Xiong Tingbi didn't say anything after hearing this. He only glanced at the vast and lush jungles and grasslands, as well as the side walls and observation towers that lay between these jungles and grasslands, and said:
"Liaodong is indeed setting up walls and platforms everywhere now!"
"That's true!"
"Now that the country has strong financial resources, and since the king of the sea and the prime minister have decided on the strategy of building a wall and immigrating to the north, from Liaodong to Anton, there are high walls and high platforms everywhere, so there are no troubles, and the phenomenon of smuggling has also increased. reduce."
Wei Yingjia echoed.
After hearing this, Xiong Tingbi said: "Since the situation of smuggling has only been greatly reduced, that means there are still some and it cannot be eliminated?"
After hearing this, Wei Yingjia frowned, then smiled and said:
"I'm joking, the outside of the pass is so big and the side wall is so long, how can we prevent this?"
Xiong Tingbi nodded: "Qian Xian's words are reasonable."
Subsequently.
Seeing Xiong Tingbi say this, Wei Yingjia finally couldn't help but tell the truth first and said: "To be honest with you, this smuggling matter is untouchable. We can just catch a few people who are responsible for it. I tell your majesty that the difference between leather goods and ginseng is Profits cannot replace the income of the Imperial Manor, so it would be better for Your Majesty to give up the idea of making the thousands of miles of snow-capped mountains and dense forests outside the pass the private property of the royal family."
"Why give up?"
Xiong Tingbi asked.
Wei Yingjia couldn't help but whispered: "Of course it's for the good of the public! I don't even think about the people behind the businessmen who dare to smuggle now!"
"Do they still dare to rebel against the imperial court?"
Xiong Tingbi asked.
Wei Yingjia sneered: "They don't dare to rebel, but they dare to let me return to the pass alive!"
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm just guessing, sir, just listen to it, just listen to it."
Wei Yingjia replied with a smile.
Xiong Tingbi did not continue this topic, but only asked: "I heard that outside the customs, even legitimate leather goods and ginseng business is becoming more and more popular?"
"Yes."
“The weather is getting colder year by year, and a lot of land outside the customs that can be cultivated cannot be cultivated. The benefits of the fields that can still be cultivated are also visible, so more and more people are willing to go into the mountains to dig ginseng and hunt giant martens. .”
"In addition, the demand for this in Guanhai is also increasing. Although there are more and more people selling fur ginseng, the number of people buying fur ginseng has increased even more. Therefore, more than half of all towns in Liaodong have Almost all stores are doing these businesses.”
Wei Yingjia answered truthfully.
Xiong Tingbi knitted his eyebrows in deep thought and remained silent.
The formal trade of leather goods and ginseng was so popular that Xiong Tingbi could naturally imagine that the scale of smuggling might not be small.
This made Xiong Tingbi more determined to promote the plan to replace the imperial village with the mountains and forests outside the customs and become the private property of the royal family.
…
"I decided to risk my life to make the mountains and rivers thousands of miles outside the pass become the property of the inner court!"
For this reason, Xiong Tingbi then told his friend Xu Honggang, who was the governor of Liaodong at the time, his final thoughts.
After Xiong Tingbi said this, he continued to elaborate: "There are three reasons!"
"First, if this is true, no matter how bitter the cold is in the northern border in the future, it will ultimately be the private property of the royal family. In the future, the emperor and the clan will not dare to abandon this northern territory that the emperor opened up today;"
"Secondly, leather goods and ginseng are luxury goods after all. Even if there are greedy nobles in the future and they speculate on their prices, they will not hurt the common people. It is not like Huangzhuang, which uses the fields in the capital as Zhuang farmland, which will not only hurt the national tax but also hurt the common people; "
"Thirdly, those who manage the imperial property must be those whom the emperor trusts the most. If such a person stays within the pass to manage the imperial property, it will be easy to undermine the government and harm the people. It is better to leave it outside the wall to manage the imperial property, even if there is a big traitor. It is difficult for even the most evil people to affect the fundamentals.”
After hearing this, Xu Honggang remained silent. He suddenly stood up and bowed to Xiong Tingbi as a sign of respect.
Xiong Tingbi was very surprised, and then he returned the favor, and then he really began to conduct overt and covert investigations in the Liaodong area.
The benefits of turning the mountains and rivers outside the customs into imperial property were just some of the benefits that Xiong Tingbi foreseen from the standpoint of his own scholar-bureaucrat.
In fact, there is another significance that Xiong Tingbi did not mention, which is that this can solve the problem of a large number of people who cannot be resettled after retiring from official schools.
Talk.
The Ming Dynasty's current army is extremely large.
Because in order to forcibly develop the steam industry, the Ming Dynasty recruited a large number of troops.
After several wars, such as the completion of the reform of the southwest, the eradication of the Japanese, and the march into India, Ming Dynasty now has many more officers who have retired due to injuries or age.
For a time, the local government offices could not absorb so many veterans from the military academy.
And not all of these retired military officers are peaceful people, and many of them can easily become the targets of powerful bureaucrats who pay a lot of money or win them into the government through marriage.
Rather than letting more and more of these people become the targets of powerful bureaucrats, it is better to recruit them directly from the royal family and continue to open up external profits for the royal family.
Although it is bitterly cold in the northern part of the Great Wall, a group of people who are not afraid of the dangerous environment and just want to use their remaining energy can be used to increase the profit sharing method to become employees of the royal family, and the royal family will manage the royal properties outside the Great Wall.
Zhu Yijun's plan was also the same. He did not plan to turn the Mink Fur Land in the Changbai Mountain area, which had been excavated and mined by many people on their own, into royal private property. Instead, he planned to turn the so-called Outer Xing'an Mountains and Siberia in the future. Places that are sparsely populated but rich in products are regarded as royal private property.
Because if these places become royal private property, they will encounter the least resistance in the country, and there are still great prospects for exploration in these places.
After all, the more technology advances later, the higher the value of these places will be. In the early stage, you may just make profits from selling wood, ginseng, leather goods, and coal. In the later stage, you can make profits from selling oil, natural gas, etc.
Zhu Yijun was also selfish, leaving an industry worth exploring for his descendants.
And that's not too much.
That's right.
From the perspective of all walks of life in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yijun's actions are indeed not excessive.
After all, the land in the south, which is easier to develop and equally fertile, has been basically used as public property of the imperial court and shared by the people of the world. It has become the foundation for benefiting the people. Even the imperial manor in the middle of the earth is planning to give it away. The emperor just wants nothing now. The places in Siberia where people want to stay are just the private property of the royal family.
Is it too much?
Not too much at all.
Otherwise, Xiong Tingbi would not have said that he would rather risk his life than contribute to this matter.
Of course, what Xiong Tingbi said undoubtedly shows that even if this is done, there are some risks.
Because the development value in the north is less than that in the south, it does not mean that there is no development value. In fact, the development value is still very high.
Therefore, there are also forces that are eyeing this piece of fat, or are already seeking to benefit the north through smuggling and other methods.
Precisely because there are some risks and some resistance, Zhu Yijun needs some loyal ministers who are willing to do these things for the country, the people and the king to complete this matter.
He cannot achieve anything by himself.
After all, although he is the emperor, he cannot be alone to implement this idea.
Fortunately, there has never been a shortage of loyal and courageous people in this land who dare to sacrifice everything for the country and the people.
Precisely because there is no shortage of such people in this land, most people are relatively lazy. They only hope that heroes and upright officials will save them, and are not very willing to take the initiative to fight for them.
Zhu Yijun is also one of these ordinary people.
Although, he now has a particularly high prestige in the Ming Dynasty and is regarded as the great savior.
But Zhu Yijun himself knew that he was just an ordinary person from later generations, so he did not force such reforms, but let loyal people like Xiong Tingbi try it.
When Xiong Tingbi made an undercover investigation and ordered the arrest of several representatives of Shanxi merchants in Guangning City who were in charge of smuggling people involved in the fur trade, it quickly caused an uproar.
Gu Yangqian, the governor of Jiliao, even came to Guangning in person. When he saw Xiong Tingbi, he said, "What are you doing? Do you know who they are?!"
Xiong Tingbi nodded: "I know, he's just a member of General Han's subordinate under General Du."
"Now that you know, why are you doing something so unauthorized?!"
Gu Yangqian gritted his teeth and asked.
Xiong Tingbi said: "General Han Zonggong, the general under General Du's command, colluded with Shanxi merchants. Private soldiers dug ginseng and caught wild mink, and then smuggled and sold these fur ginseng. They did not go to the official market to avoid business taxes. I am also preparing to impeach General Du." You are allowing your subordinates to engage in business without authorization!"
Snapped!
After hearing this, Gu Yangqian couldn't help but slap the table and stared at Xiong Tingbi: "You!"
But eventually.
Gu Yangqian couldn't say a word to teach Xiong Tingbi a lesson. He just sat back on the couch and said sincerely:
"I can understand that you are young and energetic, and want to do something great. But in this town, the most taboo thing is to act hastily. Otherwise, if a mutiny is triggered, you will not be able to bear it! Do you understand?"
"The subordinates understand what the ministry means!"
"So, my subordinate has informed Mr. Du about this matter. If he wants to cover it up, then he should."
"Anyway, he has been a soldier for generations. He wants to hide his Majesty's secrets from His Majesty and protect his subordinates. His Majesty will probably not do anything to him. That is only a matter between him and Your Majesty."
"As a patrol inspector, I am only responsible for checking and clarifying, and then asking the town ministers to cooperate, but I believe that Mr. Du is not a person who does not know the righteousness."
Xiong Tingbi said.
At this time.
Xiong Tingbi's servant suddenly walked in and reported: "Du Zhenchen came to see the master."
After hearing this, Xiong Tingbi said: "Please come in!"
And not long after.
Du Song led people to escort a bunch of tied up officers to Xiong Tingbi, and said to Xiong Tingbi: "Han Zonggong and others colluded with profiteers to smuggle leather goods and ginseng, violating military discipline and national laws. This town has personally escorted them here, please." Fengxian is in jail!"
"Why bother!"
Gu Yangqian said with a smile at this time.
Jun Song said with a stern face: "What you said is wrong! This matter is very necessary. Otherwise, if you don't know, you will think that I, Du, am also involved in this matter!"
then.
Jun Song looked at Han Zonggong: "Han Zonggong, tell Xiong Fengxian, does this town know what you are doing and whether you are involved in this!"
(End of chapter)
