Chapter 358 The thought of the opening of the sea makes the world widen in an instant
When Wang Qian was clamoring for the worsted woolen business, Wang Chonggu objected immediately because he felt that if the silk coin business affected the common people, it would cause trouble. If the public is angry, their family will definitely be dragged out and beheaded for a quarter of an hour. From that time on, Wang Chonggu has been thinking about replacement. There must be a cornucopia. Wang Chonggu is very clear about his position. He is a sycophant who amasses wealth.
So, after the old cornucopia was smashed, Wang Chonggu dedicated another cornucopia as quickly as possible to continue gathering, this time it was a three-masted plywood ship and a five-masted trans-ocean ship.
The five-masted ocean crossing ship is also on the list. Zhang Juzheng had discussed it with the emperor before. The Ming merchant ships going to sea at this time were all armed merchant ships. The unarmed merchant ships at sea were all other people's ships. Meat in the mouth.
The last time the Tax Institute was expanded, the Ming court had already made concessions on the matter of arming merchant ships and would not impose any restrictions on them when they entered Hong Kong.
The T-shaped five-masted ocean crossing ship is the most powerful armed merchant ship.
There are four types of five-masted ocean crossing ships: A, B, C and D. Among them, A is the prototype ship. One ship was deployed in Luzon, one each in Songjiang, Ningbo, Fuzhou and Guangzhou. Production was discontinued after that. There are many flaws in the design.
Then the B-shaped ship appeared. This kind of sea-going ship was mainly used for foreign trade, that is, a reduced version. The splints, rams, artillery, etc. were all reduced in order to maximize profits. Antonio, Felipe II, and Shah Maimaiti all purchased ships of this type. One feature of this ship is that it cannot continue to install turrets and increase the amount of gunpowder. Private additions can easily lead to rollover and instability. Poor sex.
Type C is the main battleship of the Ming Dynasty, with more than twenty-five ships deployed. It is a battleship without any commercial ship attributes. Looking at the entire ocean world, it is the battleship with the most powerful firepower.
The T-shaped ship is a civilian armed merchant ship used in maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty. It has slightly stronger firepower than the B-shaped ship, but it is extremely limited. However, the T-shaped ship is extremely fast. The fast speed is designed to get rid of pirates. Increase the efficiency and speed of sea trade.
In the new trading house, the transaction ticket divided the T-shaped five-masted ocean crossing ship into one thousand parts, because the price of the five-masted ocean crossing ship was too expensive, even if the T-shaped five-masted ocean crossing ship was reduced and then reduced. The price of a single foreign-masted ship exceeded 180,000 silver.
"Why not set up a trading house in Songjiang Prefecture? Instead of setting up a trading house in the capital?" Zhu Yijun asked Wang Chonggu. Logically speaking, most ships pass through Songjiang Prefecture, and it would be more convenient to set up a trading house in Songjiang Prefecture. The ship is right in front of you, the goods are coming and going, and the dividends are right in front of you, which can further stimulate the trading volume of the trading house.
Wang Chonggu said quite accurately: "Your Majesty, the trading house cannot be located in Songjiang Mansion, it can only be located in the capital. It is indeed inconvenient to locate it in the capital, but this is the inconvenience we want."
"What do you want is inconvenience?" Wan Shihe frowned, then realized, smiled, and said no more.
The meaning of Wang Chonggu's words could not be more obvious. The people sitting here are all the best in the Ming Dynasty. It is inconvenient for everyone. With such convenience, there will be information gaps. Information differences can make it easier for traders to make money by taking advantage of information differences, and make it easier for traders to cut leeks.
Wang Chonggu has never been a virtuous minister, he is a serious sycophant minister who is anxious for His Majesty's needs.
The ship ticket price will definitely fluctuate. For example, a certain ship was supposed to return to Daming Songjiang Port in March, but in May, the ship still did not return to Songjiang New Port. At this time, this The ship's ticket will plummet. After such a long delay and still no news is received, it is basically certain that it will not come back. But if the ship suddenly returns to the port in June.
At this time, Jingtang will be very late in receiving the news, but His Majesty will receive the news within two days after passing the coastal defense inspection. With this information gap, the Ming Emperor has very little room for maneuver. Big, as long as the emperor is cruel, the little money the speculators make will be working for his majesty.
This is the fundamental purpose of Wang Chonggu setting up a trading house in Beiya. Major shipping companies even strictly prohibit the emergence of trading houses.
"Awesome!" Zhu Yijun understood what he meant. He had to say that Wang Chonggu was indeed a scholar. This scholar's mind was really dirty. Any bad idea could affect a large number of innocent people. person.
No matter how powerful Qi Jiguang was in killing people, he had been fighting for a lifetime, and his first contribution was less than 100,000. However, if a civil servant like Wang Chonggu came up with a bad idea, it would affect the livelihood of millions of people, which would be more vicious than killing people directly.
Thanks to Zhu Yijun, he is a king who combines knowledge and action. He said that putting the people first means putting the people first. He is not just shouting slogans, nor is he carrying out political activities with a big banner. He always fulfills his political commitments. As a surrendered minister, Wang Chonggu's actions were not so outrageous and resentful, but Wang Cifu's actions after Zhang Siwei's death were of great benefit to the Ming Dynasty.
The kind of king determines the kind of ministers. What the king wants is the attitude shown by the ministers.
"So are trading houses allowed to establish their own countries overseas?" Zhu Yijun raised the second topic today. The advantage of Yanxinglou Trading House being established in Jingtang is to facilitate control and control of major companies. Commercial banks, then whether commercial banks can establish their own countries overseas has become a question that must be discussed.
After Zhang Juzheng read the memorial, Wang Chonggu avoided talking about this issue. What does it mean to establish a foreign country overseas? That is, the commercial banks have their own independent yamen, their own military, their own diplomacy, their own taxes, their own justice, etc. This issue involves the issue of position, which Wang Chonggu cannot discuss. It also involves the issue of the ownership of overseas colonies. .
In an imperial country, this issue is obviously an issue that cannot be touched. Wang Chonggu's original intention is to avoid talking about it and acquiesce in the established fact.
Avoidance is also an attitude, which expresses a kind of tacit approval. As long as they do well overseas, Ming Dynasty will acquiesce to the existence of this self-established country.
Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and asked: "What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"This issue should have been determined at the beginning of the establishment of the trading house. Whether the imperial court allows the existence of the self-established country? Otherwise, it will be a lot of trouble in the future. Regardless of whether it is acknowledged or not, it will not be beneficial to the Ming Dynasty or to the establishment of foreign countries overseas. "Zhu Yijun first made it clear that this issue can be discussed and must be discussed.
After the founding of the Fan Kingdom, the Ming court's recognition of the legitimacy of the Fan Kingdom must involve an ownership issue. These Fan Kingdoms are the Fan Kingdoms of the Ming Dynasty and belong to the Ming Dynasty. If it belongs to the military, political, economic, and cultural restrictions of the DPRK, it will be like picking peaches, which will inevitably cause widespread dissatisfaction in the local area. If it does not belong, why should the Ming Dynasty recognize its legitimacy?
The stance issue must be clearly confirmed so as not to create hidden dangers for future government orders.
Zhu Yijun looked around for a week and said: "Legasi, the special envoy to the West, once discussed with Chen Xuexue, the minister of Honglu Temple, the high moral inferiority of the Ming Dynasty. This is the reason why Ligasi firmly believes that the Ming Dynasty's overseas colonies must The root cause of failure, the disadvantage of high moral standards, represents incomprehensible exploitation, incomprehensible plunder, and incomprehensible occupation. The development of overseas colonies is a bloody and tragic matter. High morality is a disadvantage in overseas colonization."
"But overseas expansion is also what the Ming Dynasty urgently needs."
"The people of the Ming Dynasty are trapped in annexation. The contradiction between the land and the land is very acute. There are too many people and the land is small, which will inevitably lead to instability in the country. The people will rise up if they can't eat. There are too many people in the Ming Dynasty, and they need to be dredged overseas. Since the first year of Yongle, the north has become increasingly bitter and cold, and the winter of the grassland has The weather is getting earlier and colder year by year, and not only the grasslands, but also the grain production in Shandong, North Zhili prefectures, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan are all decreasing;"
"The land of the Ming Dynasty The vastness seems to be full of natural treasures, but is this really the case? "
"The Ming Dynasty lacks high-quality iron materials. Currently, there is only one open-air ginseng iron plant in Liaodong; the Ming Dynasty lacks high-quality wood. , thousands of years of slash-and-burn farming, the mountains in the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty were all bare, and there was a lack of wood for shipbuilding; the Ming Dynasty was short of copper, silver, and gold. Copper was only six and a half million kilograms a year. For example, the output of Tongxiang Town in Manila, Luzon, is only 100,000 taels of silver per year, while the Taixi Galleons produce nearly 3 million to 4 million silver per year, and the Japanese country also has an inflow of more than 1.5 million silver per year. . ”
“The court has no way to solve these fundamental contradictions. There is only so much land, so much food is produced, and there is only so much gold, silver, copper and iron. The demand is huge but there is not enough. Supply, this means that we must resort to overseas supply. "
"The Ming Dynasty was like a hungry man, but he was limited by his high moral disadvantages and was hesitant to do things."
"As for businessmen, they are not constrained by high moral inferiority and can do whatever they want."
For the first time, Zhu Yijun described his understanding of the issue of opening up the sea in such detail, concreteness and accuracy. This is a political He stated that the existence of the Ming Dynasty court was to regulate the contradictions between various classes. When the court was unable to fulfill its obligations, it would be destroyed. The contradictions listed by Zhu Yijun were all contradictions that the Ming Dynasty could not resolve within the territory of the Ming Dynasty.
And these contradictions together constitute a major contradiction, and the world is trapped in annexation.
"Your Majesty is a wise man." Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said. He was not flattering. Your Majesty is a true wise man. The logic of opening the sea is very complete, the decree of opening the sea is orderly, and the purpose of opening the sea is very clear. This is very important for doing things. For the courtiers, it was a great blessing.
The Holy Will is unpredictable, and it is indeed a way of putting the king first, but it brings too much trouble to the people below. Should this thing be done? Can it be done? How far it will go, and what kind of result it will achieve, are all questions. It is necessary to guess the meaning and what it means. It is really boring.
The ambiguity of the order will inevitably lead to confusion on the part of the executor and deviations in execution.
But Zhu Yijun is not such a king. He is always able to conduct in-depth analysis of phenomena, find the problems behind the phenomena, explore the causes of the problems, and try to find a solution, even if the solution is not too perfect, But the alleviating effect on conflicts is extremely obvious.
The Ming Dynasty had such kings, such as Ming Taizu, Ming Chengzu, Ming Xianzong, and Ming Shizong Jiajing who failed to conquer the end, worked hard for more than 20 years, and was disheartened after being assassinated. emperor.
Zhang Juzheng was a Jinshi during the Jiajing period. He knew the temper and character of Emperor Jiajing. Emperor Jiajing was disappointed and despaired, and finally chose to hide in Xiyuan and focus on burning and repairing.
"Then, since the merchants are required to do things, the imperial court must provide them with some conveniences. While providing them with conveniences, it can also reasonably increase the military, political, economic, and cultural restrictions on overseas countries. Whether it is directly affiliated overseas territories, directly affiliated colonies, or loosely controlled colonies, they are all within the sphere of influence of the Ming Dynasty. " Zhu Yijun said very seriously: "I think we can recognize their overseas countries. If they are prosperous outside, I can also grant them titles, or even give them national surnames, to represent the Ming Dynasty and my recognition of them."
On this issue of stance, Zhu Yijun, He made a clear statement, allowing merchants to establish foreign countries overseas, allowing them to conduct colonial activities overseas, allowing them to plunder overseas wealth, and giving them corresponding treatment and status.
If you want the horse to run but don’t want to let the horse eat grass, this mentality is absolutely unacceptable.
"Your Majesty, overseas lords should be cautious when granting a national surname. If the person is a person with the national surname Zhengmao, it is not a bad idea. However, if he is an ambitious person, the title will be very harmful. You should be cautious and cautious. The title of Martial Lord is Those who are not Han horses should not be awarded lightly." Wan Shihe expressed his attitude from the perspective of etiquette and law. It is okay to give titles and national surnames, but he must be cautious and careful not to abuse titles. "What Dazai Wan said makes sense." Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said very solemnly.
If he is a charlatan, he is obviously a pirate who commits all kinds of crimes including burning, killing, looting, and even hijacking ships of the Ming Dynasty. This is similar to the pirate Chen Zuyi who was defeated by Zheng Heping. If he is like Chen Zuyi, A pirate who cheated his way into a royal title would be included in the Ming Dynasty's joke collection and be laughed at by generations to come.
Zhu Yijun is not afraid of being scolded, but he will never accept being laughed at.
Prudence is inevitable. Overseas lords such as Yin Zhengmao, Chen Lin, Zhang Yuanxun, and Deng Zilong all went through a long period of time to test their actions overseas and finally decided to award them. Even Xu Wei and Xu Wenchang were The failure to get a title shows how precious the Ming title is.
"Is there any difficulty in being knighted based on overseas meritorious service?" Zhu Yijun asked about etiquette.
"There is no difficulty, Your Majesty." Wan Shihe said with a very strange expression: "Your Majesty, in fact, Zheng He and Liu Yongcheng, two virtuous eunuchs, were conferred the title of Marquis in the eleventh year of Yongle. It is a pity that However, during the Xuande period, when the actual records of Taizong were revised, the two of them were not rewarded and were not included in the records because they were eunuchs."
"Huh?" Zhu Yijun was stunned.
Liu Yongcheng, Zhu Yijun really knew such a number one person. He was good at riding and shooting. During Emperor Chengzu's Northern Expedition, he served as a partial general in the army many times. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, he even served under Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty to pacify the King of Han. During the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, he guarded Liangzhou, Gansu and other places, and made numerous military exploits. He also conquered Wuliangha with the left governor Ma Liang and other commanders. He had outstanding military exploits and was as famous as Zheng He. He was one of the few wizards with military talent in the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yijun knew about Zheng He and Liu Yongcheng, but he really didn't know that Emperor Cheng Zuwen even made them a marquis.
They are both eunuchs.
“Overthrown the eunuch Zhang Yong who claimed to be the emperor Liu Jin, and after pacifying the king of Anhua Zhu Zhixiu, he cited Zheng He and Liu Yongcheng’s enfeoffment of marquises and begged Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty for the enfeoffment of marquises, and the cabinet used non-systematic rules Afterwards, Zhang Yong was so depressed that he even declined the reward for pacifying King Anhua's rebellion. "Wan Shihe talked about an old incident.
This incident was recorded in the actual records of Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the cabinet's memorials and approvals were still there. The cabinet's doubts were mainly due to non-customization, rather than the fact that Zheng He and Liu Yongcheng did not become marquises and pacified Anhua. How could Zhang Yong, who was in the rebellion of the king, be compared with Zheng He, who had repeatedly sent envoys to the West, traveled to various countries, promulgated the emperor's edicts, and used force to frighten him if he refused to obey, and Liu Yongcheng, who had made numerous military exploits. ?
However, the matter of the two eunuchs Zheng He and Liu Yongcheng being ennobled did indeed exist.
Wan Shihe searched through the old files and found only in "Feihuan'an Incense Icon" that Zheng He was once awarded the title of marquis. Zheng He's adopted son Zheng Yi inherited the title of marquis. Later, After being deprived of his power, he was replaced by hereditary grace and clothing for thousands of households.
"Feihuan'an Incense Idol" is an inscription left by Zhou Man, deputy envoy of Zheng He's seventh voyage to the West, at Bifeng Temple in Nanjing.
Isolated evidence does not prove it. It has been too long and there is no good way to verify it, but it doesn’t matter. If anyone objects, then Wan Shihe will bring this matter up and say, don’t open it. Windows, Wan Shihe would lift the roof!
When he wanted to lift the roof, someone would naturally compromise and open a window.
To grant the title of marquis to the eunuchs, not only the military heroes did not want to agree, but also the civil servants who had fought with the eunuchs for more than a thousand years also refused to agree.
"In this case, then I have to do it to Lao Wan Taizai." After hearing this, Zhu Yijun handed over the matter to Wan Shihe. Wan Shihe was obviously prepared and did not dare to talk about anything else, such as etiquette and law. Son, Wan Shihe really grabbed the snail with three fingers and pinched it with both hands.
"One more thing, that is the dividend account, who will calculate it?" Zhu Yijun asked a key question, who will calculate the dividend account? If it is the merchants who calculate it, Zhu Yijun has no doubt that when these ships go to sea, Everyone has to lose money, and sea trade is indeed very profitable, but these merchants, in order to pay less dividends, or even no dividends, will make the accounts even, or even lose money in the ledger.
Who will settle the accounts and issue dividends has become the biggest dilemma for Yanxinglou Trading House.
Wang Chonggu did not discuss this issue too deeply. It was because he had not thought about it, not because he did not dare to talk about it. If the court came to settle this account, then it is obvious that the court would have to bear this responsibility, whether the ship sank, Those who hold ship tickets will definitely put the responsibility on the court for the losses caused by the goods becoming damp, moldy and devalued, or even being robbed by pirates.
At that time, it will be a mess again.
But the court does not consider this account, and this dividend is meaningless, because the specific business firm will definitely have outstanding accounts, dividends? It's good if I don't ask you for money.
"Why not let Songjiang Ocean Trading Company settle this account." Tan Lun thought for a moment and said: "Songjiang Ocean Trading Company is a guild, and it is most appropriate for them to settle this account. The imperial court is only responsible for auditing. In this way, the problems Wang Cifu is worried about will not happen. Similarly, the court also has the power to supervise. "
"This is a good idea!" Zhang Juzheng's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he clapped his hands and agreed with Tan Lun. statement.
The imperial court does not want to take too much responsibility. This is inevitable, but necessary auditing and supervision must be done. So for this person to take the blame, a semi-official and semi-private business firm is most suitable.
The issue of auditing the profits of trading houses was relatively simple in the early years of Wanli, because the profits of all merchant ships were transparent and clear to the Ming Dynasty. All merchant ships were assigned tax items. The Shipping Company knows exactly what is carried on each ship, where it is destined, and how much profit it makes.
The hard work and taking the blame should be done by the firm, and the auditing and accountability should be done by the court. It is extremely appropriate and appropriate.
After repeated discussions, the various key systems and principles of Yanxinglou Trading House, the division of responsibilities, the review of accounts, etc. were clearly determined during the discussions at Quanchu Guild Hall.
When the moon rose above the willow trees, Emperor Ming finally ended the briefing and held closed-door meetings on important matters. In order to inject a steady stream of money into Kaihai, Emperor Ming had devoted all his efforts.
There are many contradictions in Ming Dynasty that cannot be solved by Ming Dynasty at present. External bailout is the best solution at present. The thought of opening the sea makes the world widen in an instant.
In the early morning three days later, the hall of Yanxinglou Trading House opened its doors again to welcome customers. Everyone was doubtful from the bottom of their hearts. The price of worsted woolen cloth was still seven yuan per square foot, and had gone from silk coins to It has become a kind of fabric for clothing. The Yanxinglou trading house is open. What is going to be traded?
When people walked into the trading house out of curiosity and saw the notice in front of the door, they knew clearly that the people behind this trading house were really big shots with big eyes and hands. The first batch was fifty. The bidding for three three-masted plywood ships and five five-masted transoceanic ships has already begun.
While people were still hesitating, a group of merchants with typical Shanxi accents rushed into the trading house and rushed to the counter to bid for the five-masted trans-ocean ship. Obviously, these people had received the news from Wang Chonggu. Shanxi merchants waited in front of the door early in the morning and rushed in as soon as the door opened. In order to raise money for the five-masted ship, these Shanxi merchants did not even use brokers and compradors, they went to battle in person!
The five-masted ocean crossing ship is a legendary ship that lives in the newspapers. Even Antonio, the captain of Taisi, and Shah Maimaiti, the special envoy of the Mughal Kingdom, had to pay a premium to buy the ship. Now you can buy it at Yanxinglou subscribed to it. This was the only opportunity to own such a ship. Even if he did not have the right to use it, he only had the right to become the owner of the ship.
The moment the Shanxi merchants rushed in to claim their chips, everyone knew that these Shanxi merchants who had received the news in advance were secretly making a lot of money again! In the worsted woolen business, this group of Shanxi merchants were the first to enter the business, and then left when the price was at its highest point, making a lot of money. Now they are here to grab money again!
Damn Jin Party, damn Wang Chonggu, leaked the news to his cronies again! Shanxi merchants who have become accustomed to the privileged economy have formed path dependence. They can accurately grasp the trend every time, and then make extremely enviable profits.
Zhu Yijun thought that it would take months to digest these fifty three-masted and five five-masted boats. After all, dozens of people had just jumped by the Tonghui River. The rabbits died and the foxes were saddened by their own kind. They were spinning worsted wool. After the sudden collapse, these luxury households will choose to wait and see carefully regarding the ship tickets.
The price of these fifty-five ships was as high as 3.5 million silver, which was not a small sum. What shocked Zhu Yijun was that these fifty-five ships had been purchased in just one day. The fundraising is over.
There was also competition here. Shanxi merchants and wealthy households in Xitucheng even staged a full-scale fight in the trading house to buy the last five-masted ship to cross the ocean!
Zhu Yijun still underestimated the amount of money that the Zheshe households of the Ming Dynasty hid in the pig pens. Even in Beiya, which did not have that much silver, Zhu Yijun still saw what the speed of the Zheshe households was.
This rich ore can still be mined and mined.
"Mr. Yuanfu, Wang Cifu and Da Sima couldn't resist the pestering. They asked Guo Chaobin of the Ministry of Industry about the approximate time when the next batch of ships would be pledged. Guo Shangshu was an honest man, so he was a little confused when asked. The first assistant and the second assistant are the Grand Sima, and Guo Shangshu can't afford to offend anyone. He submitted a memorial and asked to resign and become an official." Feng Bao placed a memorial in front of the emperor and said with a bit of schadenfreude.
Wang Chonggu, of course, needless to say. It is normal for someone to call himself a traitor and leak some information to Shanxi merchants. However, Zhang Juzheng was bothered by this matter to the point of interfering with the Ministry of Industry. It can be seen that Zheshehu We highly recognize the plan of “Everyone Becomes a Ship Owner”.
Buying a boat is much more cost-effective than buying worsted woolen cloth. According to the probability of Ming Dynasty ships returning safely to 80%, it can be said to be a sure profit without losing money.
Especially because the imperial court used six books and one account to audit the accounts of Songjiang Ocean Trading Company, this is even more reassuring. Zhang Siwei is a joke. His shopkeeper and accountant hid Zhang Siwei’s secrets and embezzled more than 100,000 yuan. Of the 70% profit, only 30% was left for Zhang Siwei, which became a joke on the streets of the capital. Of course, the powerful auditing capabilities of the Gewuyuan were also impressive.
With the imperial court auditing, Songjiang Ocean Trading Company, which was responsible for operating these merchant ships, did not dare to act recklessly.
"Guo Shangshu has done a good job and is in the prime of his life. Why did he become an official? Passed an oral message to the Second Assistant and the Great Sima, telling them not to put pressure on the Ministry of Works. The expansion of the Ming Dynasty Shipyard has not stopped for a moment. "Zhu Yijun put a big X on Guo Chaobin's official memorial. He was an honest man. He worked diligently and took care of himself. The three party leaders put pressure on Guo Chaobin, and Guo Chaobin naturally couldn't stand it.
"Only to the Second Assistant and the Grand Sima, where are you?" Feng Baogang was about to receive the order and suddenly discovered that His Majesty had only informed the two party leaders.
Zhu Yijun said matter-of-factly: "Sir, of course I personally told him the news."
When in doubt, he resorted to the ocean and asked for monthly tickets, oooh! ! ! ! Ooooooooooo! ! !
(End of this chapter)