Chapter 713 Extreme Dilemma
Everyone must read more books to prevent being deceived by readers. Shen Shixing’s image has always been very gentle, appearing in the form of Master Duan Shui. This gentle appearance is very characteristic Deceptive, in taking advantage of others' danger and adding insult to injury, Shen Shixing showed the usual viciousness of a scholar.
Taking advantage of the liquidity crisis of banks and bank accounts, Shen Shixing took advantage of the situation and asked them to hand over the last bit of land to cash in.
The liquidity crisis is not about lack of money, but because the debt has not been recovered, which makes it impossible to exchange all the banknotes. The crisis of trust is very fatal to banks and banknotes. These banks and banknotes are not insurance banks. If you accumulate money and cheat, if you lose your credibility, you will lose everything. You can only act according to the rules drawn by Shen Shixing.
Shen Shixing was constantly and sparing no effort to promote Songjiang Mansion's new policy, because he knew very well that with the Navy on his side, the power of Songjiang Mansion could not do anything to him.
The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty announced that he would hold a naval parade in Songjiang Prefecture. The Ming Dynasty had the Spring and Autumn Parade and the Fleet Parade. The purpose of these two military parades was to let everyone know that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty still had force and had control over them. final interpretation of the use of force.
The Emperor Zhu Yijun of the Ming Dynasty processed a batch of memorials. The Chidao from Kaifeng to Jiayuguan has been divided into sections, and the construction has begun by the Engineering Corps Battalion of Shaanxi, Henan. The canal from Hangzhou to Ningbo in Zhejiang has also begun construction. , Chidao from Hangzhou to Nanya, Hangzhou to Suzhoufu has also begun preliminary mapping. It is necessary to design the height, slope, curve, etc., and the planning has begun.
The Ministry of Revenue told His Majesty the Emperor that large-scale Chidao construction cannot be carried out recently. Whether it is internal funds or national funds, there is only silver to maintain the operation of the country. More silver is needed before further progress can be made. Infrastructure investment.
The money saved by the Ming Emperor and Finance Minister Wang Guoguang over the years has been completely scattered, and there are still many roads to be built in the Ming Dynasty, from Mizhou to Songjiang Prefecture, from Kaifeng to Mizhou, From Kaifeng to Wuchang Prefecture, from Wuchang Prefecture to Guangzhou Prefecture, from Jilin to Si Yongning Temple, the capital of Nurgan.
The ministers of the Ming Dynasty were extremely conservative. In the eyes of the ultra-conservatives, the Jidu area, the vassal state and even the governor's palace were not the territory of the Ming Dynasty. Only those areas within the reach of Chidao could be used reluctantly. It can be regarded as the land of the Ming Dynasty. If it can be transformed into a king, it will be a real county.
If you can't fully control it, opening up the map will be as ridiculous as getting spit on someone during sex.
"If you are poor, you have to live a hard life for a few years before saving money." Zhu Yijun said helplessly.
This kind of poverty is a relative term. Compared with the Ming Dynasty, which could only receive six to seven million taels of silver a year before the Wanli Restoration, the Ming Dynasty's finances are still very healthy and can maintain For basic operation, there is no need for border arrears, no need for courtiers to receive only 30% of their salary and only for three months, and the Ministry of Household Affairs' financial planning is to cover expenditures for the whole year instead of three months.
"The silver has just been turned into an asset. It has been kept with His Majesty in a different way." Feng Bao said with a smile.
The silver was distributed downwards through extensive construction work. Admittedly, this distribution method seems stupid, but it is indeed distributed. The silver flowing in from overseas passes through the Chidao Mine. Construction continued to flow into the hinterland, effectively increasing the circulation of goods in the Ming Dynasty.
No one can accuse His Majesty of not doing well, they can only say that His Majesty did not do well enough.
"Da Situ said that there is actually a once-and-for-all solution, and that is the banknote method." Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial in his hand and said with a smile.
Because the right to mint coins is not in the hands, the Ministry of Revenue is obsessed with the banknote method. The copper furnace for minting coins is in the hands of the Baoyuan Department of the Ministry of Industry, and the silver coins are rolled and printed in the hands of the Ministry of War and the Bureau of Internal Affairs, together with the acceptance of the Tongguan. Money orders are in the hands of the Ministry of War, and only treasure banknotes popular in Japan and overseas are in the hands of the Ministry of Household Affairs. However, these two kinds of treasure banknotes cannot be circulated in the Ming Dynasty in theory. Of course, this is just a theory.
So, the Ministry of Revenue is obsessed with the Banknote Law. Unfortunately, His Majesty the Emperor's attitude towards the Banknote Law is even more conservative than the extreme conservatives.
"Da Situ also wrote in his memorial that the banknote method without completing the accumulation of silver is a lazy government that harms the country and the people." Feng Bao said a good word for Wang Guoguang, and Wang Guoguang Guang is very clear about the standards of the Ming Dynasty's banknotes. Now is not the time. To be precise, silver-standard banknotes require more silver as the standard and more primitive accumulation.
After Zhu Yijun processed a batch of memorials, he picked up the miscellaneous newspapers on the table and read them. But to his disappointment, no one still scolded the emperor for destroying the business environment. On the contrary, the miscellaneous newspapers gave high praise to the emperor's arrogant and unreasonable use of force to deal with the Wanlongzhuang debt market. Of course, these writers still hoped that his majesty's methods would be gentler and the blood would not look good, but he could kill people. If the head is replaced by Shen Hai, it will be elegant.
"Did Zong Bo Wanshihe exert his strength?" Zhu Yijun was a little surprised by the comments in these miscellaneous newspapers.
Feng Bao said with great certainty: "I have asked, the great uncle is busy collecting overseas chronicles and has no time to pay attention to them. This kind of wind is actually normal. After all, the Wanlongzhuang bond market has a threshold. It’s very high, and most pen editors don’t know about it.”
“In fact, pen editors are also very surprised. The Yangtze River thoroughfare has nine provinces, the world’s goods are distributed in Songjiang Prefecture, and overseas silver flows into Songjiang Prefecture. Obviously everything in Songjiang Prefecture is. It is prosperous and developing rapidly, everyone can see it, but these days are getting worse and worse. Firewood, rice, oil and salt are getting more and more expensive. In all kinds of romantic places, thousands of taels of silver are easily spent. Why is the life getting worse and worse? In my heart More and more resentment?"
"Everyone has a question in their mind, where has the silver gone?"
"These writers were also confused. It was not until His Majesty investigated and dealt with the Wanlongzhuang bond market that they realized that all the fruits of development had been robbed by these people."
The writers They are also people from the Ming Dynasty. They also have to live, and it is no problem to live barely. But if they want to do something, such as buying property, buying some favorite inscriptions, calligraphy, paintings, silks and satins, etc., they have to borrow money. After knowing the intentions of these owners, After the gameplay, the pen editors will of course criticize the Wanlongzhuang bond market verbally and in writing.
There are countless things taken away by the emperor and the court. Your Majesty is a petty person. After taking away the money, he did not waste it himself. He did not leave the money in the treasury to grow hair, but used it to repair the Chi Road. .
The emperor's court took it away to promote public benefit, which cannot be criticized at all. However, the situation in Songjiang led Haoyou to steal the results of the New Deal in this way, which aroused public outrage.
Many pen dealers themselves are also victims of debtors.
"This article is not bad. I would like to ask Ma Jinglun if the imperial court can copy it into the Di newspaper? Of course the signature is still his." Zhu Yijun took out a miscellaneous newspaper and nodded after reading it.
Ma Jinglun is also a man of opinions. Compared with Lin Fucheng's rebellion and Li Zhi's arrogance, Ma Jinglun is more of a debater.
Ma Jinglun believes that the antonym of conservatism is innovation, and the antonym of extreme is rationality. The entire article discusses the contradictions of conservatism, innovation, extreme, and rationality, and then demonstrates the inevitable law of the development of everything, cycle Back and forth.
Renovationists, or any self-proclaimed rational reformers, are unable to achieve their own internal metabolism, because they need more extreme reformist ideas to complete self-innovation.
The long history of the Central Plains tells everyone that if any group is unable to realize its own internal metabolism, history will repeat itself over and over again, and the reformists naturally lack the ability to self-correct and will fall into extreme predicaments.
Once it falls into the trap of extremes, it will be widely opposed and ultimately fail.
“From Shang Yang’s reform in the pre-Qin Dynasty to today’s Wanli Reform, this has always been the case. In the end, we fell into a dilemma where we could not correct our mistakes. Even if the gentleman took charge of the administration and hoped to get rid of this dilemma, In the end, he fell into an extreme dilemma." Zhu Yijun felt an inescapable sense of fate as he watched Ma Jinglun's discussion of this matter.
Historically, Zhang Juzheng's New Deal became more and more radical and even extreme after the seventh year of Wanli, especially the nationwide implementation of the One Whip Law. In the case of insufficient silver, it would be strange not to fail. Of course Emperor Wanli was not a thing, digging his own grave, but the extreme dilemma of the reformists was also a dilemma that Zhu Yijun, the leader of the New Deal, had to get rid of.
Extreme means irrational, and rational reformers will eventually become irrational reformers, falling into the predicament of extremes and unable to extricate themselves. At this time, conservatives began to come in and launch a comprehensive opposition and Correction has become inevitable.
When rational conservatives begin to correct past mistakes, overcorrection will appear. As the world develops, rationality gradually disappears, and then it inevitably falls into the next cycle, the extreme of extreme conservatives. resolve the dilemma.
Under certain circumstances, both conservatives and reformers will inevitably face the same problem, the dilemma of extremes.
Ultra-conservatives will also be widely opposed, and rational reformers will begin to appear, and the cycle repeats.
But the question is, how many times can Ming Dynasty go through such a torment? Not to mention the Ming Dynasty, even the ancestors of the three generations above the Dharma, the sages and kings respected by the cheap Confucianists, faced with such a cycle, how many times could they go through such tossings?
Over the years, Zhang Juzheng has become more and more conservative. He opposed the land return order he proposed. He also refused to write the third and fourth volumes of the Class Theory he compiled. He opposed it. He was even opposed to the excessive promotion of military force during the nationwide implementation of the whipping law.
Obviously, Zhang Juzheng's change was to suppress the extreme transformation of the reformists into irrationality.
"This article seems to be a very boring debate article. Even among scholars, it won't make much waves. But I feel that the dilemma he raised is something I must experience and face." Zhu Yijun I considered the miscellaneous newspaper in front of me over and over again. It was well written, but no one wanted to read it.
Not many people like theory.
In the current Ming Dynasty, talented and beautiful people are good stories and are widely sought after. This kind of purely debating articles really has no market and will not attract anyone's attention.
Ma Jinglun personally believes that Zhejiang's Jiuying entered the city to suppress bandits, the spread of bank runs in Songjiang Prefecture, the craftsmen in Chongde Square who fought for wages, and the slaves who fought against Sochi when the slave status was abolished are all irrational Yes, but this kind of irrational fighting behavior is not meaningless. It is these irrational fighting and innovative behaviors that hold the bottom line of consensus.
The current Ming Dynasty is just right. While it is determined to innovate, it retains a part of the ultra-conservatives in the DPRK. The existence of ultra-conservatives suppresses the extreme progress of the reformists.
In the original historical line, Zhang Juzheng could not retain some of his ultra-conservatives. Anyone who opposed his innovation would be completely attacked by him. Without the support of the imperial power, Zhang Juzheng could only act as regent and continue to accelerate, because after the seventh year of Wanli, Emperor Wanli, who had his own ideas, did not support Zhang Juzheng's reform.
Ma Jinglun feels that the current Ming Dynasty is just right. Enough conservatives must be retained in the DPRK. As for how many conservatives should be retained, that is not Ma Jinglun’s concern. The degree here requires long-term practice. In summary, Ma Jinglun has no such practical experience.
"I will ask someone to ask if Ma Jinglun is willing. If not, give him a pseudonym." Feng Bao accepted the order. In his opinion, this kind of debate article It doesn't make any sense. No matter how good the reasoning is, His Majesty is the one who does the work, and His Majesty's will is above all else. On August 20, the thirteenth year of Wanli, God finally gave the Ming Emperor a favor. The sky was clear and the visibility was extremely high. Even in the golden autumn morning, there was no morning fog. Under the auspices of Wan Shihe, The Ming Dynasty's ship review ceremony was held at Xingang, Songjiang Prefecture.
Sun Kehong was also on his way to Xingang. He was invited to participate in the naval parade of the Republic of China. The person who sent the invitation was Zhang Cheng, the admiral of Songjiang Town. Zhang Cheng made it very clear Tell Sun Kehong that this invitation was hand-picked by the Emperor of Ming Dynasty, and praised Songjiang Ocean Trading Company, which was the mainstay in this run.
This is a personal affirmation from His Majesty the Emperor.
But Sun Kehong was in a mixed mood. He rarely attended public events such as poetry gatherings and cocktail parties because his legs were broken. No matter where he went, he had to be pushed. This disability made him very resistant to such public occasions, but His Majesty personally invited him to attend the meeting, and he was very excited. At least what he did could be seen by His Majesty.
Sun Kehong’s dedication was extremely thorough. In fact, he was repaying his kindness. some.
Without the land of Ming Dynasty, Sun Kehong is just a cripple.
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty, Long live Your Majesty." Sun Kehong wanted to climb down from the swivel chair and bow to His Majesty five times and kowtow three times. This was very dishonorable and very embarrassing. For Songjiang As for Sun Kehong, the most powerful person in the government, he would try his best to avoid being seen in this embarrassing state.
Sun Kehong was a Juren, and he was also the chief merchant of the Ocean Trading Company appointed by the imperial court. This chief merchant was not an official position, but an official, but he could also be called a minister.
Before Sun Kehong could move, he was stopped by Feng Bao. Feng Bao said with a smile: "Your Majesty has a decree. Mr. Sun Shang is physically inconvenient. He is not required to kneel when he meets officials or has an audience."
< br>Sun Kehong was stunned for a moment, then bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness."
"Mr. Sun Shang, don't be nervous. The parade has not started yet. I think it is also idle to be idle. I just want you to come and talk. Songjiang Prefecture wants to thank Mr. Sun Shang. I heard Wei Guogong Xu Bangrui say that some time ago, Mr. Sun Shang gave out 50,000 silver to promote the cowpox method. This is a great deed. " Zhu Yijunhe. Sun Kehong talked about old things to relieve Sun Kehong's nervousness.
The prices in Songjiang Prefecture are relatively expensive. Eggs cost 24 cents per catty. In other words, Sun Kehong bought nearly 1.5 million catties of eggs and placed them in Huimin Pharmacy. He gave one free for vaccination with cowpox. Jin, the cowpox cultivation method in Songjiang Prefecture was completely promoted.
"It's all the money saved by the owners of the trading houses, not the money I put out myself. This cowpox method is really powerful. In Taicang, Suzhou Prefecture, there was an outbreak of pimple plague in June, but because cowpox was also vaccinated there, there was no Make a fuss." Sun Kehong said sincerely.
Songjiang Prefecture has a huge flow of people, even greater than that of Beiya. For example, merchants from Sichuan will take boats down the river to do business in Songjiang Prefecture, and overseas ships are also here Songjiang Prefecture was anchored, and Songjiang Prefecture had a population of 2.7 million people. If smallpox really broke out, Sun Kehong would not dare to imagine the consequences.
"Your Majesty, every time there is a plague, many people die, but this year it is rare to hear of it. They all rely on Shengde." Sun Kehong said sincerely.
For Songjiang Prefecture, does the Ming Emperor’s kindness only include opening the sea? No, there is also the cowpox method.
Zhu Yijun and Sun Kehong chatted a lot. Sun Kehong was very talkative and could talk about a lot of things, such as the impact of imported grain from overseas on the price of grain in Songjiang Prefecture, the scale of the cotton cloth business, and the influence of maritime merchants on the Songjiang Prefecture port. The demand for berths, Songjiang Prefecture building a new port on Yangshan Island overseas, etc.
"The situation in Yangshan Port is that the imperial court has failed Songjiang." Zhu Yijun was somewhat apologetic about the construction of Yangshan Port.
In the ninth year of Wanli, when Wang Daokun was still in Songjiang Prefecture, he proposed to build a Yangshan Port for the Ming Dynasty ships to berth. The court's opinion at that time was that it was not feasible because the Suiyuan Chi Road was about to be built and the court had no money. Well, Wang Guoguang told the Songjiang Mansion at that time that he wanted to build it himself. It was embarrassing enough that the court had no money, and it still asked the people to borrow money.
Songjiang Prefecture has an urgent need because the port of Songjiang Prefecture is blocked by ships.
Later, Songjiang Mansion built it on its own. The imperial court had no money, but Songjiang Mansion did. Songjiang Mansion took 1.2 million silver and started construction directly. Now Yangshan Port and Yangshan Town have been built. Facts have also proved that Yangshan Port is really necessary, because after it was built, Yangshan Port was also overcrowded. There were more than 200,000 people on the small Yangshan Island, which was more than the population of a county in the hinterland. The ships The sail can be said to cover the sky and the sun.
At that time, the imperial court was worried that Yangshan Port, like Shuangyu, would become a gathering place for pirates. They made conservative decisions. However, the result was that the court overthought and Yangshan Port did not become a gathering place for pirates. Instead, it greatly increased Songjiang Prefecture's sea trade throughput and injected new vitality into the Ming Dynasty's economy.
The Yangshan City Shipping Department and the Governor's Pay Office, which were affiliated with the Songjiang City Shipping Department, could give the court a total of more than 400,000 silver in taxes every year. The court did not spend a penny, which was equivalent to the court using Songjiang Prefecture's Yangshan Port in vain.
"Your Majesty, the national policy is to develop both land and sea. We can't just watch Suiyuan being defeated and unable to defend it, right? Songjiang Mansion also needs Suiyuan's coal and alkali noodles. These are goods that cannot be imported from overseas." Sun Kehong didn't think that the imperial court had any fault. It was a pity that Suiyuan was defeated and given up by the royal family.
The uncertainty of imported raw materials from overseas is extremely high. How can there be a stable supply of raw materials from the mainland?
"Do the merchants have any difficulties in doing business?" Zhu Yijun asked the merchants about their demands. Scholars, farmers, industry and merchants are all the pillars of the country and the people, and they are the pillars of the dynasty. The Ming Dynasty had a serious business culture. , it was difficult for the opinions of merchants to flow smoothly to the emperor's ears.
"Yes, the Ming Dynasty Navy has to expand its army. At least one hundred thousand navy troops will be needed to barely have enough." Sun Kehong said with a rather sad face: "Your Majesty, the most dangerous section of the ocean trading line is. It was from the old port to Xuanluo Sima Liujia City to go to the West. The Portuguese Governor's Palace of Diu and the Governor's Palace of Goa always attacked the Ming caravans. "
"But to transport cotton and saltpeter from the Mogul country, it is the only way to go. It is really miserable. If the Governor's Palace of Goa and Diu are eliminated, the merchant ships of the Ming Dynasty can pass smoothly."
"Expand the army?" Zhu Yijun was surprised. The biggest demand of the Ming Dynasty merchants was actually to expand the army to ensure the free trade of the Ming merchant ships. This sounds easy to understand and is logically correct, but it makes Zhu Yijun feel a little bit Strange.
"Sooner or later we have to expand the army, it is better to expand early." Sun Kehong said very definitely. His appeal was very simple, a very small goal, to eliminate the governor's palaces of Diu and Goa.
Of course armed merchant ships are useful, but no matter how armed they are, they are not warships. Facing the two governor-general offices set up by Portugal, they are still a little stretched.
Also, the loss of customs duties every year makes Sun Kehong extremely sad. All his money is given to foreigners. Isn’t that an evil act? It is better to give it to the Navy and let them sort out the business environment in the West.
The management of the Shipping Department in Daming City is extremely strict. Of course, there are officials who ask for bribes, but the situation is by no means as vicious as that of Fanyi. Compared with the business environment within the territorial waters of the Ming Dynasty, it is really too difficult outside the territorial waters of the Ming Dynasty. It's bad, we urgently need the Ming Navy to carry out Xuanwei.
Sun Kehong really burst into tears as he described the scene of being asked for bribes by foreigners. His face was really greedy.
"I will pay attention." Zhu Yijun did not make a promise. Whether to expand the army needs to be carefully studied.
After Sun Kehong left, Shen Shixing marveled and said: "Your Majesty, you can't be deceived by Mr. Sun Shang. Look at him crying and looking like he has been greatly wronged. A few days ago, Goa The governor of the Governor's Mansion sent an envoy to report to Mr. Sun that the merchant ships were roaming the Western Seas with large numbers of guns."
"This?" Zhu Yijun was stunned. I really don’t know about this situation. Just listening to Sun Kehong’s words, it seems that maritime merchants have suffered a lot of injustice in the West. But judging from Shen Shixing’s statement, it seems that this is not the case?
Who robs whom? This is a problem.
In the Western Ocean (Indian Ocean), everyone trades with swords, which is a competition for heritage. There is no doubt that the weapons of the Ming Dynasty are cheaper and there are more people. It is really not certain who will be wronged. , the Governor-General of Goa hopes that Ming Dynasty can restrain Ming Dynasty maritime merchants.
"Your Majesty, the number of ivory coming from Manbasa has been increasing year by year." Shen Shixing always felt that Sun Kehong was too well-behaved in front of the court. The Songjiang maritime merchants treated Sun Kehong Obedience is not simply a matter of belief, but to a large extent fear, because Sun Kehong is essentially a Zhoushan cobra, extremely vicious.
"That's because our Ming Dynasty was bullied. Even if we rob, we can only rob them. They can't fight back." Zhu Yijun thought for a moment, shook his head and said, his basic view on this issue is that Ming Hai Shang was robbed outside. This is a fact. He was bullied.
As for Hong Mao Fan’s merchant ship being robbed, what does it have to do with him, the Ming Emperor?
"Your Majesty, your Majesty." Shen Shixing thought for a moment, bowed his head and said, Your Majesty's words are very reasonable. No matter what the situation is in the West, Ming's ships cannot be bullied. Fairness and justice are things only discussed within Ming Dynasty. , Fanyi is not a human being.
Zhu Yijun included military expansion in his agenda. As Sun Kehong said, it must be expanded sooner or later. It is better to expand early than to expand late.
The fleet review has begun. In the port of Songjiang Prefecture New Port, the sound of drums, horns, and cannons are heard one after another. They stay on the sea in the distance. The endless fleet begins to raise its sails, and the sails are like clouds. It also enveloped the entire port.
The first ones that appeared were four hot air balloons. These days, hot air balloons are made of silk and are so expensive that even the wealthy navy only has four in total. It can only be pulled out for a walk when it is in ship mode. It is easy to use, but the cost is too expensive, and even the navy cannot afford it. Only when there is a breakthrough in materials can hot air balloons be widely used.
Hot air balloons are actually unreliable because they move with the wind and are too uncertain.
But when the four hot air balloons dragged huge vermilion banners slowly across the sea, everyone still looked up. After all, they were weapons flying in the sky, which was really shocking.
There is almost no difference in the process between the ship review and the previous ship review in Tianjin Port. The only difference is that the scale of the navy participating in the ship review this time is larger, and this batch of navy is only the Ming Dynasty part of the navy.
The Youlong, a flagship that does not undertake combat missions, appeared first. It was mainly a political symbol. Its performance was actually not as good as the fast sailing ships produced later. The Feiyun represented exploration, even though the Feiyun was different from all aspects. Look, they are all products of failure. Failure in exploration does not mean that exploring this path is wrong. It is definitely qualified to participate in the ship review. This is the symbol of Ming Dynasty’s exploration of ship design.
Five-masted ocean-going ships, three-masted plywood ships, and battleships kept sailing across the sea. When every ship appeared, Zhu Yijun would stare at it for a long time. It was a pity that he would never It was impossible for him to set sail on a ship, and he had no chance of going to sea. Being able to board the ship at the port and take a look was already the limit of the Ming Emperor.
After the ship review, Zhu Yijun rewarded the navy soldiers. The end of the ship review means that the Ming Emperor, the living king of hell, has finally completed his southern tour and is returning to the capital!
In this regard, Jiangnan's powerful and powerful people all have only one attitude, that is, the emperor will never tour the south again!
(End of this chapter)