Dongluan County
The wide and smooth stone road connecting the piers is densely populated with pedestrians, and there are rows of shops on the left and right. Not only inland ships, but also seagoing ships come and go every ten feet.
The inland waterway was tortuous and slow, so the imperial envoy decided to take the sea route, which could reach Beijing in half a month.
When arriving at Dongluan County, there will naturally be officials from the county to greet and see them off. The officials will receive a banquet and the ship will dock for supplies. People on board the ship can also go ashore to walk around and relax.
Su Ziji, dressed in casual clothes, was walking in the dock market under the protection of his own soldiers. Looking at the dazzling array of goods, he was in a good mood. He also bought a few gadgets and planned to go back and give them to Ye Buhui.
"On this return trip, I gained some experience. All the officials who came to greet me along the way are treasures that can be mined."
"It's a pity that because I have to return to Beijing early, I can't go as before."
"The next step is to enter the sea. I don't know what I will gain by taking the sea route this time."
The supplies for the time at sea need to be prepared now, and the ship will not be stopped midway. The good thing like the previous experience gained from banquets with local officials will no longer be available.
“However, I don’t have much experience now.”
Su Ziji lowered his eyes and saw half a piece of red sandalwood.
"[The Way of Government] Level 9 (4325/9000)"
"The first time there were three or four thousand, but now there are no more three or four hundred."
"Huh? Is there a storm coming?" Su Ziji suddenly felt something wrong with the gust of wind. He looked into the distance and felt that there was some water vapor coming from the entrance to the sea.
"Is there a demonic aura?" Su Ziji could even feel a trace of demonic aura from the sea water.
"However, this is not surprising. The water is deep and wide, and there are many sea beasts in it."
"I just don't know whether this storm is due to the weather or the approach of sea beasts." Thinking of this, Su Ziji's heart moved and he looked into the distance again.
"Master Su is so elegant." At this time, I heard a sigh from behind, and someone came over.
Su Ziji turned around and found that the person speaking was the navy admiral Rui Xin who was escorting the imperial envoy's ship all the way. He was a middle-aged man with a majestic expression. Su Ziji and Rui Xin were not familiar with each other, but Rui Xin seemed to be quite familiar with him at this time. , as soon as he came over, he stood side by side with him and looked at the mouth of the sea.
And he sighed: "Although the sea is calm, there will be storms and waves coming soon. The world is not peaceful."
In fact, there is something wrong with what he said. At least, it was not said by a serious and high-ranking military attache.
The higher the rank of an official, the more he pays attention to this kind of language.
It is even more taboo to have a casual conversation.
Rui Xin is the admiral of the Navy, a third-rank official, and his actual power is higher than that of Luo Pei. If not for the quasi-emperor grandson Su Ziji coming to the capital this time, even if Luo Pei is the imperial envoy, there is no need for Rui Xin, the admiral of the navy. Personal escort.
Su Ziji's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the estuary in front of him and asked, "Admiral, who do you think is Optimus Prime's sea-fixing needle?"
A third-grade official, even a military attache, is half a head lower than a civilian official, but he is still a high-ranking official, and it is difficult for ordinary people to get over him.
Whoever the admiral took refuge in was probably a prince.
Then which king does this admiral belong to? King of Shu? King Qi?
Of course, we do not rule out cooperating with high-ranking officials in the DPRK to explore paths for certain people.
Rui Xin smiled. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a heroic appearance. His smile looked very cheerful, without any sense of gloom.
"Master Su guessed wrong. I am not here to be a lobbyist for others. If I have to say who I am a lobbyist for, of course it is for myself, for the Southeast Plan, and for the people of the Southeast."
Seeing that Su Ziji was just listening and didn't say whether he believed it or not, his expression turned serious: "In the previous dynasty, the sea was banned, and the annual income was tens of millions, and it was beneficial to the people's livelihood. But now the court has banned the sea, and the people have been suffering for a long time. I When the navy guards the coast, we will see a lot, so I naturally hope that Mr. Su will be able to speak out for the people of the world."
Su Ziji smiled and said nothing.
"Mr. Su, there are some overseas countries outside the territory of Dazheng that have been banning the sea. This is harmful to the court, national strength and mutual communication."
"Besides, trade was profitable before, and there were very few pirates, so it was not a big deal."
"Banning maritime trade will make no profit for the coastal or overseas countries, so that they will take desperate risks and cause catastrophe. Although they have been suppressed many times, they only treat the symptoms but not the root cause."
Seeing that Su Ziji did not refuse immediately, Admiral Rui Xin looked at the estuary and fell into deep thought. He immediately advised: "Master Su, if I can persuade your Majesty to accomplish this matter, it will definitely benefit all people. We, the navy and the people of the southeast , will be extremely grateful to you, Mr. Su."
"Master Su, this matter is related to the livelihood of the people in the southeast. I hope Master Su can agree. I don't ask for it to be done immediately. I just hope that Master Su will keep this matter in mind."
"I, Rui Xin, would like to thank Mr. Su here first."
Saying that, it was a gift.
Su Ziji subconsciously avoided it, saying that no merit is rewarded, and he had not yet agreed to the matter, so receiving this gift for no reason felt like he was chasing a duck.
Moreover, although this matter is just agreed, there seems to be no harm. Rui Xin does not ask for it to be done immediately anyway. For himself, this seems to have no harm. It is equivalent to painting a big cake. He can wait until he has the strength to do it. , for nothing, he had the favor of the Navy Admiral, a third-rank official.
The most important thing is that this matter is in line with my own ideas.
Not to mention the benefits of opening up the sea, let’s just say that the news is lagging behind. Maybe foreign countries have developed, but our country is closed and backward without knowing it. "
"My original world and dynasty were like this. It wasn't until the country was opened by foreign ships and cannons that I realized that the world had changed."
"But it's not that easy to open the sea rashly."
Su Ziji was a little hesitant. He was always a little uneasy and felt that there was a hidden danger. He was reluctant to say this promise.
"What's wrong with this?"
Su Ziji was thinking this, when suddenly a bolt of lightning fell from the sky, and he heard someone shouting in the distance: "It's thundering and raining, close the doors and windows quickly!"
As soon as I stepped into the eaves to take shelter from the rain, I saw a gust of wind rushing in with the smell of sea water. Farther away, the sky at the mouth of the sea was mostly covered by thick black clouds. A crack in the clouds flashed, and a dull rolling thunder came.
A thunderstorm fell, probably the last thunderstorm of the year, and people along the street took shelter.
"The wind is strong and thunderous, and the sky is about to change. A gentleman should be in awe." The moment the heavy rain fell, the soldiers took an umbrella and came to cover Su Ziji.
Su Ziji looked at the sky and the sloping rain. At this moment, he reacted instantly.
"I see."
Regarding the imperial court's ban on the sea, Wei Shizu opened the sea in the previous dynasty, but in troubled times, the sea closed on its own, and private smuggling was continuously prohibited. If you want to smuggle, you must pay tribute, so there are huge benefits.
In this dynasty, there was even a huge resistance. In the southeast, high-ranking officials and well-educated families had already divided up the profit sharing. Those who least wanted to open the sea became the officials of the court. Who said they would open the sea and attack it.
Even if I think it is right to open the sea, as a person, not to mention not being naturalized yet, even if I am naturalized, take power, or even ascend to Dabao in the future, it will not be easy to solve the matter all at once. It will all need Xu Xutu. Of.
The most terrifying thing is not to offend the officials and gentry in the southeast, but to be a mere member of the clan. As soon as he is naturalized, or even before he is naturalized, he is involved in big things. What will the emperor think of him?
The officialdom is ups and downs, so treacherous, if you are not careful, you will end up on a dead end. If you react slowly, you may die without knowing how.
Thinking of this, Su Ziji was so frightened that he broke into cold sweat.
