Soon, the New Year passed, and on the first day of the imperial court's opening of the seal, good news finally came. Zhu Qiyu's long-awaited merchant ship finally returned.
This return voyage brought back a large sum of silver and various rare jewelry, which was undoubtedly an urgent solution for the court, which was currently worried about the snow disaster.
Of course, for Zhu Qiyu, what is more important is that this voyage rediscovered the sea route that Zheng He used to sail to the Western Ocean and revised the existing charts.
In addition, the private merchant ships that had been released by the imperial court with a blind eye also returned to Zhangzhou one after another. However, when they returned, they were surprised to find that what greeted them was, It was not the gentry who had made an agreement with those fake Japanese soldiers long ago, but the army of the imperial court.
Among this group of merchants, many of them came from the families of local gentry and merchants. Now, during their absence, their old fortunes have been blown away, so of course, they brought back a large amount of spices, pepper and Some foreign products were also directly inspected by Yu Qian and his people.
In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Qiyu looked at the memorial in front of him and couldn't help but admire in his heart. In this memorial, Yu Qian described the whole thing lightly, but in fact, how could he not guess how many twists and turns there were.
These businessmen are not fools. At least when they approach Zhangzhou, they will definitely find something wrong. Even if they cannot escape immediately, after all, they have been dawdling at sea for a long time. It will be difficult to catch them, not to mention, they There was also a well-drawn sea chart in their hands. Although this memorial only mentioned it once, it did confirm Zhu Qiyu's idea. The sea chart in their hands would become a means for them to blackmail the government.
However, no matter how many tricks were used, in the end, under the leadership of Yu Qian, he was safely taken over. In this way, Zhu Qiyu had something to worry about. With such a large sum of money in his account, many things would be fine. Done, some of the methods prepared before can no longer be used for the time being.
Putting down the memorial in his hand, Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment and gave instructions to Wynn.
"Summon several ministers from the six departments and everyone in the cabinet. I have something to discuss with them!"
Huaien took the order and went down to look for someone. Not long after, these ministers arrived one after another, briefly bumped into each other in the side hall, and then entered the hall together.
"I'm going to pay homage to Your Majesty!"
After everyone had finished saluting, Zhu Qiyu took out the memorial he had just received and asked someone to hand it over. According to the usual practice, the officials were naturally the first to get it. After Wang Wen read it, he immediately looked at Shen Yi who was aside. , there was a hint of envy in his eyes, but also a bit weird, leaving the latter confused for a while.
Yu Qian went to the Secret Service. Although he still went to the General Affairs Department, the content was confidential. Therefore, they only vaguely guessed that there was some good news in Zhangzhou. After all, if it was bad news, it should be reported urgently. It's not this slow and dense.
However, in their opinion, even if there is good news at this time, it is nothing more than catching some more Japanese pirates, and it is not worth being too happy about.
Therefore, when Shen Yi took the memorial and saw the key points at a glance, he almost fell over. However, Shen Shangshu was mentally tough. Not only did he not really fall down, but he opened his eyes wide and checked over and over again. He looked at the numbers he saw in front of him, fearing that he might have seen them wrong.
However, after Shen Shangshu calmed down and read the end, his expression changed slightly, and then he passed the memorial to the people next to him in silence.
Soon, the memorial was turned around in everyone's hands, and finally returned to the imperial desk. He gently pressed the memorial in his hand, Zhu Qiyu smiled and said.
"This time during Yu Shaobao's campaign against Japanese pirates, he unexpectedly captured so many smuggling merchant ships. It is truly an unexpected blessing. In my opinion, this can be regarded as a great achievement!"
Ah, yes, yes!
The ministers below could not help but curl their lips inwardly. They were all talented people. After reading this memorial, many questions that they had not been able to figure out before were immediately answered.
No wonder the emperor still insisted on sending out a large army to exterminate the Japanese pirates even though the imperial court's finances were tight. Moreover, after wiping out the Japanese pirates, he still refused to let the army return. It turned out that he was waiting here...
According to the memorial, the total amount of spices, gems, gold and silver utensils seized from these merchant ships totaled nearly 1.5 million taels.
It is no exaggeration to say that with the continuous expenditure, it is not certain whether the national treasury has so much money now. This number can already account for more than half of the imperial court's annual taxes.
With so much money, if there is no army stationed, it is difficult to guarantee whether it can be transported back to the capital smoothly.
From the effect to the cause, if the emperor was not behind this matter, they themselves would not believe it.
However, in any case, with money, many things will be easier to handle. As soon as he saw the memorial, Shen Shangshu was already thinking about how to plan the money.
As for the source of this money, the bosses didn't have any big feelings other than sighing that the emperor was becoming more and more fond of this kind of empty-handed method.
Anyway, these merchants themselves were smuggled out, and it seemed that many of them had colluded with the Japanese pirates before. Now that their merchant ships were confiscated, it was a great blessing that they were still alive.
but……
Seeing the hesitation of the people below, Zhu Qiyu was a little unhappy and said.
"Such a good thing can solve the urgent needs of the imperial court. The snow disaster in Zhejiang and Shandong will definitely be able to be overcome safely. Don't you think there is anything wrong with it?"
OK, of course...
It would have been better if Yu Qian had not proposed to lift the sea ban at the end!
The ministers below looked at each other and couldn't help but smile bitterly. Yes, the biggest reason why they showed such expressions after reading the memorial was that at the end of the memorial, Yu Qian used the incident of the merchant ship to propose for the first time He argued that the sea ban should be lifted and argued the so-called benefits of opening the sea.
This is the reason why many ministers present have complicated expressions. It is of course a good thing that the court has solved its urgent need.
However, if they praise Yu Qian lavishly at this time, they actually agree with Yu Qian's idea of opening the sea in disguise.
But this matter was really too big, and because Qian, an important official in the court, proposed it, the weight was unusual, so they naturally had to be cautious.
There was silence in the palace for a moment. Seeing the emperor's face looking ugly, with a hint of revolt, Shen Yi on the side said hurriedly.
"What your Majesty said is true. Yu Shaobao and Governor Zhang led the troops this time. They not only wiped out the Japanese pirates in Jingning's sea area, but also found so many smugglers who colluded with the Japanese pirates. This move is really very satisfying, and the court should On merit!”
As soon as these words came out, all the ministers present hurriedly agreed, and for a moment, the silence in the palace was broken. However, they were only willing to attribute this credit to the suppression of Japanese pirates, and they refused to say anything about the proposal to open the sea. carry.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu shook his head and sighed in his heart. He had nothing to hide and said directly.
"In this memorial, Yu Shaobao talked about the disadvantages of the sea ban and believed that the imperial court should lift the sea ban and allow merchants to go to sea for trade. What do you think?"
Ah this...
Many ministers below were suddenly stunned. They thought that Yu Qian's memorial was probably the emperor's intention, but they did not expect that the emperor would be so direct.
After looking at each other for a while, what people didn't expect was that the first person to come forward this time was Hu Hu, the great uncle of the Ministry of Rites, who had always been aloof from the world.
"Your Majesty, the maritime ban is an ancestral system. The previous emperors have strictly enforced the maritime ban. Now, how can the imperial court shake the ancestral system for a small gain? I sincerely ask your Majesty to think twice."
Zhu Qiyu's eyes flashed, and he was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the first person to object would be so difficult.
However, after thinking about it, he realized that although Emperor Taizong organized a series of activities such as Zheng He's voyages to the West, the sea ban policy was not relaxed. On the contrary, in the Taizong era, the sea ban policy On the contrary, the policy is gradually strengthened.
To put it bluntly, Emperor Taizong's voyages to the West, apart from some unexplained purpose, were actually more important to enhance national prestige and prove the legitimacy of his rule with the submission of various small countries. This was an official act. The imperial court banned sea and sea. It's about smuggling by ordinary people and merchants, which is completely different from going to the West.
On the contrary, as the maritime ban was an ancestral system established by Emperor Taizu, Emperor Taizong must maintain it. From this point of view, it is not difficult to explain why the old guy Hu Hui was the first to stand up and oppose it.
Facing such a veteran of five dynasties, Zhu Qiyu also felt a little headache, but fortunately, he didn't think about such a big thing, and he could settle it today. Looking at Hu Xi's firm look, he said in a deep voice.
"What Uncle Da Zong said is reasonable. Folk smuggling cannot be allowed to go unchecked. However, Emperor Taizu established the maritime ban system for the sake of peace and tranquility on the sea frontier. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, he sent Zheng He to the Western Seas. It can be seen that he had exchanges and trade with overseas countries and had the same maritime ban. The capture of the smuggling merchant ship shows the benefits of sea trade. If sea trade can be opened up, the benefits will be no less than mutual trade."
"In recent years, there have been frequent disasters in various parts of the Ming Dynasty. If sea trade can be opened up, it may be able to increase the court's annual income and weather the disasters more stably. This is also a good thing. What do you think of the other Qing families?"
The old guy Hu Hui's Achilles' heel was Emperor Taizong. The root cause of his opposition to the sea ban was that Emperor Taizong also strictly enforced the sea ban. In this case, Zhu Qiyu also carried out Emperor Taizong's voyages to the West. As expected, as soon as these words came out, Hu He was a little hesitant.
Seeing this situation, Shen Yi on the side immediately understood what Zhu Qiyu meant, hesitated for a moment, and stepped forward.
"What your Majesty said is reasonable. I believe that the maritime ban cannot be completely relaxed. However, maritime trade can be discussed. In Shaobao's memorial, it was mentioned that among the returning merchant ships, there were also merchant ships sent by Huangzhuang. I think that this may be followed. Mutual trade, citing the previous example of Emperor Taizong's voyages to the West, ordered Huangzhuang to host the caravans and carry out maritime trade. In this way, we can enjoy the benefits of maritime trade without shaking the ancestral system."
To put it bluntly, it was to give the sea trade an official cover to circumvent the restrictions of the sea ban. As soon as these words came out, Hu Hui pondered for a moment and backed away, reluctantly agreeing to the proposal.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu also breathed a sigh of relief. Hu Xi was the Minister of Rites, and the question he raised was not deliberately difficult, but had practical significance. He approved this method, which was made by his ancestors. If you pass it, you can barely pass it.
However, this is just the beginning. There are still many problems to come. Following Shen Yi, Wang Ao from the Ministry of War hesitated for a moment and also stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, now that the campaign to suppress the Japanese has come to an end, the army has been stationed outside for a long time, and it has been very depleted, which will also destabilize the morale of the army. I believe that the Japanese army should be recalled as soon as possible, and its merits should be commended and rewarded, so as to reassure the soldiers and the people. "
As soon as these words came out, many ministers in the palace looked at the emperor. Wang Ao's words seemed to have nothing to do with the matter of opening the sea, but in fact, they pointed out another problem.
That is, if the sea is to be opened, it will inevitably involve the issue of garrisoning. The Ming Dynasty implemented strict maritime bans. A big reason is that it has no time to care about the north and the south. Although maritime trade has many benefits, it will also breed many problems. Coastal Due to the harsh environment, the people of this generation were infested with bandits and their temperaments were not peaceful. If maritime trade was allowed, many new problems would definitely arise in the local area. As a result, more troops would have to be stationed to ensure local stability.
This is not a simple matter of transferring troops. This kind of permanent army must involve all aspects...whether new yamen should be set up, how many more officers and soldiers should be added to each place, and who will govern these officers and soldiers. , how to ensure the control of the officers and soldiers, how to spend the food and military expenses of the officers and soldiers, who will be responsible, where to transfer the troops, how to replenish the transferred soldiers... Various problems are by no means the same. It can be solved simply with one sentence.
Wang Ao's words were actually testing the emperor's intention to conquer the Japanese army and station it in Zhangzhou. Not surprisingly, after pondering for a moment, Zhu Qiyu shook his head and said.
"The Japanese army will stay in Zhangzhou for the time being..."
Seeing the ministers frowning, Zhu Qiyu sighed and explained.
"Now the Fujian case has not yet been concluded. With so many officials involved, the entire Fujian officialdom is almost empty. Now the new officials have not yet taken office. If the army leaves, trouble will inevitably arise. Therefore, it is better to temporarily station the army in Zhangzhou. Once If an accident occurs, it is best to control it in time. As for the return, we can talk about it after the situation stabilizes."
After saying these words, the ministers below looked at each other, but they did not object too much, and they reluctantly accepted this statement...
