"What's the result?" Zhu Biao looked sideways at Wang Yuanji and asked doubtfully.
Han Du also raised his eyes to look at Wang Yuanji, already somewhat guessing what was going on.
Wang Yuanji didn't mean to hide it. After changing his sitting position, he replied truthfully to Zhu Biao: "When Governor Zhang was there, the Ming people had the highest status in Old Port. Whether it was maritime merchants or people who came to seek livelihood. , when dealing with indigenous people, he can stand on the strongest side and deal with anyone."
"When I first came here, I was absolutely committed to doing business. Naturally, I had to pay attention to one's own will. I felt that it was not good to be so forceful, so I gave the order and hoped that everyone could trade fairly."
fair? Han Du laughed in his heart when he heard this, and secretly sighed at Wang Yuanji's naivety. Where can there be so much fairness in this world? When Zhang Chao was in charge of Jiugang, Han Du gave him special instructions. When there is a conflict between the Ming Dynasty and others, he must support the Ming Dynasty people unreservedly and make the Ming Dynasty people superior to others in Old Port.
To use Han Du's explanation, the Governor's Mansion was the government office of the Ming Dynasty, and what Zhang Chao received was the salary from the imperial court and the taxes paid by the people of the Ming Dynasty. The Governor-General's Office did not favor the people of the Ming Dynasty when using people's money to eliminate disasters. Should they still favor outsiders?
It was precisely because he saw Han Du's favoritism towards his own people that Shi Jinqing was so excited when he learned that he was conferred the title of uncle by the emperor.
Seeing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looking at him blankly, Wang Yuanji changed his words and said, "But later events proved that I was wrong."
Zhu Biao frowned and asked in confusion: "What happened next?"
Wang Yuanji nodded slightly and replied: "Since I gave the order, the indigenous people began to cheer up. In the past, in the transactions between Ming merchants and them, Ming merchants almost always set the price, and the indigenous people rarely bargained. But since After I gave the order, the indigenous people actually united with the strength of their numbers and demanded to renegotiate the price with the Ming Dynasty merchants."
"Isn't it good to renegotiate the price? Since there was a problem with the original price, isn't it reasonable to renegotiate the price?" Zhu Biao asked doubtfully.
Wang Yuanji bowed slightly, and then replied: "I originally had the same idea. At first, the price was only raised a little, and the maritime merchants were still able to accept it. But what I didn't expect was that the indigenous people relied on the After many people united, they raised the price again and again. In the end, the price was sky-high. If the Ming Dynasty merchants purchased the goods at the price of the indigenous people, there would be no profit even if they were shipped back to the capital. They would be completely giving money to the indigenous people. It’s a waste of work. But if you don’t buy the goods and just run back with an empty ship, the Ming maritime merchants will still lose money.”
Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment. He did not expect that Wang Yuanji's original intention was to do good for the indigenous people, but in the end he actually caused the Ming Dynasty maritime merchants to suffer. "These natives are so greedy, aren't they white-eyed wolves?"
"What His Highness said is true, they are just a bunch of white-eyed wolves." Wang Yuanji mentioned it now with a bit of gritted teeth in his tone, which shows how strong his hatred for the indigenous people is. Thinking about it, he originally sympathized with the indigenous people, but he didn't expect that the indigenous people would push him further.
"The maritime merchants of the Ming Dynasty had no choice but to come to me and ask me to make the decision for them." Wang Yuanji sighed, "I find it difficult to get the matter. If I don't help those merchants, then they have made it clear that since they can't make money in Old Port, If they lose money instead, they won’t come back again.”
"Your Highness also knows that the taxes of the old port depend entirely on maritime merchants. If the maritime merchants do not come, the old port will be completely abandoned. Therefore, I have no choice but to come forward to talk to the natives in person, hoping that they can lower the price a little to make it profitable for the Ming Dynasty maritime merchants. picture."
At this point, Wang Yuanji's face darkened, his eyes narrowed and he said coldly: "But I didn't expect that those people actually thought that they were outnumbered and I couldn't do anything to them. Not only did they not lower the price, but they also threatened to follow their rules. price transactions, otherwise they will turn the Old Port upside down and even destroy it."
Han Du listened, murderous intent flashed in his eyes. The Old Port was managed by Han Du with great effort. If someone dared to destroy the Old Port, Han Du would not mind killing them.
Even Zhu Biao looked angry after hearing this. Only Daming had ever threatened others, and no one had ever dared to threaten Daming. I didn’t expect that there would be such a bold person in a place as big as a palm in Old Port.
Han Du looked up at Wang Yuanji with a questioning expression and said in a deep voice: "To destroy the old port is to attack the Ming Dynasty. Such arrogant people should be eradicated."
When Wang Yuanji was told by Han Du, he felt relieved and quickly replied: "What you said is right. The students were also furious at the time. They directly used the government soldiers to kill all the natives who wanted to cause trouble, and then stopped this." The momentum spreads.”
Then, Wang Yuanji looked at Zhu Biao again and said: "After this incident, I also took back my orders and stopped talking about fair trade. I didn't expect that the situation in the old port would calm down so much. It is still calm now, and the old port is also calm." Becoming more and more prosperous."
Zhu Biao frowned a little after hearing this, but he did not accuse Wang Yuanji of anything. After all, judging from the current situation in Old Port, although Wang Yuanji's methods may be a bit too drastic, they are not wrong.
On the one hand, there is kindness in my heart, and I feel that such mass killings should not be carried out; on the other hand, there are huge benefits. Jiugang contributes a lot of taxes to the Ming Dynasty every year, and it is impossible to lose it. Zhu Biao was at war with nature and man in his heart, and he didn't know what to do for a while.
Finally, Zhu Biao waved his hand helplessly, signaling for everyone to leave. Just after the three of them stood up, Zhu Biao looked up at Han Du and said, "Han Du, please stay here for a while."
Han Du exchanged glances with Tang Ding and Wang Yuanji, smiled and nodded: "Yes."
After Tang Ding and Wang Yuanji left, Zhu Biao pressed his fingers between his eyebrows twice and stretched out his hand to signal Han Du: "Sit down."
Han Du sat down as he was told, looked up at Zhu Biao, and asked tentatively: "Is Your Highness worried about the conflict between the indigenous people and the Ming people?"
Zhu Biao sighed when he heard this, nodded and said: "Although the Governor's Mansion can forcibly suppress a place, Mr. Gu feels that this is not an option in the long run."
Han Du shook his head and said with a smile: "I think there is nothing wrong with this."
Zhu Biao was stunned when he heard this, and then asked in surprise: "What? You actually think this is good?"
"That's great!" Han Du spread his hands and shrugged, "These places were originally just unclaimed lands, and the natives were just people who drank blood. It was the Ming Dynasty that brought them civilization and let them know How to build houses, how to dress, how to cook, to save them from barbarism. Isn’t it a matter of course that the people of Ming Dynasty are nobler than them? After all, when the people of Ming Dynasty were studying and sensible, the ancestors of those people were still Climbing naked on the tree to avoid the pursuit of beasts." Han Du's last words made Zhu Biao laugh. He shook his head and sighed: "Haha... You, you, you are really hurtful. Dirty words.”
"Your Highness, what I said is true." Han Du shook his head and replied seriously.
"Okay, let's stop talking." Zhu Biao's face was full of smiles and he waved his hand to stop Han Du's thoughts of continuing.
Then he said: "I just feel that after all, their ancestors have lived here for generations. If they are oppressed too much, wouldn't it be a little bad?"
Han Du shook his head and said bluntly: "There is nothing wrong with it."
Looking up into Zhu Biao's eyes, Han Du's voice suddenly became cold and stern, "I don't dare to deceive Your Highness. If it weren't for the fact that there were too few people in the Ming Dynasty, and most of the people had not left their hometowns to come here, I would not have kept the indigenous people here at all." It is best for Ming Dynasty to leave land but no people behind."
Leave no place behind!
Zhu Biao couldn't help but feel a chill running down his back when he heard Han Du's words. He raised his eyes and looked at Han Du blankly, and asked: "Why didn't I find such a cold side of you before? Do you know how many people need to be killed to do this to you?"
Han Du looked at Zhu Biao quietly, until he saw that he looked a little worried, and then slowly said: "No matter how many people you kill, they are still outsiders. Your Highness does not want the nonsense of the civil servants to convince the ministers. In my opinion, , as the Marquis of Zhenhai, I receive taxes from the people of the Ming Dynasty, so it is natural for me to protect them and take care of them, but why can these outsiders get my care?"
"Moreover, the people of the Ming Dynasty are growing rapidly every year, but there is only so much land in the Ming Dynasty. If it does not expand outward, sooner or later there will be too many people to support, causing the people of the world to fall into famine. Once a spark falls, That might turn things upside down.”
"Since the Ming Dynasty needs more land to feed more people and expand outward, it cannot take into account too much. People who are not my race must have different minds. If some people die, they will die, and if they are killed, they will die. Kill it. If a treasure place like Old Port were replaced by people from the Ming Dynasty living here, does Your Highness think Old Port would be more prosperous than it is now?"
Although Han Du only talked about it, he also imagined in his heart that Ming people would live here. And Han Du believes that if the people of the Ming Dynasty come here, they will definitely build it better and make the Old Port shine even more. After all, if you look at the whole world, you will never find another ethnic group as hard-working and creative as the people of Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Biao pondered for a long time and did not refute Han Du's words, because what Han Du said was true. Since Han Du remonstrated with his father on the grounds that uneven distribution of land would lead to instability in the world and the overthrow of the dynasty, his father issued an order requiring officials from various places to report the amount of local land and the number of settlements every year. Judging from the results that Zhu Biao himself has seen, the land and Dingkou are growing every year, but the growth rate of the land is far less than the growth rate of Dingkou.
There is no other way. People in the Ming Dynasty are keen on having more children and more happiness, and are eager to have as many children as possible. In the past, there was not enough food to eat, and there was a shortage every year, so the people did not dare to give birth. But now, with the support of Nanyang's food and sea fishing, the Ming Dynasty Royal Grain Industry is constantly adjusting the amount of food in various places, almost able to barely satisfy the people's food and clothing. With relatively sufficient food, people can give birth to children boldly. By now, almost every household has given birth to a large number of children, with the average family having about five children.
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