"Do you know why we want to keep some Xiyi lives?"
After Wang Xijue dealt with these Western barbarians in accordance with Zhu Yijun's imperial edict, when he, together with Chen Younian, Xu Minshi and other Guangdong officials and gentry, sent Liu Xizhi and other officials and people killed by the Western barbarians back to their hometown, he treated these Guangdong officials and gentry asked again.
"Didn't Mr. Ge want to show them our Chinese culture and educate them so that they can be used by us?"
Chen Younian asked.
Wang Xijue chuckled: "The culture of our dynasty is extensive and profound, and our craftsmanship has been accumulated for thousands of years. Why should we take the initiative to educate a few barbarians?"
"There is only a reason for them to surrender on their own initiative, and there is no reason for us to need them to surrender!"
"If you don't obey, you will be punished!"
"The lives of some of them are being saved now, just because they know the ocean routes and have rich experience at sea!"
"This is what I, Huang Ming, are good at, and there should even be ready-made sea trade drawings and sea route information for future generations to continue to develop, but unfortunately the official said that these drawing files have been burned long ago!"
"So, now that the imperial court wants to expand maritime trade again, it has to rely on these Western barbarians."
“It’s really quite disappointing!”
As Wang Xijue spoke, he looked at the vast sea and sighed.
At this time.
The red sun rises over the sea, the bright light spreads across the sky, gulls fly with white sails, and the heaven and earth are extremely quiet.
"If this were not the case, it would not matter if all these Western barbarians were chopped up!"
"Is there a need for civilized barbarians in this dynasty?"
"Aren't there many barbarians who have the same color but no smell?"
After Wang Xijue looked at this scene, he looked at the bureaucrats, landowners and gentry present and started questioning them.
Chen Younian, Xu Minshi and others all looked solemn and did not speak.
Wang Xijue himself was stroking his beard that was fluttering in the wind, walking beside the boat on the seaside in a wide robe and long sleeves, and said:
"In the future, we can't focus on skills but only on Tao. We can't destroy the skills and experiences summarized in the past because they are temporarily useless or even harmful. Just because they were useless at the time, it doesn't mean they will be useless later!"
"What Mr. Ge said is that the population is increasing day by day, so we have to open the sea, and the people will go to sea to make profits. However, the barbarians overseas have already planned to destroy our celestial dynasty. At this time, the sea route cannot be blocked anymore!"
Xu Minshi echoed.
"That's right!"
Wang Xijue stopped, looked back at the bureaucrats, landlords and gentry, and said:
"Although the Western Yi people in Haojing wanted to destroy our dynasty, some were escorted to the capital, and some were sent as slaves, but the trade they were responsible for cannot be interrupted!"
"We still need ships to go to Goa to transport spices, ivory, silver and other goods back to the Ming Dynasty, and at the same time transport our porcelain, silk cloth, mercury, etc. to Goa and then to their Western lands!"
"Yes! How many people rely on this route to survive. If it is suddenly cut off, Guangdong will be in chaos again."
Yuan Yupei followed.
Other Guangdong gentry also echoed, all with worried faces.
certainly.
They didn't really care about the people who relied on trade, but they were worried that if the shipping route was cut off, the raw silk, silk cloth, and porcelain he purchased from the mainland would not be able to go out to sea to make profits, and they would not be able to make profits from trade with the Western barbarians in the future.
Wang Xijue also knew what they were worried about.
Otherwise, he would not have said so much here. After listening to what these people said, he said:
"Then the sea trade line originally established by these Folangji people will be transferred to the people of Ming Dynasty. Is there any one of you who is willing to take on this responsibility for the imperial court?"
The Guangdong gentry all looked troubled.
"Mr. Ge, the sea is dangerous and requires naval officers and soldiers who dare to fight tooth and nail. It's okay for us children to study and build a career or take care of the family business at home. Going to sea to do business for the country is really not what they are good at."
Yuan Yupei started talking at this time.
It's okay to let them, the Guangdong gentry, supply goods and invest in pirates to go out to sea for business, but let them be government officials and merchants themselves, risking the risk of running aground at sea or being robbed by pirates at any time to go to sea for the imperial court. They are indeed Not willing.
After all, they are all big landowners and big bureaucrats, not ordinary people who are desperate and have to become desperate pirates, so there is no need to risk their lives for profit.
"Then the Imperial City Shipping Department will take the lead in establishing official trade. You will ship the goods, and the imperial court will be responsible for arranging official and military escorts and recruiting merchants to go to sea for trade."
Wang Xijue said.
At this time, Yuan Yupei thought that the officials and merchants of the imperial court would inevitably be the pirates who were secretly controlled by the rich families as the officials and merchants of the imperial shipping department's overseas trade, so she asked:
"Mr. Ge, I am afraid that merchants will not go to sea because of fear of maritime risks. Could you please ask the court to impose a lower customs tax on our merchant ships than the barbarian ships in Guangdong? After all, they are loyal merchants who go to sea for the country! With the barbarians who have wolfish ambitions, Business is different!”
"Your Majesty has made it clear that the people of this country are more valuable than the barbarians, and this should be the case."
Wang Xijue agreed to Yuan Yupei's and others' suggestions that the imperial court should provide lower taxes to the country's merchants.
Yuan Yupei and other Guangdong gentry were naturally overjoyed and hurriedly said: "My emperor is as kind and virtuous as heaven, and my husband is loyal and loves the people! That's why Ming Dynasty is prosperous today!"
Wang Xijue smiled faintly: "Ashamed! But once the official trade is established, if it is found that there are any smuggling pirates colluding with a certain wealthy family, don't blame the court for being rude!"
"In addition, the goods you used to trade with the Western Yi will also have to start paying taxes. Don't think about doing it like before. Because the trade route is controlled by the Western Yi and cannot be known to the court, so you can conceal it at will. The price of the goods.”
"Smuggling pirates are detrimental to the security of the country and the people, so they should be severely pursued!"
"In terms of commercial tax, we actually didn't want to hide it from the court. The main reason is that corrupt officials and a few evil gentry broke the rules and colluded with the Western Yi to deceive the court. If we don't follow suit, the goods will not be shipped out and will be backlogged. In this way, the whole clan and the entire township will have no food to eat, so they have to let the court down."
Because Yuan Yupei's maritime trade interests controlled by the Western Yi were about to be obtained by gentry like him through the Ming Dynasty officials and merchants trading for the city's shipping companies, and the scale of the benefits was far greater than the actual value of the goods paid to the court for commercial taxes, that is, He hurriedly expressed his attitude that as a Guangdong gentry, he did not support smuggling, and decisively passed the blame for defrauding Haili's income on corrupt officials, several wealthy gentry who were dealt with by Wang Xijue, and the Western Yi.
"yes!"
"We feel sorry for the court and are willing to make up for what we have concealed in the past by increasing taxes."
"I am also willing. Although it is for the livelihood of the villagers, we as Confucian disciples have to engage in business to make profits, but how can we only know the people but not the king? Doesn't it go against our ancestral precepts of loyalty and filial piety?"
"My Chen family is the same. We would rather use everything we have to serve the Lord to show our loyalty, and only leave some food for the villagers. After all, as Confucian nobles, how can we despise justice and value profit?"
"That's right!"
"As a disciple of Confucius and Mencius, I don't like the smell of copper at all. I even hate gold and silver as much as dirt!"
"It's just that because the population of the clan is increasing day by day, they have no choice but to pursue business. But in the end, what they only want is for those who want to be in the temple to become kings like Yao and Shun, and those who retreat can be alone in the poetry, wine and countryside."
"In addition to asking the court to keep some to help support the people, we are willing to dedicate all Haili to the court to support the army!"
Each of these Guangdong gentry expressed their loyalty to the imperial court, expressed their willingness to increase taxes, and even said that they were willing to give all their benefits to the imperial court.
When a whale falls, all things come into being.
Wang Xijue knew that this was caused by the fact that he, on behalf of the emperor and the imperial court, wanted to divide the maritime interests controlled by the Western Barbarians between the imperial court and his own people.
And he didn't expose it, he just said with a smile: "You know, the country has been raising scholars for two hundred years, and it is not likely that all the scholar-bureaucrats will value profit over justice. At least, the sages in Guangdong and Guangxi are still loyal and filial gentlemen."
Having said that, Wang Xijue also raised his hands to show respect to these gentry.
These gentry also returned the gift.
Wang Xijue said: "Then let's go back to Guangzhou tomorrow and discuss the official and commercial details!"
"The servant drafted a "Sea Trade Inspection Examination" and presented it to the imperial court, and asked the imperial court to transfer the customs duties of the Municipal Shipping Department, and even requested that the Municipal Shipping Department recruit officials and merchants to continue to take on the trade that was originally controlled by the Western Barbarians, and let an official army Escort the expedition to achieve the goal of making the Yi and Di fear China and be willing to continue navigation!"
"When the time comes, when the City Shipping Company recruits officials and merchants, the servants will also request the imperial court to allow open recruitment for the City Shipping Company. All local sages can attend, so as not to say that the City Shipping Company is seeking favoritism, only the servants and the relatives and friends of the princes in the inner court will be allowed to serve as market officials. The officials and merchants of the Shipping Department can be testified by the sages from the countryside, and the servants and the inner court can be more innocent. In short, whoever can become the officials and merchants of the Shipping Department will be the one who pays the highest price."
"Everyone knows that Mr. Ge is an upright and honest man, who dares to doubt him?"
Yuan Yupei and other Guangdong gentry smiled and flattered Wang Xijue.
"What people say is scary! It's better to make it public."
