Chapter 559 Zhu Yijun, the weightlifting champion of the Ming Dynasty
Only when revenge can be taken, the interests of the Ming Dynasty can be protected. This is what Wan Shihe stated to the emperor in the Huangji Palace. The Rouyuan people cannot do it. Yes, blindly showing kindness to others is hatred, not kindness.
The Ming Dynasty won consecutive battles in the East, punching Spain and kicking Portugal... The Governor-General's Palace has finally won the respect it deserves.
If Felipe II had a better response strategy, he would never have said to the Ming Emperor in such a lowly manner, "If you continue to be so harsh, I will stop playing with you."
To say this is actually to give in. Communication between countries cannot be so playful. But if Felipe wants to complain about his dissatisfaction, he cannot object fiercely and cause Ming Dynasty to overdo it. In response, he could only say this to let the Ming Emperor see his dissatisfaction.
In later generations, it was generally believed that the commercial exchanges between Portugal and Spain and the Ming Dynasty were part of the tribute trade, and now it is gradually becoming a reality.
The wealth plundered by Portugal and Spain through colonial methods was all plundered by the Ming Dynasty through trade. Silver represents wealth, and the Ming Dynasty is like a glutton, not rejecting anyone who comes and swallowing up the world's silver.
“Love will come or not.” Zhu Yijun commented on the credentials. He smiled and said to Zhang Juzheng: “If he doesn’t come, we will go. In short, Taixi’s money belongs to our Ming Dynasty. The silver that Felipe plundered in the New World also belonged to the Ming Dynasty! "
The Ming Dynasty came to take the silver, and Felipe took the responsibility. This was Zhu Yijun's attitude.
It doesn’t matter whether he comes or not. Ming’s global caravan will bring money back to Ming from all directions.
Another reason for this attitude is that the dam formed by the current silver inflow in the Ming Dynasty needs time to be dredged. This first barrier, the annual silver coin production must break through, otherwise the silver inflow will continue to push up, and it will inevitably form New dams.
So whether the relationship between the two countries will turn from friendly to hostile does not have much bearing on the Ming Dynasty. Even if it reduces the inflow of some silver, it will be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty in the short term. The Ming Dynasty's voyage caravan is When doing business with a sword, you never ask for permission and mercy from the other party. Strong force is the first guarantee of goods and silver.
“Your Majesty, there are only 15% of the population in the cities of the Ming Dynasty, and 120% of the population in the countryside of the Ming Dynasty. It is inevitable to dredge silver into the countryside, and it is urgent to increase the production of silver coins. "Zhang Juzheng came to Tonghe Palace this time not only to present the memorial and credentials sent to the cabinet by the Ministry of Rites, but also to discuss monetary policy issues with His Majesty.
The Ming Dynasty needs more currency and now there is a shortage of silver.
The Ming Dynasty actually had 135% of the population. The extra 35% was naturally not because Zhang Juzheng was not good at mathematics, but because of the hidden people of the Ming Dynasty. The countryside was the hardest hit area for hidden people, and silver coins and Tongbao, It was an important means for the Ming Dynasty to regulate the contradictions between various classes in society.
"The Gewuyuan side has tried its best." Zhu Yijun didn't have a good solution to this matter. The world is material, and materials need to be used to solve problems, and they are not transferred by human will. Even if Zhu Yijun gives More pressure from Gewuyuan will not help.
The Doctors of the Five Classics at Gewu Institute have really worked hard to improve hydraulic technology and manufacture more hydraulic pads faster and better, but this all takes time.
The Bingzhan Bureau Mint and the Daming Baoyuan Bureau Mint are continuously expanding their production in order to produce more currency and solve the deep-rooted money shortage problem in the Ming Dynasty.
“Eleven years have passed, and the money shortage problem still hasn’t shown any signs of relief, and has even gotten worse.” Zhu Yijun rubbed his brows. The more silver there is, the faster the development, the greater the demand for currency, and the quantity of currency. The demand gap compared to currency is increasing.
The silver dam is in front of the mint. The mint is working hard to produce silver coins, but the gap in the world's silver coins is increasing. This is actually a manifestation of the court's incompetence.
"Your Majesty, there is actually a way." Zhang Juzheng said in a low voice: "It will be enough if the internal funds no longer release silver to the outside world."
"Isn't this nonsense? If silver is not circulated, it is a dead thing. If it is not circulated, it will be dead. What's the point?" Zhu Yijun spread his hands and said with a frown.
Zhang Juzheng’s proposal is outrageous. The amount of silver that goes into the internal funds is increasing every year. If the emperor Zhu Yijun does not release the silver, that would be a great evil. Burying silver in a pigsty is no longer a metaphor. But it’s reality.
"Issuing banknotes." Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said: "The silver in the internal funds is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty banknote law. The five hundred thousand Luzon currency banknotes previously issued by the Ministry of Household Affairs were recognized, and the response was extremely positive. Yes, let’s take this opportunity to issue Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes.”
After listening to the emperor’s words, the banknotes of the Ministry of Revenue issued 500,000 banknotes. This batch of banknotes arrived at Lu smoothly. Song Dynasty, and it was recognized. There was nothing that could be done if it was not recognized. Luzon was also short of money.
There are eleven large copper mountains in Luzon, which produce more than 10 million kilograms of red copper every year. However, these red coppers all flowed to the Ming Dynasty to make money. The emperor's relative, the surnamed Guo, cared more about the Ming Dynasty. The imperial court's view of the Luzon Governor's Palace did not look too much at Luzon, who was severely short of money.
And the most important thing is that the Ming Emperor, who is supreme and honors his promise, promised that all the treasure banknotes can be cashed. Also shipped to Luzon are the brand-new 200,000 copper coins. These copper coins It is a reserve fund, and Luzon can reserve one million catties of red copper for reserves every year.
Lu Songsi cannot mint money by himself. Red copper is a reserve fund that can be transported to the hinterland for minting money.
The right to mint coins is the power of the Ming Dynasty. Anyone who mints privately will die. If the minions of the Ming Dynasty, those coastal defense inspections discover the private minting, I am afraid it will cause a crisis of trust, so Luzon is very concerned about private minting. The investigation is very strict, just like Yunnan Copper does not mint coins in Yunnan, but goes to Huguang.
The Ming Dynasty’s current predicament that the more silver there is, the greater the currency gap, is actually caused by Zhu Yijun.
A large amount of silver went into the internal funds. Zhu Yijun did not bury the silver in pig pens. The internal funds invested the silver in large sums. There were imperial mansions everywhere in Nanya, and they were all the emperor's tong gardens, weaving bureaus, and money casting furnaces. , carpentry workshop, blacksmith workshop, just the industrial chain of the shipyard, His Majesty invested 10 million silver, and the Nanyang Plantation was also built with heavy investment.
These investments have brought development and caused the silver coin gap to further increase. If Your Majesty tightens investment here, the Ming Dynasty's demand for currency will naturally decrease.
Similarly, issuing banknotes can also effectively alleviate the current predicament of Ming Dynasty, and the huge amount of silver in the country is the confidence for Ming Dynasty to issue banknotes. This is the only way Zhang Juzheng thought of. Perhaps, it is not the best, But it is the most suitable at the moment.
"No, the Ministry of Revenue has a "Bao Banknote Anchor Guide" that describes this problem very clearly and clearly. Now that banknotes are being issued, there are insufficient anchors." Zhu Yijun immediately rejected Zhang Juzheng's proposal and the timing of issuing banknotes Not yet arrived.
Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath and said: "Your Majesty, you don't have to do everything when the time comes. Sometimes you have to eat raw rice with it."
The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is naturally You are willing to wait until the time is ripe before implementing the banknote method, but things in the world are generally like this. The world will not wait for you to be fully prepared before changing. Of course, a gentleman must think twice before acting. Likewise, he should not continue to suffer chaos.
The problem of money shortage in Ming Dynasty has been fully discussed, and there is no better way.
Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said: "Wait a little longer, sir, the Ming Dynasty cannot bear to break its promise to the world again."
"As long as His Majesty is here, it will not happen." Zhang Juzheng Said with great certainty.
The reason why he made such an assertion was entirely because of His Majesty, Jiajing. During the Longqing period, he did not even mention the banknote method. Just like the secret method, if used well, it is a sharp tool for governing the country. If used improperly, it is the source of chaos in the world. It is obvious that the place has transformed into a vassal town. The Ming Dynasty's error-correcting power reported to the court. , and the governor-general denied or even slandered him in secret, then I am afraid that the story of An Lushan and Tang Xuanzong will happen again.
If the density method is not used well, the error correction power will be ineffective under the density method.
Zhang Juzheng believes that His Majesty’s reputation, coupled with the massive amount of silver, is enough to implement the banknote method. Judging from the acceptance and exchange business of Huitongguanyi, the people of the Ming Dynasty have generally trusted the court and Your Majesty, and the goods from the north and the south have been widely trusted. Convection, most merchants chose Huitongguanyi's acceptance and exchange. After all, it is really inconvenient to carry a large amount of silver.
The more convenient accounting currency - money order, has become an inevitable choice.
“I am also a human being. Sir, don’t think too much about me. The Ming Dynasty’s New Deal has led to today’s situation, which is the result of the efforts of thousands of people. I am just a captain, and I have to make some unavoidable decisions at certain moments. "Zhu Yijun shook his head and said; "From the bottom up, it was taught to me by my husband."
Knowledge and action are consistent with conscience, and contradictions explain everything. The theory of contradiction mainly means that people should look at problems the way they should. It has two sides. You cannot only look at the advantages and ignore the disadvantages. This is the fundamental methodology of the theory of contradiction.
Zhu Yijun is indeed the emperor, and the sun is high in the sky, like the sun hanging high in the nine heavens, but it is precisely because of this that he is extra cautious when it comes to the people of all directions. The excessively hot light will Roast the seedlings to death.
Most of the time, Zhu Yijun is more radical than Zhang Juzheng, but when it comes to the word "people", Zhu Yijun becomes a conservative.
Zhang Juzheng saw that His Majesty's holy will had been decided, and knew that it would be useless to continue talking. Over the years, His Majesty has always been convincing him. After thinking for a while, he said: "Then reduce some investment, and you can reduce the amount of money." If the demand is met, give the craftsmen some time to dredge the silver barrier."
"I can agree to stop investing, but the silver is no longer blocked by the people, but by me. I can’t bear it, so let’s do this. Investment can be narrowed, but we can use some means to get silver into the hands of the people, such as starting from Gyeonggi and going to Suiyuan, Liaodong, Peking and other places to open up wasteland "Zhu Yijun means to continue investing."
But change the focus, change it to Chidao, and directly invest in silver. Although silver has poor circulation and is inconvenient to use, it is also the best currency at the moment, not much better than Ming Dynasty Baobao. ?
"Tongqu Department Store, that still increases the demand for money." Zhang Juzheng frowned. His Majesty likes to make money and spend money. And he is not building imperial mausoleums or personal extravagance, but he likes large-scale construction.
This is indeed the basic point of the distribution theory he advocated. The court should be responsible for downward distribution. Downward distribution is to adjust the contradictions between various classes in society. Downward distribution can change the production of strong personal dependence. Relationships and downward distribution can take the Ming Dynasty's economy to a step forward and transform into a commodity economy.
Universal benefit is the basic proposition of distribution theory.
"That's right." Zhu Yijun thought for a long time and finally said with conviction: "Then put the investment on hold and wait until the production capacity of the Ming Dynasty silver coins increases."
You have money but can't spend it. It can be regarded as a happy trouble.
The Silver Barrier Lake is a very, very dangerous thing, especially for the Ming Dynasty, which is at a historical turning point. Once this barrier lake breaks its banks, it will be a scene of destruction, and it can withstand The only person who could afford so much silver was the Ming Emperor himself.
Only the Emperor himself can withstand the huge thunder of the silver barrier. Any other person or group would be overwhelmed by such a huge amount of silver suppressing their liquidity. Big deal.
Zhu Yijun, the Ming Dynasty weightlifting champion!
Zhu Yijun chose to be conservative this time. While not using the currency method, he did not make additional investments, which meant that the Ming Dynasty’s demand for currency would not experience a terrible increase. At the same time, major government factories and various The large engineering corps camp housed poor coolies and waited for the increase in silver coins and tongbao.
Being conservative is not necessarily wrong. Conservative strategies will contribute to the stability of the Ming Dynasty.
At the same time that Zhu Yijun confirmed that the Ming Dynasty needed to reduce the inflow of silver, Sauron began to go north. He could not wait to go to the capital to meet the Holy Spirit and asked His Majesty why he abandoned his allies and chose Lisbon.
Of course, he did not encounter any obstacles when entering the capital. A large number of envoys arrived in Tianjin on a painted boat. The people responsible for receiving Sauron were two young ministers of Honglu Temple, Gao Qiyu and Xu Jiugao. , and Felipe sent Ming envoy Legas.
Legas' dress has become a Confucian robe with a scarf instead of a missionary's dress. He was not planning to go back, so he actively integrated into the Ming Dynasty, and he integrated well. At least as an envoy, he did not face widespread discrimination.
It is not unusual for the Ming Dynasty to appoint Hu people. There is a special official position called Tatar official. After the Tatars surrendered, they acted with Han surnames and Han names, such as Wu Yuncheng, the respectful uncle, and Chai Bingcheng, the governor of the rear army. The old Yuan army who surrendered were called Dajun, and the Hu people who surrendered were called Damin, Dada, border people, etc. During the Hongwu period, there were more than 600,000 Guicheng Tatars recorded, while during the Yongle period, more than 400,000 Guicheng Tartars were recorded. During the Wanli period, after the Ming Dynasty defeated the Tuman Khan and the Anda Khan, there were more More than 600,000 border residents returned, and the Ming Dynasty also had a safe resettlement method for the Hu people.
Although Legas looks a bit strange, his daily life is not that difficult.
“What is this?!” Marcus said in horror as he looked at a carriage pulled by iron horses that was running on the galloping road.
Marcus comes here every year, Solon comes to China for the second time, and John Harrison comes to China for the third time. Ming Dynasty, Portugal, Spain, the three gluttonous diners at the table are ready to England kicked down the dining table, which really made things difficult for England. John came here this time to try to obtain Ming's understanding or cooperation through diplomatic means.
Marcus, who has been to China many times, has never seen this thing before!
“Steam engines have been around since the seventh year of Wanli. Due to limited technology, they have never been used on a large scale. Folks in the Ming Dynasty called this thing an iron horse, an iron lump pulling a cart.” Legas looked at it Looking at the roaring iron horse, he said with emotion.
The principle, structure, and working principle of the steam engine were all published in newspapers. It was an extremely hot topic of discussion. The principle was very simple. The key point was this thing. Legas did not believe that Taixi could build it, so at least he had to give it to Taixi. It would take another two hundred years of predatory development to give birth to such a monster.
"Then why do you never translate such technical things?!" Sauron looked at the iron horse with white smoke billowing from it, and immediately understood how terrifying this thing was.
Legas looked at Sauron, shook his head and asked: "Can it be made by translating it? Besides, the principle of this thing is simple, but its manufacturing and core secrets belong to the internal affairs department. Is it possible for me to find out the information about the Bureau of War and the Imperial Academy of Art?"
"The Ming Dynasty is very open and tolerant in many aspects, but also very conservative and closed in many aspects, such as this The sixteen-horsepower iron horse is the latest improved product of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. It is hard to understand, let alone imitate.”
A steam engine is a systematic project, how to control the air pressure and the flow rate of steam. , a series of issues such as the mechanical structure between the curved rod and flywheel, the dynamic seal, and the production of the cylinder are all things that are not discussed in the newspapers, or are things that the writers of the newspapers do not understand.
Even if I translate all the miscellaneous reports discussed, the final result is still that I can’t get anything.
Project realization is a very complicated matter. With the power of the entire Ming Dynasty, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty established the highest palace of Gewu, the Royal Gewu Academy, and spent a lot of money to finally fiddle with it. Its application scenarios, Chidao is still needed to realize it.
If there is no Chi Dao, the Iron Horse can only save some manpower when mining.
There is no application scenario in the West, because in the West, human power is cheaper than animal power, and animal power is cheaper than mechanical power. The price of each horse power in the Ming Dynasty is as high as 157 silver! If you need to pump water, you can capture ten slaves. If you starve to death, you can capture them again.
Slavery is common in the West. In the New World, slavery was used in the colonies. If there was a lack of labor, just catching slaves would be enough. Where is the need for such expensive iron horses?
That is to say, Ming Dynasty can have such luxury to manufacture such terrible machinery.
At that time, when there was only one steam engine, there were widespread doubts both inside and outside the Ming Dynasty. Gewuyuan made a toy for His Majesty to play with. It had a bloated and huge mechanical structure, a deafening roar, constantly vibrating steam, and billowing black smoke. The monster turned out to be as strong as a horse. Isn’t it just a toy?
At that time, His Majesty said that the current steam engine is still a toy, it is still a baby and cannot be expected to do anything.
And now it has finally come to fruition.
"That should be translated too!" Sauron threw his hands away very angrily. The fatigue of the boat and the bumps on the sea made his mood fluctuate very violently. On the one hand, he lamented the power of the Ming Dynasty, and on the other hand, Worried about the eventual failure of this trip.
He was not sure whether he could fully express the anger of Felipe II, because only by arriving in person could he know the rapid changes of the Ming Dynasty. Sauron had already seen the ocean-covering Wandering Dragon in Songjiang Prefecture, and also There is the Feiyun, which is armed to the teeth.
Sauron was very anxious, so he lost his temper towards Legas for no reason.
Legas was not angry, but got into the car with all the envoys.
"Woo!" The whistle of the steam engine suddenly sounded, startling all the envoys. This somewhat distant and powerful sound impacted the eardrums of all the envoys, and also impacted the eardrums of all the envoys. their cognition.
They had never seen such a strange product, and they lost themselves in the sound of clanging.
Along the way, they saw countless canoe boats that were almost submerged underwater on the Tonghui River, saw an endless stream of houses, saw trackers shouting slogans pulling the boats, and saw a continuous stream of busy people. Da Minglifu saw the salesmen carrying lunches and large bowls of iced herbal tea for sale.
They saw the most people in their lives, and there was an endless stream of people.
Compared with last year, Songjiang Prefecture and Capital City of Ming Dynasty are more prosperous this year.
Legasi did not have much communication with Sauron in the car. He waited for Sauron, Marcus, John Harrison and others to stay at Huitong Inn before he found Sauron. Get up and talk.
Some things are inconvenient to talk about when there are too many people, especially when Sauron has just been tired from traveling and is at his most emotional, it is even more inconvenient to talk about it.
Soren seemed to have calmed down now.
Legas looked at the somewhat lost Sauron and said with a smile: "Sixteen iron horses are not used on a large scale. It is just to scare the messengers, so the emperor specially sent one over. Most of them The iron horse is still being tested from Beitucheng to Xitucheng and then to Nanhaizi in Daxing County. There is no need to worry so much."
"As you can see, Daming is far more prosperous than our Taixi, their largest city. There are now two million people living there, right in front of you, you can see it with your own eyes."
"Over there at Donghua Gate, the Ming Dynasty was building a tall building of more than thirty feet to tell the time, and it was completed. After that, the hourly chime can be heard outside the city."
"Do I need to say anything more? I am very aware of the anger of our King, but I cannot convince the officials of the Ming Dynasty Ministry of Rites. Your Majesty, go and treat us more favorably.”
"Antonio put on the five chapters of Gong's uniform. It looked nondescript and even a little funny, but the clothes he paid for by surrendering allowed him to secure his position as king."
Sauron Sitting there, stunned for a long time, he said: "Yes, actually we are waiting, waiting for those who oppose Antonio in Portugal to push him off the throne. His Highness Felipe's anger is mainly due to the large amount of goods in Lisbon. Distribution brought wealth to Portugal and allowed Antonio to win the hearts of the people. "
"You know, Antonio only has the support of the common people. Now that he has the power of cargo distribution, he has the support of the nobles. Support, now that Portugal has changed from a piece of scattered sand to a whole, it is difficult to achieve His Highness’s plan.”
“Alas”
Solon explained Felipe II’s anger. The fundamental reason was still the conspiracy against Portugal. After negotiating the peace, Felipe did not give up his plan, but was like a calm hunter, quietly waiting for the day when the opportunity comes.
As a result, Felipe did not wait for the opportunity. Instead, he waited until Antonio gained more support. Antonio, who already had the support of the common people, coupled with the support of the nobles, Felipe II knew clearly that It may be impossible to have Portugal again.
Assassination has become a good method, but the security of the entire Sintra Palace is protected by the Ming Dynasty's cavalry. These cavalry come from the Duntai Yuanhou and the Coast Guard Patrol. They are good at spying on intelligence and know how to prevent infiltration and assassination. They are all the Iron Forest Army of the King of Portugal.
After the blessing of Ming Dynasty, Antonio's throne became more and more stable.
"What can we do?" Ligas looked at Sauron and asked in a low voice: "Can you persuade His Highness to accept the canonization of the Ming Emperor? If you can persuade, then there is still room for discussion."
"How is that possible? It is impossible for His Highness to agree. Your Highness is not Antonio. There is no way to go but to seek asylum from the great Eastern countries!" Sauron replied immediately.
The nobles and bureaucrats of Spain's autonomous principalities, the Holy See, and the Habsburg family are all unlikely to agree.
If Felipe agrees, he will be guillotined! Felipe II was completely different from Antonio who had nothing.
"Therefore, it is inevitable that the Ming Dynasty's policy will be inclined towards Antonio. At least in name, King Antonio of Portugal is your Majesty's feudal king and the founding of the country." Legas explained the reasons for the Ming Dynasty's policy preference.
My own people are definitely treated differently.
In fact, the Ming Dynasty did not regard Antonio as a vassal state with a barrier, but as a simple political restraint, a deeper diplomatic relationship than a friendly country. Otherwise, the emperor's war loan to Antonio would The interest rate won't be that high anymore.
Now there are a little more economic constraints, and the long-distance trade relationship is not that deep.
But just such a small relationship made Felipe II feel like he was stuck in his throat, and expressing his anger was like child's play.
“Have you heard of Rui De?” The purpose of Legas’ trip was to persuade Sauron not to antagonize the Ming Dynasty. He found a typical case, Governor Mene of the Governor-General of Goa. The envoy sent by Seth to the Ming Dynasty, Rui De.
"A very famous warrior, he is a loyal believer." Sauron nodded.
“He became a martyr. When the news of Malacca’s defeat reached the capital, he was on a mission in the capital as an envoy. He once roared in the Wenhua Palace for his faith and Goa, His Majesty was offended, but in the end His Majesty forgave him, but in the end, he failed to forgive himself." Li Yashi asked tentatively: "Are you going to visit his grave? Daming buried him. He erected a tombstone.”
Because Rui De's past is unknown, there are only records of his two missions to the Ming Dynasty on the tombstone.
"So, I advise you not to rush into His Majesty in the Wenhua Palace. There will be no other gains except suffering. I talked about him to tell you that the Ming Dynasty or, to be more precise, the Ming Dynasty No one can stop what the emperor wants." Legas stated his point of view again.
It is a very dangerous thing to offend the Ming Emperor. This is not a divine punishment, nor a divine punishment, but the anger of a human emperor.
(End of this chapter)