The Ming Dynasty's maritime ban was a series of restrictive policies on maritime affairs carried out by the Ming Dynasty government in the 14th century. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Japan's feudal princes separated themselves. Today I will beat you, and tomorrow you will beat me. Those feudal lords who failed in the war organized warriors, merchants, and ronin to carry out armed smuggling, robbery and harassment in coastal areas of China. This is the same as those in the grasslands. They regard our Central Plains region as a natural granary and grab whatever is not available to eat. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the implementation of the sea ban policy that began in the Ming Dynasty in order to prevent the remnants of coastal warlords and pirates from nuisance. The early sea bans were mainly targeted at commerce. Chinese people were prohibited from doing business overseas, and foreign merchants were also restricted from trading in China. , During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, although Zheng He's heroic voyage to the West was achieved, only tribute trade was liberalized, and private individuals were still not allowed to go to sea. Later, with the advent of Japanese pirates, the maritime ban policy became more stringent. Although it played a role in self-protection, it greatly hindered the development of Sino-foreign exchanges. Although future generations also want to lift the sea ban, the benefits of those sea bans have been divided up by the important officials of the major powerful families. Naturally, there is also great resistance to lifting the sea ban.
In the Shun Dynasty, Li Zicheng was even more short-sighted. He only wanted to enjoy himself and rarely interfered with national affairs and some policies. Therefore, the maritime ban is still maintained.
When the Ming Empire was established, the rules and regulations of the previous Ming Dynasty were continued because it was the descendants of Zhu Chongba who bore the title. The maritime ban was still maintained.
However, due to interests, many people still secretly go to sea. Some people commit crimes in gangs, and some people go to sea in an organized way. Even some people in power are involved. The huge benefits make them deeply fall in love with the sea. , don’t want anyone to get involved.
As soon as Li Jinchen finished speaking, Liu Wenzheng said anxiously: "Your Majesty, in the past year, in the coastal areas of our country, we have been harassed by pirates three or five times a day on average. They burned, killed, looted and committed all kinds of crimes. The people along the coast have also suffered greatly. The coastal areas have to increase the number of troops and patrol day and night, and the people do not dare to live on the seaside, so they all move to the inner city. If our country lifts the sea ban, this will undoubtedly open the door to pirates, and they will unscrupulously harass us along the coast. civil".
Zhu Xirong only thought of the benefits brought by lifting the sea ban, but also ignored the threat that the lifting of the sea ban would bring to him. For a while, I couldn't think of anything powerful to say to refute Liu Wenzheng.
At this time, Qian Song stood up and said: "There is some truth in what Mr. Liu said, but it cannot be generalized. Misfortune lies on the back of blessing, and blessing lies on the misfortune. Everything has its disadvantages but also its advantages. Since ancient times, I Central Plains silk, tea, and porcelain are very popular abroad. If the maritime ban is lifted and the export of these items is increased, it can increase the employment rate of the people of our Ming Empire and increase some income, thus stimulating the market of our Ming Empire."
"The benefits are great, but how to solve the problem of pirates?" Liang Songhe, the Minister of Rites, also came out and said.
Since ancient times, there have been no naval forces in the Central Plains of China. They are mainly infantry and cavalry. Even in the naval battle of Poyang Lake between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang, the ships were approaching and people went up to fight. Although there were also cannons and artillery, there was no formation. In a combat mode, swords, guns, swords and halberds are the main weapons, and thermal weapons are not used on ships.
Everyone was silent for a long time. Seeing that no one spoke, Zhang Luzi shouted again: "What's the problem? Just send more soldiers to accompany us out to sea."
"What the British Lord said is very simple. How can soldiers on land fight at sea? Those pirates live at sea all year round and have long adapted to the wind and waves of the sea. In battle, our soldiers will definitely not be opponents. If they are recruited and trained again, they will be It’s a lot of expenses, please ask Qian Guogong, does the treasury still have money?” Liang Songhe asked.
Zhang Luzi was speechless. He took out thirty taels of silver and threw it on the table. Then he smashed the tea bowl. He thought that he would bring some cheap ones to the next meeting. This slap of thirty taels was still very heartbreaking. .
Shipbuilding, recruitment and training of naval forces, the clothing, firearms, food, wages of these sergeants, as well as pensions after death in battle, all of these require money, and it is not a small amount. The national treasury does not say that it can escape the rats, but it wants to It is still very difficult to come up with dozens of taels.
The hall fell into a deadly silence again, but people always come up with solutions, and soon someone thought of a solution. For example, Qian Song, the second most educated person in the Ming Empire, said: "We have always considered going to sea from the imperial court. But they did not take into account the so-called private businessmen, who say that there is no business without treachery, and the overseas interests are huge. A small porcelain bowl in our court only costs 350 taels, but it can be sold at a high price of 3000 taels abroad. This is Hundreds of times the benefits. Driven by these benefits, many people will unite together, and many people will also set up a maritime guard. And we only need to register those merchants who go to sea and collect tariffs from them. After all, it is so big It is reasonable for us to collect taxes and will not cause any objection,"
"Collecting commercial taxes is competing with the people for profit, and lifting the maritime ban is even more contrary to the ancestral precepts. I don't agree with Qian Guogong's idea," Li Jinchen said. Obviously, he had no other reason to overturn Qian Song's words. The only thing is to take out the ancestral teachings again.
"Master Li's words are true. Even if we continue to maintain the sea ban, Master Li thinks that no one will go to sea privately. "Das Kapital" says that if there is 20% profit, capital will be ready to move. If 5% If the profit is 10%, capital will take risks. If it is 100% profit, capital will dare to risk losing its head. If there is 300% profit, capital will dare to trample all laws in the world. You must know the benefits gained from going to sea. It’s more than three to five hundred, and Eunuch Hao Lian should be very clear about this.” After Qian Song finished speaking, he looked at Hao Liande.
Hao Liande nodded and said, "What Qian Guogong said is true. Every year, the Jin Yiwei catches many businessmen who go to sea privately."
Qian Song continued: "This is driven by interests. Rather than all the overseas interests going to the hands of those businessmen, why not let part of the interests enter the national treasury to benefit the people. The people are the most valuable, the country is second, the king is insignificant, and the people are the only one." The foundation of a dynasty,"
"What Mr. Qian Guogong said makes some sense, but how to solve the problem of the Coast Guard? You must know that our country prohibits private ownership of guns and weapons. If the Coast Guard is built, they will inevitably have a large number of weapons. If they just watch It's easy to talk about the immediate interests in China, but if their ambitions gradually expand, they will definitely threaten our Ming Empire." Li Jinchen's words stimulated Zhu Xiluo even more.
Political power comes from the barrel of a gun, and he ascended to the throne of the emperor by force. If everyone has weapons in their hands, some of them have the "kings, generals, and ministers", and the world will not be the same. It's such a chaos. How long can I remain the emperor? Whether I can still eat my favorite pig's trotters, I'm scared to think about it.
Zhu Xiluo said decisively: "Let the sea ban be released in advance, and we will discuss it when the time is right. As for the collection of commercial taxes, what do you think?" Li Yutang has been seriously injured and left the battlefield, so there should be less resistance.
Zhu Xirong understood what Zhu Xiluo meant. He was afraid of being poor, had no money, and had no sense of security in his life, so he said: "Your Majesty, I think it is necessary to collect tariffs, hide wealth among the people, buy low and sell high. Every year these businessmen get The profit is several times the national treasury,"
The three princes naturally agreed, and they had a sure chance of winning by a show of hands. Li Jinchen, Liu Wenzheng, and Liang Songhe saw that their boss was no longer there, so they stopped expressing their opinions, did not object, and even more did not support it.
In the end, Zhu Xiluo decided to register businessmen and adopt a tax system of one out of ten. It has to be said that the tax is still very heavy, but this is also related to the status of the businessmen. Speculation, reselling, and profit-driven practices have been going on for thousands of years. The evaluation of merchants remains unchanged, and the taxes are still acceptable compared to what merchants earn.
"Now that the matter has been settled, the British Duke is responsible for investigating the merchants, Qian Guogong is responsible for collecting taxes, and Mr. Liu is responsible for imposing certain corresponding penalties on some merchants who are not following the rules." Zhu Xiluo ordered that compared with the harm of lifting the maritime ban, collecting commercial taxes is still much smaller.
The meeting ended successfully. The only regret was that Li Yutang could not persist until the end of the meeting due to physical reasons. He was absent from school and work and needed to write a review. Fortunately, Zhu Xiluo was considerate of the elderly and did not blame him. At the end of the meeting, several adults Each went back to his own home to find his own mother.
"By the way, how is Duke Min's health?" Zhu Xiluo asked Hao Liande.
Hao Liande lowered his head and replied: "A month ago, Duke Min suddenly fainted. The imperial doctor also went to see him. He said that the blood pressure was too high, causing the fainting. In addition, there were some blockages in the blood vessels. But now he is better and can walk around." .
"Oh, you take the imperial doctor for further diagnosis and treatment. By the way, there are some supplements in the warehouse. You can take some with you." Zhu Xiluo ordered.
Hao Liande nodded in agreement.
Zhu Xiluo returned to the harem. The two pig trotters he had eaten in the morning had long been digested. Zhu Xiluo still wanted to eat two more. When he thought of the debts owed to the treasury, he gave up that idea and drank a bowl of porridge. Padded.
Zhu Xiluo had three wives. The first one was naturally the earliest empress who followed Zhu Xiluo, Huang. She was a few years younger than Zhu Xiluo. They also met on the battlefield. Huang's father was a general in the Shun Dynasty. Responsible for resisting the Japanese attack at Shanhaiguan, he also fought bravely, but he was harmed by traitors, and finally committed suicide out of hatred. His family was also implicated. In the end, he died and some escaped. Only one person, the Huang family, survived. She grew up in the army and was very familiar with the sergeants and generals. Therefore, Zhu Xiluo got the support of some Shun Dynasty officers and soldiers when he married her. It must be said that this was also part of the political marriage. Huang had three sons and one son. Daughter, but both the eldest son and the second son were killed in the battle, leaving only one son. The son, who is now a teenager, is the fourth oldest, and the daughter is also married.
The second lady gave her the title of noble concubine, and she was also from a scholarly family. Her ancestors held important positions in the pre-Ming Dynasty. The second lady had been smart and well-read since she was a child. When she was with Zhu Xiluo, she even gave him a lot of ideas. She only had one child on her knees. son. Ranked third.
This third prince has also been smart since he was a child. He was reading at the age of three and speaking well at the age of five. He is also a child prodigy.
It is normal for men to have three wives and four concubines. Zhu Xiluo is no exception. Although he grew up in a monk temple, he still likes beautiful women. Later he married a beautiful woman. It can be said that this concubine should be But the most beautiful one, for this wife, Zhu Xiluo also spent a lot of manpower and material resources, screening at all levels. At the age of fifteen, it is not an exaggeration to be called the most beautiful woman in the Ming Empire, and Zhu Xiluo is much better than this girl. More than thirty years old. But love knows no age, and the two of them are very much in love.
It's just that not having children has always been a beauty's regret. It had happened several times before, but Zhu Xiluo didn't know how to be restrained, and the little girl didn't care. As a result, the child was not kept, and it was not until later that she couldn't have a child. Although the little beauty is very favored, her title is not pleasant, well, she is a bitch concubine. I wonder if Zhu Xiluo drank too much before he thought of such a name.
