The Southern Song Dynasty, which was located in a corner, was richer than the Ming Dynasty. This was mainly reflected in the financial revenue. Zheng Zhifeng could not compare it with his own eyes, but he had heard about it because both dynasties involved a large amount of overseas trade.
It was precisely because of this that the Southern Song Dynasty, whose territory was greatly reduced compared with the Northern Song Dynasty, was able to fight against the Jin Kingdom and Menggu successively. After Bianliang was captured by the Jin army, it still lingered for more than a hundred years before being destroyed by Menggu.
Emperor Taizu Gao Zhu Yuanzhang sent his troops to the Northern Expedition, drove away Emperor Yuan Shun, and established the Ming Empire. However, in terms of financial revenue, the huge Ming Dynasty was still unable to compare with the Southern Song Dynasty after the country lasted for more than two hundred years.
Zheng Zhifeng didn't know whether a certain prince's move could save the dying Ming Dynasty, but he sensed a lot of business opportunities, especially the fact that his family could make a lot of money through its main shipping business.
"The prince said that as long as we work hard to develop exports, that is, transporting and selling goods to overseas countries, Ming Dynasty's business can prosper, which will not only ensure the livelihood of the people, reduce the pressure on farmers from the court, but also increase annual income, so as to Improving border affairs is a move that benefits the country and the people. It will be an established national policy of the imperial court and will be adhered to for a long time. The prince also said that trafficking is divided into three types: raw materials, rough processing, and deep processing. Raw materials are like logs, Deerskin is not worth much money. Rough processing is like brown sugar, rice vinegar, etc., which can make more money than selling raw materials. Deep processing, such as silk and porcelain, has any added value. I am also confused after hearing this, but What the prince said makes sense, and it is indeed the case. We also need to adopt a three-pronged strategy to build a large number of ports along the coast, especially in the north, move ports from the inland to the coast, and establish a dedicated port for manufacturing and selling to foreign countries. It is a city of commodities that hires labor for production. It seems that more than one million yuan must be moved every year. The other is to supply large-scale supplies to our family. As long as our merchant ships can load it and we are willing to pay cash or trade with grain. , you can pull goods from the ports under the jurisdiction of the imperial court without any upper limit. The prince will continue to use the knowledge gained from the fairy world to buy some good items, including rickshaws, for our family to sell overseas. This time If I hadn’t gone to the capital, I wouldn’t have known about this good news.”
The main reason why Zheng Zhilong is willing to have a long-term cooperation with the prince is that the benefits of hugging this towering tree are so great that he can't even imagine it, let alone believe it, but these benefits are real.
The prince hopes that within three years, the export volume of Zheng Group will double, within five years, more than quadruple, and within ten years, it will reach at least five to eight times the current level.
It seemed impossible, but after Zheng Zhilong was prompted by the prince, he understood clearly. After all, the benefits of transporting a boatload of watermelons and transporting a boatload of rickshaws were completely different.
Even if the Zheng Company continues to maintain the current scale of merchant ships in the next five years, as long as it switches to transporting high value-added goods for sale overseas, its profits will increase significantly.
With the full support of the Crown Prince, Zheng Zhilong believes that it will not be too difficult to achieve this goal, because bicycles and rickshaws are living examples, and he and his relatives have already experienced it.
Zheng Zhilong went to Beijing and brought a lot of gifts to use for shopping. He didn't expect to receive money back this time. The prince directly gave him a large number of goods as a reward.
There were toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, high heels and women wearing some extremely hot clothes. Zheng Zhilong, who looked a little older, felt his mouth was dry and his throat was smoking.
Although some items are a bit unspeakable, as long as they can be shipped out, they will definitely make a fortune. Not to mention trafficking overseas, if they are sold locally, they will be robbed.
To their own benefit, there are many wealthy businessmen along the coast of Fujian. They are willing to pay for anything that is delicious, fun, or useful. They have opened many local shops specializing in selling goods made by the prince, and the business has been stable. It will be extremely popular.
The money in the hands of the fellow villagers is also serious money, especially the money of the wealthy merchants and gentry. If you don’t make money, you will not make it in vain. They are not different from the poor people who have one meal but no next meal, so Zheng Zhilong does not need to sympathize with them. and mercy.
"Brother, this trip was really worthwhile. I got so much information, a lot of which I have never heard of. I won't be able to accept it all for a while. I have to chew it carefully."
Hearing her elder brother's tirade, Zheng Zhifeng was stunned for a long time. She didn't expect that her elder brother went to the capital, and after he came back, he could speak clearly and logically, which was very different from the previous situation where he was struggling with rare rhetoric.
"If the prince is really interested in cooperating with our family, and the court will fulfill its promise, then our family will naturally be willing to do this deal!"
Zheng Zhibao, like his fourth brother Zheng Zhifeng, had some vague understanding of the content of his elder brother Zheng Zhilong's remarks, but he could still understand most of them. In short, he was doing everything possible to win over his family so that both parties could make a lot of money.
"In this way, as long as we do what the prince wants, our family will have good days in the future. Whatever the prince is willing to provide, our family can transport it outside to make money, and we can reap the benefits! "
Zheng Zhi'ao didn't understand so many twists and turns, but after experiencing bicycles and rickshaws in person, he was full of praise for a certain prince's invention. Such good things would definitely be very popular if shipped overseas and sold.
Everyone's opinions were completely the same as those of the three brothers. Since the Crown Prince showed favor to the Zheng family and opened the door to convenience, then we should all join in and continue to protect the imperial court's thousands of miles of sea territory. This can be regarded as a mutually beneficial cooperation.
Zheng Zhilong had been specially trained by a certain prince for several days during this interview, which made him have a lot of ink in his stomach. Before he had eaten, he quickly took it out and continued to argue: "The prince said that the Ming Dynasty is in good health. , depends on the annual revenue of the imperial court. The annual income of the imperial court has little to do with agricultural taxes, but relies heavily on commercial taxes. If commercial taxes are high, the annual income will be high, and if commercial taxes are low, the country will be unstable. The imperial court will increase the burden on farmers, coupled with natural disasters If it continues, it will inevitably lead to frequent civil wars. This is an act that puts the cart before the horse and must not continue to be implemented. Now exempting the three rates and vigorously developing overseas trade is a good way to reduce the burden on farmers and increase the annual income of the court. The prince said that only the source Continuous production will create value, that is, silver. Our family can sell the goods produced by using goods to get cash. Even if we barter for grain, we can exchange it at the imperial port. Into silver. The imperial court mined ten gold mines in Shandong. The location of most of the gold mines was discovered by the prince using the information he obtained in the fairy world. From now on, I don’t have to worry about the imperial court deliberately giving credit, and just feel at ease. Just transport and sell it overseas.”
Although he became Zhenhaibo, Zheng Zhilong did not have much intention to get involved with the imperial court. He still planned to concentrate on running his Bamin land. He only needed to arrange for his eldest son to study with the prince.
As for the many government orders that have been and are about to be implemented, as long as they are beneficial to himself, he will applaud and order his subordinates to cooperate.
Everyone was very interested when they heard the speech made by the head of the family. It seemed that the young prince did have some real abilities, which really impressed them.
"That's good. If this happens, the imperial court will focus on trade. Will it collect sea tax?"
Zheng Zhifeng said something that worries everyone the most. If the court insists on asking for sea tax, Zheng will not be willing to pay a lot of money. This is all earned by everyone and will not be handed over easily.
"The Crown Prince said that our family's hard work in repelling the red barbarians was so great that the sea tax was not worth mentioning. When I talked to me, sea tax was never mentioned. I estimate that it will not be collected for at least seven or eight years, even if the court wants to Collect it, I’m afraid I won’t be able to collect it!”
Zheng Zhilong also noticed that the prince deliberately avoided the most sensitive sea tax, which showed that the other party had been prepared for it. He knew that the southeast coast was currently controlled by the Zheng family. Even if the court wanted to collect the money, it could only watch the moon in the water.
"Hahahaha... what eldest brother is saying is that without the protection of our family, Hongyi would have come to the door a long time ago, and the court's face will definitely be ruined. This prince is also quite sensible and self-aware!"
Zheng Zhi'ao believed that the prince knew the current situation very well. The imperial navy was embarrassed and useless. The Zheng family was the maritime defense barrier of the Ming Dynasty. The hundreds of thousands of taels of sea tax collected could not support the navy that could withstand the Hongyi attack.
"Absolutely! Absolutely! Our family defeated Liu Xiang and died in the Liaoluo Bay. The Hongyi were so frightened that they retreated and ran to Dongfan. In this water area, who dares to underestimate our family's strength?"
Regarding his huge fleet, Zheng Zhibao seemed very proud. In the East, if the Zheng family dared to be second, no one would dare to be first. Hongyi had to accept it if he didn't accept it, otherwise he would come to them and teach them the principles of humility.
Zheng Zhilong felt that it was almost done, and the dinner was ready, so he started to feast with all his relatives, drinking and chatting happily.
While eating, he mentioned the many delicacies he had tasted in the capital, which made everyone salivate and wanted the chefs to try them.
There are all kinds of seafood here in Kinmen, but the most common methods are boiling and stir-frying, but they are far less delicious and tender than the ones Zheng Zhilong had in the East Palace.
When it comes to cooking fish, the dishes made by the imperial chef are much more delicious than those made by the own chef. They are very particular about the ingredients and heat and strive for perfection. In comparison, the performance of the own chef is somewhat unsatisfactory.
After the comparison, Zheng Zhilong realized that he was not afraid of not knowing the goods, but was afraid of comparing goods. He would see if he could ask the prince for some royal chefs, preferably from Fujian, so that it would be easier to give orders in Fujian. .
"Brother, do you think our family will still use boats to transport people to Kuwu in the north?"
Hearing that Zheng was going to take on this hard job, Zheng Zhibao, who was already drunk and flushed, was suddenly a little stunned and had a look of reluctance on his face. It seemed that this job would not make any money at all.
"The Crown Prince said that there were many vassal states in the Ming Dynasty, and they consumed countless amounts of money and food every year. The imperial court was no longer able to support them, so they wanted to ask the vassal kings from various places to move overseas. Let them support themselves, build vassals and mansions, recruit troops, and buy horses. As long as they have the ability, they can dominate one area. The imperial court will not collect taxes from it in the future. Kuwu Island is the overseas fiefdom of the vassal king. Both King Jin and King Dai have agreed to move their countries to the island, and we are waiting for our family to arrange ships to transport people."
Zheng Zhilong did not comment on the move of cutting down the vassal state that a certain prince insisted on implementing. However, if there were fewer dozens of vassal kings in the Ming Dynasty, it would save the court a lot of money and food, whether it was to help the people or to resist the Eastern invaders. Not a small effect.
"If the prince wants to move the feudal clan, won't the feudal kings resist?"
This is a big deal. Zheng Zhifeng also saw it in the newspaper, but she still couldn't believe it. It seemed to violate the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty.
"Resist? Haha, which one of those vassal kings has soldiers? Wang Pu rebelled in Datong, the king was kidnapped, and all his belongings were almost lost. If something like this happens again, I'm afraid not even a single silver ingot will be left. Even so. Without such a thing, the traitor armies from all over the country continued to harass, and the vassal kings were also very scared. The military power was in the hands of the prince. If the officers and soldiers did not rush to rescue, which vassal country could defend under the fierce attack of the traitor army? Although overseas, It's far away, but you can avoid the rebel army. Even though you have to start from scratch when you get there, you don't have to worry about being destroyed. Isn't it nice to be carefree and unrestrained?"
If Zheng Zhilong had no troops, he would of course be afraid of being harassed by the bandit army. If the imperial court did not send troops to suppress the enemy, he would be willing to run as far as he could.
Those vassal kings would naturally agree with him. Although the vassal kings in the Ming Dynasty were well-dressed and well-educated, they still had no soldiers and felt panic. If they recruited soldiers on their own, they would worry about being accused of treason and being accused by the court. punish.
If the vassal was moved overseas in this way, the court would have nothing to do with it. The vassal king could use his power as he pleased in his own fiefdom, which was much better than being aggrieved at home.
The vassal king said that he would be loyal to the emperor and the court, but in his heart he was weighing the pros and cons and seeing what other vassals planned before making the most beneficial decision for himself.
Now that King Dai and King Jin are taking the lead, other vassal kings have no choice but to move their vassals. Under the introduction of the prince, Zheng Zhilong also met these two princes and personally agreed to allocate a large number of merchant ships to transport Zimin and soldiers and horses from the two vassal states.
"Brother makes sense, but isn't Kuwu Island occupied by the Tatars? If so, wouldn't the imperial court still send troops to attack?"
Zheng Zhifeng knew the approximate location of Kuwu Island, which happened to be within the control area of Huangtaiji. Although it was at sea, it was very close to the land, making it very easy for the Qing army to land.
"Kuwu is located in a remote location. There are only a few Tatar soldiers stationed on the island, and they are not the main force of the Tatars. Their combat power is weak. The imperial court can send thousands of troops to defeat or even annihilate them. Even if Huang Taiji learns the battle report, Three thousand miles away, it is out of reach, so the Ming vassal kings can only allow the island to be occupied. When Huang Taiji knows that Kuwu has been lost and sends troops to attack, it will be next summer until the soldiers and horses arrive at Kuwu. !”
It was impossible for the Qing army to invade Kuwu Island, which was recaptured by the Ming army, from the sea. The only option was to proceed by land. Such a long distance was impossible without walking for several months.
With only cavalry, it would be difficult to cross the strait that is more than ten miles wide, let alone confront the waiting Ming army after landing.
Zheng Zhilong had no objection to this plan to regain his homeland. The crown prince said that he would recover the lost territory on a large scale, but he did not expect that Kuwu Island would be recovered first. Even Huang Taiji would be shocked when he heard the news.
The imperial court used the Zheng Group's powerful fleet and superior shipping capabilities to aggressively attack the Qing's rear areas, preventing them from looking at each other. This was also the strategy advocated by the Crown Prince to maximize strengths and avoid weaknesses...
