the cold. You are worthy of the support of the common people.” But cheap pearls and jade should not be considered as useless or harmful.
Palm oil is indeed not delicious, but one pound of flour and six ounces of oil has 350 calories per 100g of starch, while 100g of palm oil has 900 calories. One pound of sixteen ounces, one pound of oil = 2.5714 pounds. starch.
Antonio continued: "Thank you for your compliments. There are many people in Ming Dynasty, more than the whole of Taixi combined. The land in Ming Dynasty is very small but not very much. Because I can see their hunger, so I For His Majesty, the product can give birth to His people.”
“I have another gift to give. I believe that His Majesty will be very interested in it.”
Two small yellow doors carried a box, and Antonio opened the box and said very sincerely: "Your Majesty, this is a strange thing. Its name is sucrose, a red-brown sugar cube."
"Like palm oil, it can keep out hunger, hungry commoners, always a headache for the king, when they gather together, either kill them or turn them into thugs, so, I They brought sugar cubes, a kind of lump sugar, which is delicious and can fill the stomach. "
"Sugar has become popular in the whole Thai world, and sweets such as preserved fruits, sweet cookies, and candied fruits have become the most popular food in the country. It was such an important feature of the royal families of various countries that monarchs appointed officials specifically in charge of the candy department. This official also needed to be skilled in preparing various sweets for the royal table. During the meal, the servants had to learn when and how to use sugar. . ”
“In England, for example, sugar is used as a sauce for partridges and pheasants, or sprinkled on grilled herrings, and special cutlery is designed to serve the goo. The sugar slides smoothly into the mouth."
"In France, sugar can add sweetness to dishes, preserve fruits and vegetables, and make sugar sculpture decorations and models."
"Sugar sculptures, In the West, it is a display and display of power, wealth and status.”
Those who sell laughter cannot outsell those who sell medicine, and those who sell medicine cannot outsell those who sell sugar. Sugar sales have always been a huge profit industry. , Antonio would have the ambition to compete with Felipe II, who was unrivaled in the entire West.
During his many years of sailing, Antonio obtained a large amount of money and almost countless plantations. Due to the widespread use of agricultural tools such as black rice, the cost of these things was roughly the same as the freight.
Due to eating a lot of sugar, the royal families of the Western and Western countries suffered from serious oral diseases, such as tooth erosion, missing teeth, gum disease, oral cavity collapse and even disfigurement. and obesity.
"How much? How much palm oil and sugar cubes can be brought in a year?" Zhu Yijun looked at the bowl of palm oil. As Antonio said, the Ming Dynasty did not have extra land to plant palm trees, sugar cane and sugar beets. , the Ming Dynasty had too many people and too little land, and a large amount of these lands were in the hands of powerful gentry.
This time Antonio’s gift also included a variety of seeds. Antonio wishfully believed that these seeds would make the Ming Emperor happy. In fact, Antonio did it. The Ming Dynasty really needed these. The little emperor recognized Antonio's reverence very much.
Antonio bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, palm oil and sugar cubes are all packed in a large barrel. This barrel is about 20 French liters. Each barrel is one ton, which is equivalent to the Ming Dynasty. A pound is 1,700 pounds per barrel, and I can guarantee 20,000 barrels of palm oil and 30,000 barrels of sugar cubes every year.”
The ton tax requested by Legaz does not depend on the type of goods, but is based on the amount on the ship. The number of barrels is taxed.
The unit of ton, in the third year of Wanli, was the same unit of volume as the Daming Stone. It represented a barrel that could hold 20 liters or 34 cubic feet or 252 gallons. One hundred tons was A hundred such barrels can be placed.
In the West, the tax on ships is the Venetian bushel tonnage tax, which means that no matter what is loaded, it is levied according to the size of the ship. The most typical one is the flat bottom that transports coal from the upper reaches of the Tyne River in England to the downstream outlet. Boat, twopence for every chartron's coal.
“Very good.” Zhu Yijun agreed very much with the number that could arrive in Hong Kong.
"Then the exclusive rights of Liuli will be handed over to the prince." Zhu Yijun planned to end this gift event. All Antonio's actions were business activities, and those seeds were Antonio's gift.
"I think I may need more help." Antonio said still impatiently.
Zhu Yijun said calmly: "That requires more chips. The seeds you donated are indeed very precious, but your purpose is for trade and to open up a new market. The scale of production and sales of things has reached saturation, and the development of your plantation has come to a standstill. You need a huge market to continue to expand your business.”
“This is mutually beneficial. The thing is, this is just a transaction, and you hope that the transaction can gain my support for you. This is a kind of greed."
Zhu Yijun's logic is extremely clear, and Antonio's seed is indeed an excellent one. It was a gift, so Zhu Yijun rewarded him with the franchise of Huangzhuang Glazed Ware, but the rest was all business and mutual benefit, so why should he need more preferential treatment?
"Your Majesty has misunderstood. I am not so greedy. I have a new gift to offer." Antonio gritted his teeth and said, why is the little emperor more like a businessman than him? Aren’t they the most important thing to care about?
The royal families in the West are so poor that they have to wear silk. Those nobles would rather go bankrupt to maintain their dignity, but he did not see any decent behavior from the most noble people in the world. , every word is for profit, every time Antonio speaks, he will fall into a terrifying illusion that he is making a deal with the devil.
That was not an illusion, there was indeed a demon in front of Antonio.
Zhu Yijun said with a smile: "Don't take it out first. I need to know what you want first. If I can't give you something, such as land, people, tariff exemption, etc. Product franchise. "
"My palace is indeed majestic. You do see the solemnity and solemnity. It seems that I am omnipotent. I can do anything with just one word. In fact, you misunderstand. But there are very few things that I can decide on. The imperial palace’s glassware is one of the few things that I can decide on my own.”
“Then you’d better not take it out, otherwise the officials of the empire will. Take those gifts from you ”
When Zhang Juzheng heard what the little emperor said, he stood out and bowed his head and said: "I am ashamed."
In an empire with a system designed based on the emperor, the emperor could only manage one-third of his own land. This was a violation of imperial power. trampled upon, but this is indeed the case now.
"Sir, you are joking too." Zhu Yijun smiled and waved his hand and said, it is impossible for another chief assistant to do better than Zhang Juzheng. If he changes to the first assistant, it will be even more difficult for orphans and widowers.
Antonio clenched his fists and said: "I hope to obtain weapons, armor, artillery, muskets, crossbows, long and short soldiers, etc. I need weapons to fight against Felipe II." "Why don't you just go directly? You want a regiment of 20,000 people? I can pack it up and send it to you, but you don’t have professional soldiers anyway." Zhu Yijun sneered, Antonio was really greedy.
"That's better." Antonio's eyes lit up, and Zhu Yijun's eyes darkened, telling himself that this was a cultural difference. Zhu Yijun asked in return, and Antonio took it as a suggestion.
"The Hong Mao Fan is part of the Ming pirates. I can't sell you weapons because you can't guarantee where these weapons will end up, so let's go here." Zhu Yijun said this time To put it bluntly, every feather arrow sold by Zhu Yijun may hit Daming's head.
Before the Ming Dynasty’s maritime patrol and coastal defense systems were established, weapons would not be sold as commodities.
"My conditions will definitely make His Majesty interested in investing in me." Antonio said eagerly.
Zhu Yijun shook his head and said: "That way you will die faster. Felipe II will write a special letter to express his sorrow for your death and express his gratitude to me. After all, I He got rid of a trouble for him. Wasn't the fall of Constantinople, the holy city in Tessie's mind, just to kill the last contender for the throne? "
"It is fitting for any of my sons, chosen by God to be the Sultan of the Empire, to kill his brothers for the sake of a better world order. This is the famous saying of Fatih."
Othman The empire's inheritance law is the Guards inheritance system. Whoever can kill other heirs to the throne will be the only king. Whoever controls the Ottoman Empire's Guards will control the throne. In other words, whoever the Guards makes king will be the king.
The Ottoman Empire is the biggest enemy of the entire West. In order to show the difference with the Ottoman Kingdom, Felipe II could not kill Antonio, but Antonio died in the Ming Dynasty. Felipe II would only express regret and gratitude. , this is a trouble, neither a big nor a small trouble.
"I have no other choice." Antonio said helplessly: "Your Majesty, I guarantee that these weapons will be sent to the West and will not stay in the far east and cause trouble to Your Majesty, otherwise , How can I bring a large sailing ship here to trade?"
"Tell me about your gift." Zhu Yijun thought for a while and finally let go.
Antonio bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty seems to have built a maritime school in Songjiang Prefecture, but as far as I know, your Majesty still has not solved some voyage problems, and I have brought a solution."
< br> "To be more precise, they are some books. These books can solve your Majesty's troubles. This is my respect. With the greatness of the Ming Dynasty, even if I am far away in Taixi, once I betray your respected Majesty, I can't seem to escape." Your Majesty’s punishment.”
Legas’ whole face changed. In all the previous incidents, Legas had the attitude of watching the excitement. An illegitimate son had to fight against the powerful Felipe II. It was a very interesting thing, and Legas was enjoying it. When Antonio mentioned the book about the voyage, Legas' expression finally changed.
Damn the businessman Antonio! He had no idea what he was giving out. It was more than a hundred years of great navigation experience. This damn businessman actually gave out such an expensive gift for the sake of the throne!
"We are just trading, not betrayal, let's see." Zhu Yijun motioned to Antonio to take out his chips.
Soon a large box appeared in front of Zhu Yijun. Zhu Yijun opened it and took a look. He had already learned Latin and it was not difficult to understand. Just like the old case of "Zheng He's Mission to Water", the books in this box were, It is something that Ming Dynasty urgently needs.
For example, in this box, there is a map "Star Map of the Northern and Southern Sphere", which records a large number of stars that can only be seen in the southern hemisphere. In addition to the nautical chart, there are also experiences from the voyage. For example, spirits mixed with water, scurvy, etc., recorded the customs and customs of many places, including concentrated production areas of cocoa beans, coffee, sugar cane, etc.
Zhu Yijun looked at Antonio and said: "If I see it, I can't lose it. You are a stupid and smart businessman. At the same time, you know the Ming Dynasty very well and know that it will be more troublesome if you tell it in advance."< br>
“I’m in a difficult position.”
Antonio knows the Ming Empire very well, because Fireman Yasan and the Palace Pharmacist once lived in the Ming Dynasty for a long time and brought the top-level thinking patterns of the Ming Dynasty back to Portugal. The Portuguese living in Haojing continued to send back news about the lower levels of the Ming Dynasty. These news were one-sided and scattered, but they were indeed very accurate news.
The Ming Dynasty had been in contact with Portugal for longer than with Spain.
In the eighth year of Zhengde, the Portuguese businessman Jorge began to contact the Ming Dynasty. Counting from the beginning, the Ming Dynasty and Portugal have been doing business for sixty-two years.
Antonio is stupid because he showed his trump card. It is a big taboo to show his trump card when doing business. Similarly, Antonio is smart because he was taking risks and knew that the Ming Emperor was because of etiquette. When he puts these chips in front of the emperor, not only will he not die, but he will also get a response.
"Your Excellency, please wish us a happy cooperation." Zhu Yijun finally made the decision.
Antonio knelt on the ground respectfully and said obediently: "Thank you for your generosity, your majesty. Thank you for your kindness."
The latter sentence was spoken by Antonio in extremely unfamiliar Chinese. Zhu Yijun, on behalf of the empire, agreed to Antonio's request to purchase Ming weapons.
Antonio and Legas left the Wenhua Palace, and the courtiers all looked at Zhang Juzheng.
Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said: "Today's court meeting is exempted. I will have a chat with you sir."
"I will leave." Ministers, look at me and I will look at you. , left the Wenhua Palace, everyone was talking about it on the way.
"Sir, I am in charge of the country, but I agreed to Antonio's request." Zhu Yijun said with a little emotion: "Sir, you won't be angry."
Zhang Juzheng was stunned and said with a frown. : "Your Majesty, do you mean to let me go to the Meridian Gate to behead myself, or to hit the pillar?"
Why don't you go back and eat a pound of arsenic? It won't be so miserable when you die like this, at least your head won't be dislocated.
"Aren't you angry, sir?" Zhu Yijun asked in surprise.
Zhang Juzheng said quite accurately: "I am the late emperor's minister Tuogu, and I am your majesty's teacher of banquets. However, I am also your majesty's minister. Your majesty has exclusive authority. Even if you say hell, I can't oppose your majesty." "
Zhu Yijun looked at the curtain rolling in the autumn wind, and said slightly absently: "The New Deal, sir, is the first mate of the New Deal, and I am the captain of the New Deal, so what about our New Deal? What power drives the boat forward? ”
"I thought it was grain and silver, what do you think, sir?"
"Without silver, Ming Dynasty's department stores will lose their ability to circulate. Without grain, Ming Dynasty will lose everything."
< br>"It is true that Antonio and the Red Mao Fans now bring a large amount of grain and silver to the Ming Dynasty for sale, but whether it is active or passive, once we lose the silver brought by the Hong Mao Fans, then the New Deal will become useless. To continue, this feeling of leaving your destiny to others is as helpless as being strangled by someone's hands."
"We now have the advantage of commodities, but our Chinese silk fabrics and musk. After shipping pearls, pearls, etc. to Malacca, they can go around the Cape of Good Hope and send them to the West, which can make thirty times the profit. We have everything, but the route is not in our hands. As long as Felipe II makes a slight effort, we can let him. I can't breathe."
Zhang Juzheng thought carefully and said, "Your Majesty, it's over, it's a bit exaggerated."
If Felipe II had crossed the ocean, he would have died. With the Ming Dynasty's ability, those Hongmaofan merchants would not talk about the damn British all day long. From the description of the Hongmaofan, the British lived on an island, which was about the same size as Japan.
Best actor Feng Bao also didn’t approve of the little emperor’s acting skills.
"It's indeed a bit exaggerated." Zhu Yijun nodded and acknowledged Zhang Juzheng's words. His acting skills were indeed a bit exaggerated.
Zhu Yijun regained his expression and said with confidence: "Actually, the benefits that Antonio can bring outweigh the risks, so I agreed to him."
"I think so too. "Zhang Juzheng said with confidence: "Eggs are easily beaten when put in a basket."
Both the monarch and his ministers believed that it would be beneficial for them. The dominance of the Spanish family was not conducive to the maritime trade of the Ming Dynasty. Only by constantly dividing their opponents could they ensure their own interests.
"Sir, Zhang Han, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, recommended Wang Chonggu, the governor of Xuanda, as the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment." Zhu Yijun talked about the important personnel appointments and removals in the court.
"I already know that Wan Shangshu found me and told me about this matter." Zhang Juzheng said with a strange expression: "I didn't expect that Wan Shangshu found me. He is now with the Jin Party and the Jin Party. The relationship with the Zhejiang Party is good, and the relationship with the ministers seems to be good too?”
Wan Shihe’s state is a bit strange. Wan Shihe is good at dancing, wandering among several major parties, and seems to be in harmony with everyone. He has a good relationship, but he doesn't seem to be that close to anyone. This kind of person is more like the top dog in a brothel, and he has a harmonious relationship with all the romantic talents.
How did Wan Shihe change from an old-fashioned person to this kind of person? What happened in the middle is no longer important, what is important is that he is like this now.
It is also necessary for the DPRK to have such a person who is not very shameful. Wan Shihe always appears in various occasions where he should not appear, and it is extremely reasonable.
"Oh? Really?" Zhu Yijun showed a bright smile, looked at Zhang Juzheng and said: "Sir, it seems that he doesn't care much about Wang Chonggu's return to the court."
Zhang Juzheng said with certainty : "I can't question the recommendation of the Ministry of Personnel. It was different between that time and this time. If he continues to stay in Xuanda, his foundation will be deeper and he will obstruct the Ming Dynasty's six-volume-one-account decree."
< br>Wang Chonggu returned to Beijing before, and the capital camp was in a sluggish state. Wang Chonggu could threaten His Majesty’s authority as the Lord, but now, Wang Chonggu can no longer do it.
Wang Chonggu's life was very comfortable. It can't be exaggerated to say that he spent a lot of time in Xuanfu. It was extremely comfortable. Then a transfer order was sent from the capital to Xuanfu. Wang Chonggu and everyone were dumbfounded.
What are you doing back in Beijing? Returning to Beijing to face Zhang Juzheng, a man who eats people without spitting out their bones, is so cunning and cunning that he can't even fight?
He can make money and enjoy life in Xuanda. He can do whatever he wants. When he returns to the capital, layer after layer of shackles are put on him. On Zhang Juzheng's territory, what can he do to fight with Zhang Juzheng?
"Stupid! It's beyond stupid. Before you do something stupid, can you be more thoughtful, even if you just tell me!" After Wang Chonggu returned to the capital, Zhang Siwei, Zhang Han, and Wan Shihe picked Wang Chonggu up. Arriving at Zhang Siwei's house, Wang Chonggu cursed directly.
It’s a bit late today, I’m extremely sorry, and thank you “Sorry ah ah ah” for the 4500 point reward, and thank you for your support and recognition. Please give me a monthly ticket, wow!!!
(End of this chapter)