Chapter 708: The house will not be broken down if frozen to death, and the house will not be looted if starved to death
The emperor’s travel plans have been made in advance to give the local area sufficient time to respond, so that everyone will not lose their dignity, and Yao Guangqi, the magistrate of Shanghai, had long been prepared to cry for justice, waiting for the emperor to come down with a just decision to satisfy the emperor's justice.
When the emperor goes on tour, everything cannot be peaceful and beautiful. There must be something wrong. Otherwise, wouldn’t the emperor’s visit be in vain? But there must be no big problems. Once there is a big problem, it will be implicated on one's own head, and both the official title and the person's head will be lost.
As for this Ren family, it falls within the category of crying and driving, which can satisfy the sense of justice without implicating Yao Guangqi.
"The Ren family and the Chu family are collaborating with the Japanese and selling opium." Yao Guangqi first told his majesty two major crimes that were enough to punish the family. He bowed his head and said: "Your majesty, Chu Xunxiao dare not offend Ren. It’s because I made the Ren family anxious. Maybe the whole Chu family, young and old, won’t be able to see the sun the next day.”
After the death of Xie Qian, the former chief minister of the cabinet, Xie Qian's family was wiped out by the roaming Japanese pirates. The brutality of the case reached the ears of heaven and even alarmed the emperor.
The Chu family does not have any elders who are the former chief ministers of the cabinet, so naturally they do not dare to make trouble with the Ren family, who is a Japanese conglomerate.
Yao Guangqi told His Majesty the situation he had investigated. It was the Ren family who introduced the Chu family to Japan. To be precise, this Ren Qiubai was the investment partner of their two families who cooperated completely. According to the name, when Thunder's Wrath implicates the nine clans, it will definitely implicate the Chu family and become people in the same boat, so that they can do business with peace of mind.
The communication between the Ren family and the Chu family was mainly to transport food to the Japanese country, because the Japanese country was very short of food and the price of food was extremely high. However, the law of the Ming Dynasty prohibited the sale of food to the Japanese country, and the routes for selling food were very Weird, the entire route is completely out of the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty.
"In other words, if enough food is pulled from the Yuanxu Islands, although it is shipped to Songjiang Prefecture on the customs clearance document, when it leaves Shuri Prefecture, it will go north and arrive. The Japanese country, in exchange for Japanese slaves, transported them back to the Yuanxu Islands. After gathering and distributing in Davao City, Mindanao, these profiteers transformed themselves and transported the obtained goods back to the Ming Dynasty in exchange for silver? "Zhu Yijun was surprised by this link.
These people really know how to exploit loopholes. The biggest risk here is the journey from Shuri Prefecture to the arrival of the grain ship in Japan. As long as this section is not discovered, the rest of the voyage is completely legal! It can be said to be very hidden.
“Yes, all the procedures are legal. This was the first time we reconciled the accounts with Shuri Prefecture last year, and found something wrong. Last year, the flow from Ryukyu Naha Port to Daming The rice grain was short of 1.3 million shi, and we realized this problem." Yao Guangqi bowed his head and said.
This loophole is that the accounts of the four major governor's offices and shipping departments are independently audited, and during the audit, the court pays more attention to the governor's salary office, which involves the court's annual revenue, and as for the cargo details, it is There are not so many manpower and material resources to conduct audits. This independence is actually caused by the incomplete system construction of the Governor's Mansion.
Even Yin Zhengmao was angry with the Luzon gentry. The widespread lack of scholars made the accounts of the Governor's Mansion very sparse. He had to do his best to collect the taxes clearly.
The moment the Matsue Prefecture and Shuri Prefecture reconciled their accounts, this loophole in the system, which was not big or small, was discovered.
1.3 million shi of food is how the Ren family and the Chu family make a lot of money.
"As for opium trafficking, it is the Chu family who brings the Ren family together." Yao Guangqi continued to report that the opium trafficking business is the Chu family's unique skill. The reason why the Ren family is willing to let Ren Qiubai' Married', also because of the huge profits from opium.
As for the inspection of coastal defense inspections? They didn't take it to heart at all, because they had been doing this business for several years without any incident. The court had always responded slowly due to its rigidity. When the court found out, they had already escaped, or simply left the Ming Dynasty and went to Yuanxu. Islands, be the king of the country of a thousand islands, be free and happy.
This idea of the Ren family and the Chu family is extremely correct, but when Yao Guangqi focused on the Ren family, he discovered the unusual behavior of the Ren family, followed the clues, and caught irrefutable evidence of opium trafficking between the Ren family and the Chu family. , the evidence is complete, and the evidence is as solid as a mountain.
"They sold the opium to the Japanese country..." Yao Guangqi reported the specific source of the opium. Compared with the Ming Dynasty's hinterland, which was strictly guarded, it was safer to send it to the Japanese country.
Tongwa sold grain and opium to the Japanese country, and then took away the Japanese girls and slaves. This is the weird part of this case, which needs to be dealt with by the emperor, because all illegal activities occurred overseas, and the victims were Japanese people.
The Chu family and the Ren family despised the Ming army from the bottom of their hearts. The Ming navy spent 2.2 million silver a year on military expenditures. How many Japanese pirates did they spend so much money on?
The Chu family and the Ren family can transport 3,000 to 3,500 Japanese slaves and more than 500 Japanese girls from the Japanese country in a year. Isn't it as efficient as your Ming navy?
They never thought that they could do this and take away from the Japanese because the navy was on the side, so the Japanese had to accept their exploitation honestly, otherwise the maritime trade environment would be bad. Under this situation, their ships could not arrive, and they were robbed when they arrived, making sea trade impossible.
This is the consistent thinking of these powerful people. All gains are based on my own efforts. I have never thought about what would happen if I left the Ming Dynasty environment.
"It seems that they killed the Japanese people, but you have to make money in business. Opium balls only cost a little in the Japanese country. How many people can afford to smoke them? Only by trying every means to open up the Ming Dynasty's market can we get the most powerful opium balls." Fugui, it seems that they are fighting against the Japanese now, but it won't be long before they endanger the Ming Dynasty," Zhu Yijun said with a frown.
Businessmen are profit-seeking and profit-oriented, especially those who engage in this kind of desperate business. How can they have any feelings about family and country? In the end, it still harmed the people of the Ming Dynasty. Take opium as an example. How many powerful and powerful people in the Japanese country can afford to build such expensive things?
Yao Guangqi said sincerely: "Your Majesty, it won't be long. They have started to do it now. Coastal defense inspections have seized several ships with opium on them. There are seven boxes in total. They are probably for testing. Test the intensity of the Ming Dynasty Coastal Defense Inspection. These ships are inextricably linked to the two families."
Hearing this, Zhu Yijun nodded and said: "Inspect taxes, consolidate evidence, and arrest people. "
"Your Majesty, they did something inhumane," Yao Guangqi said with a frown: "They got a navigation insurance and made a mess."
"Oh?" Zhu Yijun sat up straight and said, "Tell me in detail."
Daming Navigation Insurance Policy is based on the business model of an insurance merchant in Antwerp, a southern city in the Netherlands (Belgium). The blueprint is a policy specifically designed to promote the development of maritime trade. The insurance of the Ming Dynasty government is mainly concentrated on ocean trade. The water distance is more than 50,000 miles. The profit of ocean distance trade insurance is only about 3%.
As for the offshore trade insurance of less than 50,000 miles, it was handed over to private businessmen, the Ren family and the Chu family, who were responsible for the Ming Dynasty territorial sea insurance.
Thanks to the construction of the Ming Maritime Academy and the Ship Design Institute, the return rate of the Ming Dynasty has increased year by year, from 80% at the beginning to the current 95%. The territorial sea insurance business of the Ming Dynasty is due to the It is safe and can be said to be a sure profit without loss.
The Ren family and the Chu family were in a mess, and the gameplay was very disgusting, mainly for the Ren family.
The Ren family never comes forward on their own, but looks for a comprador broker on the street, and most of them are from outsiders, not locals in Songjiang Prefecture. When they run away like this, they will not be able to find anyone. High compensation is the main means of competition, giving extremely high authority to salesmen selling insurance. When selling insurance, salesmen often use their authority to promise rebates. In addition to rebates, they also promise high profits.
At this point, in fact, this business has broken away from the definition of insurance itself. These salesmen talk about the rate of return. Five or six points a year is a small amount, and it is very convincing, because This money will be lent out at high interest rates. Rather than insurance, it is more like a pawn shop business to raise funds and borrow money.
When enough funds are raised, the out-of-town brokers and compradors will disappear without a trace after receiving a generous reward, and the salesmen also know what they are doing. When the brokers and compradors disappear, Sometimes, they will remain anonymous, or even change their appearance and continue working in another company.
The Ren family, who really got a large amount of money, is hiding behind the scenes. This is also the reason why the Ren family’s territory has been getting bigger and bigger and the money is getting more and more over the years. It’s hard to run a workshop. , the exhausting sea trade, where can you make money quickly by doing this kind of fund-raising and lending?
“This has caused the maritime merchants in Songjiang Prefecture to quarrel with Governor Shen. They want official insurance to be exclusive and launch territorial sea and inland waterway transportation insurance. Don’t let these money-obsessed guys destroy the insurance market and destroy the insurance market. The business environment has improved," Yao Guangqi said with emotion.
The imperial court's official insurance only had ocean insurance, not territorial sea or inland water transportation insurance, and Shen Shixing had not even proposed setting it up with the imperial court.
Because in Shen Shixing's view, this area should be given to the people to prevent the people from criticizing the court for excessive accumulation. In addition to concerns about wind power and public opinion, there is also limited manpower. Ming Dynasty can handle Ocean Insurance clearly. They have tried their best. As for the larger territorial waters and inland water transportation, the court really has to take care of it. The amount of manpower, material, financial and energy spent is really too great.
As a result, private insurance was in a mess. Songjiang Maritimers quarreled with Shen Shixing every day, asking the court to take charge of this messy market.
"When they are in charge, they feel that the control is too lenient, and when they are in charge, they feel that it is chaotic. When will these guys understand that they can't have both?" Zhu Yijun sighed, he and Shen Shi The trend of the industry is the same. The imperial court can't control so much, so how can there be so many mathematical talents.
Yao Guangqi asked in a low voice: "They are willing to increase the premium. Your Majesty's official insurance is already the most expensive, so that's not okay?"
"No." Zhu Yijun shook his head again, and said slightly helplessly: "This is not a matter of insurance premiums. The court is also composed of specific individuals. The ability to achieve this level is the result of the Songjiang ground officials working together and doing their best. . ”
Each three-masted plywood ship costs five hundred silver, which is more than 50,000 miles and less than 100,000 miles. Above 100,000 miles, it is calculated based on the voyage, which is more expensive and costs several thousand silver. Even tens of thousands of dollars, raising insurance premiums may seem good, but mathematicians need to be cultivated, and this chaos will continue for a long time.
And the most important thing is to avoid the unrestricted excessive expansion of official insurance, which will lead to the worsening of the bloated problem.
“In conflicts, constantly looking for solutions acceptable to everyone, and even conflict, the court can only deal with one case and try to prevent things from getting too bad.” Zhu Yijun did not strive for perfection in any decree. Instead, he chose rationality.
"I obey the order." Yao Guangqi obeyed the order of his leader. He was a little disappointed. On the road of development, there were not only flowers, but also thorns.
Yao Guangqi now encountered a very difficult thing. August was the most serious month for typhoons in Songjiang Prefecture. This month, many ships could no longer return to Xingang and sank in the wind and rain, forever. Staying in the ocean, His Majesty the Emperor was unable to go out because of the heavy rain.
There will be a bunch of fundraisers in the name of insurance who are going to have a thunderstorm. Those maritime merchants who have lost their principal, the sailors who have lost their families, and the merchants who have lost their goods will definitely put Ming Dynasty into danger. The yamen were blocked, hoping that the court would make the decision for them and uphold justice. However, those brokers and compradors who took the money and ran away were originally salesmen who changed their names and could hardly be found.
Whether it is insurance or trading houses, once these things develop to be profit-oriented and raising funds is greater than doing things, these social conflicts will break out. As the Wanli Reform enters its thirteenth year, all the problems Ming Dynasty is facing are new challenges, and it is necessary to constantly find ways to reconcile them among these challenges.
There were two economic factions in the Ming Dynasty. One advocated more goods and the other advocated more currency. They were roughly the pragmatists and the pragmatists. Obviously, the advocate advocated more currency. The retreatists make money faster and take less risks. Once they are used to making fast money, they will no longer be willing to make slow money.
Seeing that the pragmatists can make so much money, the pragmatists will gradually turn into the pragmatists, and eventually the entire Songjiang Mansion will become a place where demons dance.
Yao Guangqi didn't know what to do, and the Ming Emperor didn't seem to intend to interfere too much with the changes in Songjiang Mansion. This was the experimental field for the Ming Dynasty's New Deal, and it was also the largest and most important economic battlefield of the Ming Dynasty.
The Ren family and the Chu family are in bad luck! This is something that the people of Shanghai County knew immediately.
On the same day, Tiqi and his yamen officials surrounded the two families again, and then began to arrest people. They did not flatten them, but ransacked their homes. Soon the yamen posted a list, announcing the criminal facts of the two families. , the evidence is very conclusive, especially the fact that the Ren family raised funds in the name of insurance and lent money to underground banks, which affected a wide range of people and caused many victims. Dogs on the roadside would spit before leaving after seeing them.
The fact that the Ren family and the Chu family committed crimes is very clear and is generally recognized by the people. However, there are rumors in Shanghai County that the Ren family and the Chu family were unlucky. It was General Qi Jiguang who cruelly committed the crime in front of the emperor. They were ruthlessly involved because Chu Zhongtian, the eldest son of the Chu family, offended a nobleman who could not be offended, and thus caused trouble.
The people of Shanghai County all clapped their hands and applauded. Although Qi Jiguang had been in Beiya for nearly twenty years, he was still the same Qi Jiguang who was eager for justice and always dealt with injustice when he encountered it. However, the noisy Mr. Huang, although a bit more dandy, liked He used his power to bully others, but when he was a dandy, he upheld fairness and justice.
Compared to the fact that fairness and justice have been achieved and the error correction mechanism of the huge Ming dynasty machine is still running smoothly, the people generally believe in the script of "offend those who cannot be offended" and feel that this script is more Reasonable.
Beiya saw that Lin Fucheng had returned to his hometown of Songjiang Prefecture, but he no longer knew this place. He was a little confused when walking on the streets. After being away for a long time, all the familiar streets had been renovated, and the bluestones had been renovated. The streets are also made of hardened pavement, and the street trees on the roadside have become tall and tall.
This kind of strangeness made Lin Fucheng late again when he attended the Yanzhenglou gathering in Shanghai County. Shanghai County is even more luxurious than Beiya, and Shanghai County is destined to be even more congested than Beiya. After Lin Fucheng was blocked, he got out of the car and walked to Yanzheng Tower. As a result, he got lost and took a big circle, so he arrived a little late.
"Everyone Haihan, Haihan, I haven't been back for a long time. You are all lost in this earth-shaking and ever-changing Shanghai County." Lin Fucheng cupped his hands in all directions, then sat down carelessly and looked at the three people on the stage. The man smiled and asked Li Zhi: "Who are these two?"
"This one is Ma Jinglun, Mr. Wen Dao, and this one is Yuan Zongdao from the Yangchun Society of the Public Security Bureau." Li Zhi introduced the visitor. This Ma Jinglun is a civil servant, and will soon go to Beijing to take the imperial examination, while Yuan Zongdao is a public security officer. One of the three Yuan factions, they are all famous opinion makers.
Lin Fucheng looked around the stage. They were all talented people from Songjiang Prefecture. What surprised Lin Fucheng was that in addition to talented people, there were also beauties. Almost every talented person was accompanied by a female companion. This was similar to the past gatherings. The atmosphere is completely different.
When a group of big men hold a gathering, it is easy for them to shout slogans such as "Your family is suffering too, right?" Therefore, in Ming Dynasty's gatherings, you must bring a beautiful woman with you to prevent the atmosphere from being too serious.
Lin Fucheng sighed, these talented men and beauties are all vying for beauty. They are here to fight for wealth. Looking at the pile of broken things on them, you can tell that these talented men are not thinking about anything at all. In terms of the content of the gathering, it is about these beauties. How to outdo others in front of the beauties is the purpose of their participation in the gathering.
But that’s okay, everyone has to buy a ticket to enter, and you have to spend money to come to the gathering.
Li Zhi looked very relaxed, because the window of Tianzihao box was closed, which proved that there was no one inside. Emperor Ming's schedule today was to visit the Songjiang Prefecture Iron Horse Factory. Yao Guangqi came to Shanghai County, and the first thing he did was to unsettled things. The Songjiang Prefecture Iron Horse Factory settled in Shanghai County.
Huating, Qingpu, Shanghai, and Pudong were four places competing for this iron horse factory. Yao Guangqi relied on his special relationship with the leader of the Labor Party Wang Chonggu to get the iron horse factory to settle in Shanghai County. This was something that even the emperor personally cared about. project.
Yao Guangqi has outstanding ability and has made this iron horse factory very impressive. It can already produce Shengping No. 3, three types of iron horses with thirty horses, sixteen horses and ten horses. The annual output is expected to reach one thousand units. .
In the absence of the emperor, Lin Fucheng could only speak arrogant words, but the emperor would not listen to him personally.
"Master Lin came just in time. We were discussing just now that the Ming Dynasty promoted culture and military affairs." Ma Jinglun said calmly: "I am an old scholar, and I still think that the development of culture and military affairs is the key to determination. The strategy to secure the country is to promote culture and military force.”
Yuan Zongdao nodded and said: "My views are consistent with Mr. Wen Dao. If one day I am named on the gold medal list and come to Long Live, I will say the same thing. Promoting culture and military affairs is beneficial to the country. It is best to promote military affairs only when it is appropriate. If you give more, there will be trouble."
Li Zhi was a little unable to convince Ma Jinglun and Yuan Zongdao, these two were very stubborn.
"I agree with both of you. Indeed, it is right to promote culture and force." Lin Fucheng nodded with great approval. This is his usual way of meeting, affirming and supporting the other party's point of view.
“I think Xingwen and Wu are right, because no matter how the system changes throughout the dynasties, Han, Tang, Song and Ming, there is a common understanding, that is, a great unification, not a great unification of the two Song Dynasties. I am completely ridiculed by scholars." Lin Fucheng first expressed his support for a very clear reason.
The scholar-bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty frequently traveled to the Han and Tang dynasties, and their attitudes towards the two Song dynasties were mostly based on criticism based on lessons learned.
"Um, is there any connection between great unification and the rise of civil society and martial arts?" Ma Jinglun was a little confused. Most of his and Yuan Zongdao's arguments were based on the use of martial arts to break the ban. If the power of martial arts is too tyrannical, it will affect The stability of the country posed a direct threat to the emperor and influenced the execution of government orders.
As soon as Lin Fucheng came up, he raised the issue to the level of unification, which made Ma Jinglun a little panicked.
Is this layout a bit too big?
"Why have all dynasties emphasized great unification? Where did most people come from this understanding?" Lin Fucheng looked at everyone and said, "Because great unification means stability, which means stability." As the frontiers are stable, there will be no high-intensity wars in the hinterland, which means that the lives of the people can basically be maintained. It is better to be a dog in the prosperous times than a person in the troubled times."
"In the late Northern Song Dynasty, there was a female poet. Her name was Li Qingzhao, and she lived a carefree life in the first half of her life, just like her poem. She often remembered the sunset at the creek pavilion, being so drunk that she didn't know her way back, returning to the boat late after her excitement, and straying into the depths of lotus flowers. But the world suddenly changed. Now, Jin Bing has come, and in her later years, her situation is just like her poem, deserted and miserable."
Why is there a need for unification? Because the borders will be stable, large-scale wars will not occur in the hinterland, and life will be stable. When the sky is overturned, even Li Qingzhao, who was born in a powerful right, will live an extremely miserable life.
Under the whole nest, there are still eggs.
Lin Fucheng said with great emotion: "In all dynasties, armies have always been an unstable part. Let's take a look at the armies from pre-Qin to the present. During the pre-Qin period, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period fought without righteousness, and the whole country was often involved in wars. The army was mobilized for conquests, and the people were withered. In the Han Dynasty, the days finally stabilized, and these soldiers became the hawks and dogs of the aristocratic family. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the eighteen princes were at war. Wasn't it the leader of the aristocratic family? Soldiers?"
"The Han Dynasty was destroyed by force. However, the people were in ruins."
"During the two Jin Dynasties, the Sima family brought in Hu people to enrich the Central Plains, which caused extreme chaos. There was a huge population shortage, which resulted in the Yongjia Rebellion and the two emperors of the Western Jin Dynasty were captured."
"The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were absurd for hundreds of years, and finally in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Guanlong family, which mainly focused on the military system, gradually emerged. With the establishment of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the establishment and improvement of the imperial examination system, although the family still had great influence, It was no longer what it used to be. It was not until the middle and late Tang Dynasty that Huang Chao completely swept the family into the garbage heap."
"But in the late Tang Dynasty, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the military was tyrannical and caused a lot of trouble. ? Needless to say, in the Song Dynasty, they went too far. In the eyes of the court of the Song Dynasty, the threat of generals and warriors was greater than the threat of the Hu people, and eventually the world fell at the hands of the Hu barbarians. "
“Should we promote civil society and military affairs? Yes.”
Lin Fucheng briefly explained why the Great Unification and the promotion of civil and military affairs are connected. Great Unification is people’s pursuit of a stable and better life. There is a consensus that the military, as a factor of instability, has become inevitable in promoting culture and military affairs. This is a historical lesson. The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were absurd enough and not beautiful at all. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, everyone could become military fodder.
"Master Lin, great advice!" Ma Jinglun said very sincerely.
Lin Fucheng continued: "In fact, after the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, Song Qinzong and Song Huizong went to the north, and in the fierce conflicts that broke up the mountains and rivers, military generals with lower-level backgrounds represented by Yue Fei began to search for the significance of soldiers in the country, and Yue Fei found it. In terms of goal, it is to clean up the old mountains and rivers. In terms of military discipline, it is proposed: Do not demolish the house if you freeze to death, do not loot if you starve to death. "
"Originally, it is about the social status, rights, responsibilities, and obligations of soldiers. The speculation and evolution should have been completed in the Shaoxing period in the early Southern Song Dynasty. Yue Fei did a good job. The Shenwu Hou army had strict military discipline and was good at fighting. If Shaoxing had not had those twelve gold medals in ten years, the Song army would have retaken the capital. If the soldiers are restrained by strict military discipline and the obligation to defend the country is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, the evolution will be successful."
"But all this is because Song Gaozong naturally distrusted the soldiers due to inertia. Everything came to an abrupt end when Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty ordered Yue Fei to be executed in the eleventh year of Shaoxing."
Ma Jinglun and Yuan Zongdao looked at each other, and they heard something about Lin Fucheng's words. Come with another flavor.
“Soldiers with poor military discipline, who go around killing good men and taking advantage of their merits, robbing their homes and houses, and fighting like grates, must be civilized and martial. However, military discipline is strict and they will not fight back even if they are beaten. Because the opponent is a civilian, such as Qin Zhongke; not to mention robbing families and homes, they are even willing to use their flesh and blood to resist the power of heaven and earth, such as the Zhejiang Nine Battalion patrolling against floods. Such soldiers should not be civilized and military. "
Lin Fucheng said very definitely: "Since you have fulfilled your obligations, you should enjoy the rights you deserve."
(End of Chapter)