Shimazu Hisari had just sent away a wealthy Japanese businessman in Nagasaki, when suddenly a wealthy North Korean businessman asked to see him.
Although he was doubtful about this, he still welcomed him in.
"I apologize for taking the liberty of coming here." The businessman was quite polite.
Compared with Japanese businessmen, North Korean businessmen dress in a special way, which is similar to that of Ming Dynasty people, but their collars are narrower and more close-fitting.
After Korea and Japan were forced to agree to trade, Nagasaki was not only a place where Ming merchants gathered, but also a place where Korean merchants liked to come.
North Korea's ginseng, paper, books, lacquerware, cloth, etc. are also very popular in Japan. Moreover, North Korea's silver is precious and gold is cheap, and Japan is rich in silver, which is a great supplement to North Korea.
Of course, compared to the trade between the Ming and Dynasty, Nagasaki's money transactions were less than one-tenth.
But the last two years have been different.
Taiwan is famous for its sugar, and both Nagasaki and Ryukyu are close to Taiwan ports. Nagasaki can also handle Japanese business, so there are more and more Korean businessmen.
"Where." Shimazu Kusei was full of doubts, and he patiently served tea: "Everyone here is a guest. If you have any instructions, please just say it."
"Then I'm welcome." The North Korean businessman suddenly laughed and said:
"I heard someone said that you bought a lot of sugar from Taiwan during this trip. Is this true?"
"That's true."
"Is it for sale?" "It's already sold—"
The businessman was dumbfounded and said helplessly: "I wonder if you can tell me the price?"
"Fifteen yuan per stone." Shimazu Hisari thought for a while and said directly.
"Next time you come to Nagasaki, I'll take the sugar, eighteen yuan per stone." The North Korean businessman said with a serious face.
Shimazu Hisunari hesitated.
Business is a matter of practice, not raw.
In the Shimadzu family's territory, Japanese businessmen would never dare to deceive him even though they were powerful. But the Koreans were different. Once they left, they would not be taken care of at all.
Seeing this, the businessman could only state:
"In the past, the most traded items between our country and the Ming Dynasty were books. But now, from the king down, everyone is addicted to sweets, especially white sugar. Everyone loves it and there is already a huge demand for it..."
To put it bluntly, North Korea, like Japan, has a love for white sugar that has spread throughout the country, but most of the white sugar is exported to Western countries, and the rest is sold domestically.
Because sugar is sold in advance, and a year's supply is booked at the beginning of the year. In addition, pre-sales require large-scale deposits, so it is difficult for businessmen in Japan and North Korea to grab sugar.
Shimazu Hisunari's ability to obtain sugar can be said to be a huge anomaly.
Seeing this, Shimazu Hisari could only nod slightly: "Although I have a good relationship, I can't get much, so I can only give you about twenty or thirty dan."
"But the price per stone needs to be twenty yuan."
The price is as high as twenty taels of silver per stone. This price is simply crazy, which means that every six kilograms of white sugar is worth one tael of silver.
"But..." Gritting his teeth, the North Korean businessman agreed.
After the goods were all sold out, Shimazu Hisari bought some things and couldn't wait to go to Taiwan.
When he arrived in Taiwan, he saw the pier was crowded with people and merchant ships everywhere. His small boat looked very inconspicuous.
Along the way, people were dazzled by all kinds of Westerners. In the obstetrics classroom, people were wearing crosses and chanting God in their mouths, and they were extremely pious.
Japan, on the other hand, has long been rejecting Catholics and has even implemented a ban on Christianity for decades. It regards missionaries as savage beasts and ostracizes all believers.
In addition, the Tokugawa shogunate closed the country and required people doing business overseas to return home within a certain time limit, otherwise they would not be allowed to enter.
Therefore, in Taiwan Prefecture, a large number of homeless Japanese businessmen, people, and believers settled here one after another, promoting the diversified development of Taiwan Prefecture.
At this time, the sound of firecrackers suddenly started loudly, various lively dragon dance scenes occurred one after another, and the streets were filled with joy.
Shimazu Hisari hurriedly asked why.
Pedestrians were also caught
He didn't dislike it and said directly: "The imperial court cut off a part of Dayuan County and established Tainan County, right there in the sugar cane field..."
Hearing this, he suddenly realized.
The vast Dayuan County was divided into two, and Tainan County was added. This is indeed something worth celebrating.
However, what happened next was not a good thing for him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Shimazu. It's not that we don't give you face. It's just that all the sugar has been reserved. The sugar we gave you a few days ago was all squeezed out..."
The manager of Tangliu spread his hands helplessly.
Shimazu lost his smile immediately.
Seeing this, he could only take out a few banknotes and make some bribes.
The manager then lost his composure and said, "Although there are not many sugar houses in Taiwan, I heard that there is a lot of white sugar in Luzon."
"My family also sent people to Luzon and purchased a lot of sugar mills and sugar cane fields. You can go and take a look, you will definitely be able to buy some back -"
With that said, he opened a letter, which can be regarded as a gateway.
Shimazu Hisari made another trip to Luzon.
With the establishment of the Luzon Governor's Palace, the number of merchants coming and going has increased significantly. Although the Taiwan Palace has replaced the functions of Luzon to a certain extent, the value of Luzon is indeed difficult to estimate.
After a lot of work, Shimazu Hisari earned one thousand yuan again after completing this boat trip, and his reputation spread in Nagasaki.
At this time, the news that he had settled in Ryukyu Mansion immediately spread among relatives and friends.
A large number of down-and-out samurai, those with unappreciated talents, expressed their envy, and then tried their best to settle down in Ryukyu Prefecture.
In a short period of time, the number of households in Ryukyu Prefecture increased by more than 300, and they were overjoyed for a while.
These people are either well-educated in Chinese studies or have special skills, which is of great benefit to Ryukyu Prefecture.
You must know that in Ryukyu, the total number of households is less than 10,000, and the number of people has increased by thousands. This is definitely a political achievement.
As for Shimazu Hisunari, he changed his name to Shimazu Hisunari, took the money he earned from running boats, and went to Fuzhou to study, preparing to pass the exam to become a scholar next year.
Obviously, this loophole in Ryukyu Mansion has been seized by the Japanese samurai and has become the best way to change their destiny.
The imperial examination, which is an official method that only focuses on knowledge regardless of family lineage, has great appeal to Japanese samurai.
Even many Korean businessmen doing business in Nagasaki came here because of its reputation. They all set their residence registrations in Ryukyu Prefecture in the hope of changing the fate of their children.
After all, as we all know, although North Korea also has imperial examinations, only two classes of nobles have the right to take the exams. It is a game for the big nobles, and businessmen are not qualified at all.
At this time, Ryukyu Island was like a duty-free island country in later generations for Japan and North Korea, and it had great appeal.
Of course, Zhu Yixi didn't know that the foreshadowing she had laid had begun to work, and it was an extraordinary effect.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the wheat gradually matured, and the entire northern China fell into wheat yellow.
Everything must give way to the autumn harvest.
Fortunately, during the ten years of Shaowu, there were few disasters in the northern provinces. Even in Shaanxi, it was an ordinary year. This was great luck for the people in the northern provinces, which were prone to disasters.
At the same time, a piece of data also reached the emperor’s hands:
"The area planted with sweet potatoes in the four provinces of Shaanxi, Shaanxi, Suiyuan, and Hebei has exceeded 100,000 hectares..."
Especially in northern Shaanxi and the Taihang Mountains, which are short of water and land, sweet potatoes have been widely welcomed. People are happy to plant sweet potatoes on some slopes and wastelands.
It is unimaginable for ordinary people to be able to obtain hundreds of kilograms of food from land that has yielded nothing in the past.
At the same time, the way to eat sweet potatoes has also become widely popular.
Sweet potato flour, dried potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, sweet potato chips, etc. are welcomed by the people.
Of course, for the common people, what makes them motivated is the tilt of the court's tax policy:
Ten pounds of potato flour is worth one pound of grain.
This is also their original intention of growing sweet potatoes.
tax deductible
, this is already a great motivation.
As a result, in just a few years, sweet potatoes became popular throughout the north, and even spread to the entire Central Plains and the south.
At the same time, in these barren provinces, with the popularity of sweet potatoes, there are fewer and fewer rebels against the Communist Party.
Shaanxi Province reported that in the ten years since Shaowu, the number of riots involving more than a hundred people has dropped to less than ten. Compared with previous years, this is a huge improvement.
This can also prove the role of sweet potatoes from the side.
When the people had their stomachs full, naturally not many people rebelled.
At this time, someone said, isn't it frivolous and insignificant? Why would anyone still rebel?
Speaking of this, I have to mention the ignorance of many people and their last resort.
There is no problem with the imperial government's policies, but the common people are easily deceived, and superstition and other measures make them rebel.
Moreover, there is a policy in the official circles that no matter what the reason is for the people to riot, it is regarded as a rebellion.
For example, some officials were corrupt and violated the law, forcing some villagers to kill their families, which was a rebellion; some gentry were over-exploiting and oppressing the people, causing massacres, which was also a rebellion.
Bureaucrats, on the other hand, have always liked to deceive others and report selectively.
Some things are suppressed and some are reported.
Such a thing as an uprising is simply out of the question.
In a sense, Zhu Yixi only believed half of Shaanxi's report this time and did not believe it at all.
Therefore, to see whether a dynasty is peaceful or not, the number of uprisings does not matter, because these will be selectively recorded.
No official wants to lead a great chaos, which will affect his official career. Then a small disaster will turn into a big one, and the dynasty will fall.
Isn’t that what the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was like?
There was a continuous battle ahead, and as a result, they flew directly from Guangxi to Nanjing.
Therefore, to see whether a dynasty is rich or not, just look at the level of its officials.
Because in theory, official taxes are relatively light, enough to allow the people to survive, but when they go to local areas, they will be increased layer by layer, and the quality of official governance is the difference between doubling the tax.
"The corn planting area in Liaodong is also very gratifying."
The emperor laughed.
Compared with the northern provinces, which are barren and suitable for growing sweet potatoes, Liaodong prefers corn.
The popularity of corn soon filled up the living space of wheat, and it became popular in Liaodong.
The chief envoy of Liaodong said bluntly: "Today's Liaodong, compared with three years ago, the population has not increased much but the grain has doubled. The grain is only twenty coins, and the people are very happy——"
Of course, due to the numerous rivers in Liaodong, various water mills were developed vigorously, and corn was continuously crushed into powder, which naturally promoted the increase of grain on the market.
The Ministry of Finance reported that Liaodong is expected to harvest 3 million shi this autumn, and Taicang will receive 2 million shi.
This can well supplement Gyeonggi's grain, thereby reducing the pressure on grain transportation from the south to the north.
In a sense, due to the advantage of distance, Liaodong at this time has truly become the granary of Beijing.
Today, there are only one million people in Liaodong. If immigration from Shandong continues, the food supply will continue to increase.
The cabinet even optimistically estimated that when the population of Liaodong exceeded 3 million, its annual grain tax revenue of 6 million shi would be enough to supply the entire city of Beijing.
After all, transportation in the Bohai Sea is the most convenient as the risk is further reduced and the cost is extremely low.
By then, the transportation of grain from the south to the north will become history.
Zhu Yixi was overjoyed: "Today is the real beginning of the development of Northeast China."
Autumn is a harvest season, and the cabinet has voted to merge Liaoxi Prefecture into Liaodong Province in order to speed up the development of Liaodong, thus promoting its development.
"Liaoxi Corridor——"
After muttering something, Zhu Yixi refused directly.
Although the smooth flow of sea transportation has continuously reduced the importance of Shanhaiguan, no one can deny the importance of the Western Liaoning Corridor.
Therefore, Liaoxi
Although the situation is embarrassing, Liaodong must not be allowed to control it.
Thinking of this, he directly raised his pen and said: Discuss the abolition of Yongping Mansion and its merger with Shuntian Mansion.
Then he wrote: "Discussing the merger of Liaoxi Prefecture into Hebei Province——"
Yongping Prefecture is the Guannei area east of Shanhaiguan, where Ji Town is located.
Nowadays, with the peace in the grassland area, Yongping Prefecture is less important. It is very suitable to merge into Shuntian Prefecture. After all, it is close to Beijing.
Western Liaoning, which would become the Jinzhou area in later generations, was under the long-arm jurisdiction of Hebei Province, which was also a crippling policy.
Tian Fu immediately asked someone to present it to the cabinet, then served on the side and continued to read:
"General Jilin reported that in recent years, many tribes have surrendered, with more than 300 tribes and 200,000 people living in Jilin City. Only the Han people in Jilin City are very few, only tens of thousands..."
"There are still few soldiers and horses, and it is difficult to control the Mongolian tribes. Horqin's left wing is swinging left and right, which cannot be trusted. Please ask the court to send more people to guard the border and become the capital of Jilin..."
"There is a shortage of people!" Zhu Yixi sighed: "We have to ask Shandong to increase its efforts. There are not enough people in Liaodong, when will Jilin be able to do so?"
As he said that, he asked: "Is there any news from the Heilongjiang Xingdu Division?"
Tian Fu immediately started rummaging around, and after a while he found it from the bottom and said:
"The General of Heilongjiang said bluntly that now that Heilongjiang City has been built, the General's headquarters has been moved from Ninggu Pagoda. The land has been covered with snow for half a year, which is quite difficult. He only asks the people to settle in and cultivate it..."
"There is a shortage of people again!" Zhu Yixi waved her hand: "Let the cabinet do it..."
There is no other way to solve the population problem except migration, which is difficult to solve.
At this time, the emperor's decree had arrived in the cabinet.
"Depose Yongping?" Wang Yingxiong was startled and almost bit his tongue.
Lu Daqi said in a deep voice: "Is this too big for Shuntian Prefecture? There are more than ten counties in it. Can it be managed?"
