Next, the wealthy gentry in Guangdong did not dare to hide their secrets anymore, and they all truthfully reported the true situation of their family's smuggling trade.
Although some of the descendants of these wealthy gentry were eager to expose their family masters to get an official position and improve their status in the clan, because their family masters were very honest, they had no chance to expose them.
Wang Xijue thus learned the true situation of Guangdong sea trade.
"Any major smuggler's trade with Xiyi is more than 10,000 taels, and the tallest ones have hundreds of thousands taels."
"No wonder Lin Fuyuan would join in with them and forget that he was patrolling here on behalf of the emperor."
"The price of food in Guangdong has suddenly risen in the past few days. It must have been Lin Fuyuan and Zhang Xunjian who informed the local big families in advance about the extermination of Burma, and asked them to quickly stock up on food, right?"
As Wang Xijue said this, he smiled and asked about Governor Lin Bin and Inspector Zhang Yingzhao.
Lin Bin asked Wang Xijue with sweat on his face: "Are there any Jin Yiwei who are helping the elders in the government? They even know about the big households hoarding food!"
】
Zhang Yingzhao even questioned Wang Xijue at this time: "The situation in Guangdong, the subordinates and Fuyuan are more clear than the elders! The water here is very deep, and they are not as easy to deal with as you think!"
Zhang Yingzhao pointed to the officials and gentry in the hall as he spoke: "You can use the current situation to trick them and their children into the Huizhou government office, and then use Zhang Dongying (Zhang Yuanxun)'s troops to force them to sign the contract." The alliance under the city, but Mr. Pavilion can’t keep them here forever. What happens after they get out? How can I fight them, relying on the emperor who is thousands of miles away, or relying on a few of us officials? "
"Mr. Ge knows that, let alone reforming maritime trade, even collecting taxes cannot be done by relying on us official officials. We have to rely on them and the subordinate officials who collude with them!"
"Elder Ge is also from a powerful clan. He should know that they can mobilize tens of thousands of local warriors to fight against the government, but as for the imperial court, can they easily raise a hundred thousand troops to encircle and suppress them?"
Zhang Yingzhao became more and more excited as he talked.
Wang Xijue just smiled and said, "If it was easy, what else would the minister do?"
Then, Wang Xijue looked at the wealthy gentry of Guangdong: "However, Zhang Xunjian is right. Recruiting officials from a few places is not enough. We have to rely on you and the people of Guangdong!"
"The blue strands on the road open up the mountains and forests."
"There are ways to cultivate the barbarians and strengthen China."
"All of these can only be accomplished if the king and his subjects are united."
Wang Xijue stood up and started talking, and then said: "However, if you are still unwilling to let the imperial court take the lead in maritime trade, then you will have no choice but to continue killing and bleeding."
"Because if sea trade cannot bring prosperity to the country, strengthen the army, and benefit the people, but only strengthens local powerful rightists, then this sea trade would be worse than no sea trade at all!"
"I can definitely label the group of Western barbarians in Haojing as rebels, so I secretly made firearms, and then asked the imperial court to send a large army to suppress them. On the grounds that they were in contact with the barbarians, they were expelled according to their household registration!"
"Next, I'm going to ask the imperial court to implement the strictest sea ban in Guangdong, and no one is allowed to go into the sea!"
Wang Xijue immediately spoke decisively and said:
"I have already drawn up such a memorial. As long as I die suddenly here, my family will report my legacy. At that time, the emperor will think that Guangdong should implement the most severe maritime ban because of my memorial. He believed that the Western barbarians had ambitions to plot against China, and then followed the advice of his servants, stationed a large army in Guangdong, sealed off the sea and relocated the people."
"Don't underestimate the determination of the imperial court. I'm afraid a thousand, ten thousand, or even one hundred thousand people may die by then, and the sea ban will be strictly enforced!"
"What's more, the imperial navy and land forces have gathered in Guangdong and Guangxi. They were originally going to cross the sea to conquer Burma. However, if there is a rebellion in Guangdong by the Western barbarians colluding with family traitors, then it will be just a matter of convenience to put down the rebellion in Guangdong!"
Wang Xijue said and looked at Zhang Ba: "General Zhang, I ask you to temporarily take over the post of General of the Haojing. Go to Haojing and kill all the Western barbarians. You will also be stationed in Haojing permanently to organize the people into households and conquer the sea." Kou, are you willing to give you a chance to make atonement?"
"In this humble position, I am willing to serve the imperial court faithfully!"
Zhang Bao, who had been dismissed, hurriedly handed over his hands and replied.
"Mr. Rongzhen, we didn't say we wouldn't let the imperial court dominate maritime trade. All this was just the idea of the Du family and Fu Fu."
At this time, the gentry Yuan Yupei said something hurriedly.
"yes!"
"The whole world is not the royal land. The imperial court wants to reform sea trade. How can we dare to resist? We just hope that more consideration will be given to the sentiments of the people."
"In the past, everyone was smuggling, which resulted in very little tax money for the court. Even Hao Jing only handed over 500 taels of silver. This was because the Du family colluded with Fu Fu. Fu Fu was embezzled. As long as we gave money, there would be no strict investigation. We, so we all engage in smuggling and bribery. It is said that maritime trade is not very profitable."
These gentry all started talking like this and decisively betrayed Lin Bin and Zhang Yingzhao.
"you!"
Inspector Zhang Yingzhao immediately stood up and pointed at these Guangdong gentry with an angry look on his face.
"Please ask the king to order the flag, take down Lin Bin and Zhang Yingzhao, take off their black gauze hats, and wait for reference!"
Wang Xijue suddenly gave an order.
"yes!"
Lin Bin and Zhang Yingzhao detained them.
Zhang Yingzhao therefore had to shout to Wang Xijue in a hurry: "Mr. Ge! We are all officials of the imperial court. Can you really just sit back and let these powerful people make us the scapegoats?!"
"Now you remember that you are an official of the imperial court and not the patron of the gentry?"
"Where have all the official admonitions and sacred teachings been forgotten before this?"
Wang Xijue asked the two of them with a smile, then looked at the Guangdong gentry: "Don't really think that I can only deal with a few officials, but you don't know what is the main force in Guangdong that prevents the imperial court from reorganizing maritime trade?"
"Next, due to the imminent destruction of Burma, the imperial army has gathered here. You'd better be more honest. Cooperate with the servants when inspecting sea trade, and sell food when it's time. Don't think you can organize it. Ten thousand or even one hundred thousand people fighting with weapons can organize so many people to fight against the imperial court, and it’s not like the imperial army has killed tens of thousands of thieves here!"
"We don't dare!"
"The elder Ge came here according to the will of God, and he is the great master of Qingtian who loves the people like his own son. If the elder Ge comes to reorganize the sea trade, it will naturally satisfy both the court and the people, and it will even make a great contribution to pacifying the barbarians and calming the people!"
The Cantonese gentry returned home honestly.
Wang Xijue nodded and said with a smile: "I'll go back to Guangzhou City tomorrow. Then I'll have to see whether Guangzhou City welcomes me with cannons or firecrackers."
"Mr. Ge is joking. Mr. Ge is patrolling on behalf of the sky. How dare we be disrespectful, unless we forget how to write the word "loyalty"."
Gentleman Yuan Yupei said with a smile.
Wang Xijue said nothing more and came to Guangzhou the next day.
Along the way.
Wang Xijue kept a sullen face. He actually didn't want to cause such a big disturbance in Guangdong.
But he knew that if he could not complete the tasks assigned by the court and prove his ability to the emperor, then he would lose the opportunity to become the chief minister in the future.
no way.
What today's emperor needs is a politician, not a politician who only knows how to be a human being.
Therefore, Wang Xijue knew that he could not let the emperor feel that he could not even inspect the sea trade to achieve any results, so he had to use the method of flipping the table to achieve his goal of successfully inspecting the actual situation of the sea trade.
If the Guangdong gentry did not cooperate with his inspection of maritime trade, he would threaten the Guangdong gentry with a posthumous book that would completely return the Ming Dynasty to the forbidden sea mode.
Wang Xijue has this ability.
Because he did have many disciples and former officials, and there were indeed many mainland officials in the dynasty who advocated banning the sea. Among them, his fellow scholar-official Zhu Wan was a typical representative.
However, when Wang Xijue returned to Guangzhou again, he was greeted not with cannons, but with loud firecrackers and gongs and drums.
Moreover, unlike Wang Xijue's first trip to Guangzhou, which was very quiet, this time almost all the gentry in the city came out to greet him.
Obviously, the gentry in Guangdong were still intimidated by him. They were worried that if he really died during his inspection, Wang Xijue's family would really submit a copy of his legacy and ask the court to implement a stricter sea ban. He smashed the pot.
Not long after Wang Xijue came to Guangzhou to formally inspect the coastal defense, he directly ordered Zhang Zao: "You immediately lead your troops to Haojing as Haojing's general and control all the Western Yi in Haojing! Especially the Western Yi Firearms workshops and craftsmen are also under full control, and if there is any resistance, they will be destroyed on the spot!"
"yes!"
"slow!"
But at this time, Liu Xizhi, deputy envoy of Guangdong Coast Defense Road, shouted, and then looked at Wang Xijue.
