The so-called "not crazy, not deaf, not a family man", if you scrutinize everything carefully and cannot even tolerate the words of the people below, then the scene will be too embarrassing.
Zhu Biao did not look at the commander of the Tea Horse Division again, nor did he ask the tea farmers. Instead, he put down the tea cup and said: "The trade between the Tea Horse Division and the northern Mongolia has been suspended for more than half a year. It is time to reopen it. Zhu Sheng Ordered the tea horse department to immediately make preparations to transport the tea in stock to Shuntian Mansion by river transport. "
"I respectfully listen to the holy order!"
After the commander of the Tea Horse Division led a group of officials to kneel down and obey the order, he squinted his old eyes and looked at Si Cheng Su Zhi, who was still kneeling motionless on the ground, and then walked out. After decades of ups and downs in the officialdom, it seemed that it was time to abdicate and let the wise return to their hometown for retirement. Otherwise, if someone takes it down, there will be nothing left.
It's not that he couldn't understand the meaning of the Crown Prince's question just now, it's just that he has been in charge of the Tea Horse Company for too long and is too deeply involved with the place. He can't do whatever he wants. Besides, at his age, even if he has the intention, I'm afraid His Highness the Crown Prince will look down on him. , it’s better to be safe and sound.
Su Zhi turned to look at the back of Shangguan, who had suppressed him for three or four years, and smiled silently. Youth was his greatest asset. At the age of the prince, no matter whether he was hiring people or training his confidants, he would not target the old guy.
After everyone had gone out, Su Zhi said: "Your Highness, I wonder what the tea will be exchanged for when the trade is reopened. Will it still follow the old rules?"
Zhu Biao smiled and said: "Tea Horse Master Tea Horse Master naturally wants to exchange tea for horses. Do you think there is anything else in Mongolia that I, the Ming Dynasty, can covet?"
Su Zhi's Adam's apple rolled up and he said: "In the past few years, the imperial court has exchanged tea for a lot of horses, and managed the herdsmen and herders. I heard that the horse breeding in the Hetao Ranch is quite smooth. Although there will never be enough horses, I, Ming Dynasty, are also It’s not an urgent need.”
"Furthermore, when Wei Chen was talking to his colleagues in the Tea and Horse Department, he predicted that the Mongolian blockade would be lifted next year and the tea and horse trade would start again, so Wei Chen thought that the Holy Emperor or His Highness might have other requests..."
Zhu Biao nodded when he heard this. This person is bold, careful and decisive. Although it is difficult to see more in such a short period of time, these qualities are enough and worth giving him a chance. As for whether this person can do it or not, It doesn't matter, after all, he is just an official of the Tea Horse Division.
The chief official of the Tea and Horse Department is only a fifth-grade official, and he is not even qualified to go to court. Moreover, many key parts of trade with Mongolia are still led by the imperial court, and they must be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Revenue. .
The Tea Horse Division was only responsible for collection and transportation, but Zhu Biao intended to place the Tea Horse Division under the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the future, dividing business and government affairs for easier management. As a result, the Tea Horse Division still needed a more outstanding chief official.
"Yes, the imperial court previously required Mongolia to only exchange horses for tea, but now the horses are still needed, but the Mongolian tribes are allowed to exchange gold, silver, and copper coins for tea, silk, salt, and even some ironware, such as iron pots."
Su Zhi looked up at Zhu Biao in astonishment, then lowered his head and said: "Then the Mongolian ministries are probably going to take out all the money in the family. It's just that it's not appropriate to take out ironware. I think it's better to exchange it for food."
Zhu Biao pinched his eyebrows and said: "Even though the autumn harvest has begun, there is still enough food, not to mention that we have to save some and wait to return it to the Jiangnan nobles."
Su Zhi's mouth twitched. He didn't expect that His Highness the Crown Prince actually planned to repay the debt. When they discussed it privately, they all thought that the matter would be fooled into nothing in the end. At most, the court would just pretend to transport a few ships of food and say it was over, and the nobles would still dare to talk to the Crown Prince. Your Highness, can't you calculate the details?
Su Zhi reminded: "In the first year of Hongwu's reign, the Holy Father issued an order that no matter what kind of artifacts, as long as they contain iron, they were not allowed to be sold into Mongolia to prevent Mongolia from melting iron to make soldiers, and those who disobeyed the order would be punished..."
Zhu Biao pointed to the stool on the side and said: "Then we will only sell iron pots, and the other ironware will remain the same. I heard that Mongolian herdsmen are proud to have iron pots in their homes. They can be used as betrothal gifts or dowries. When brothers divide their families, the iron pots at home will Does it have to be half and half?”
Su Zhi stood up and bowed, then respectfully and slowly sat on the stool pointed by Zhu Biao, with their buttocks only half touching each other. He looked like a frightened bird. Perhaps there was some intentional element in it, to show his respect to the prince. His Highness showed awe.
Su Zhi thought the effect was good. He couldn't see through the prince's eyes, but the eunuch behind His Highness clearly showed some satisfaction in his eyes.
"Reporting to Your Highness, Mongolia has been invading northern border towns in recent years. They are looking for gold and silver treasures, women, swords and iron pots. When they pay tribute to the court for peace, they will also ask for iron pots in return. After all, compared to ceramic leather, iron pots It is heat-resistant and resistant to falling, which is very convenient for herdsmen’s life.”
Zhu Biao naturally knew that the Mongolian tribes mainly lived as nomads. In order to find better grazing places, they needed to constantly change their residences throughout the year. This determined that the belongings they carried must be convenient and wear-resistant.
In terms of very important daily diet, Mongolians feed on beef and mutton and often need to cook food, and iron pots are a necessity of life. After all, clay utensils are not as durable as iron utensils.
He was just surprised that today's Mongolia can't even be self-sufficient in iron pots. This is a nation that has ruled the Central Plains for nearly a hundred years. It is really unimaginable that their production technology has degraded so quickly.
But it’s normal to think about it. Iron pots were a product that only appeared after the Song Dynasty began to use coal for iron smelting. It was not something that anyone could easily make with wood and firewood.
The technical requirements for smelting iron pots are also high. Without skilled blacksmiths and professional forging tools, not only may iron smelting not be successful, but improper operation may also easily cause safety accidents.
Seeing that the prince was interested, Su Zhi said: "I heard from my brother who was guarding northern Xinjiang that now all Mongolian tribes have begun to use bone and wood arrowheads. After a battle, no one cares about the dead and wounded soldiers, and They snatched the weapons back first, which shows how short of iron they are.”
Zhu Biao nodded and said: "Prioritize retrieving weapons. I saw this before during the Northern Expedition, but at that time their arrowheads were still made of iron. I didn't expect that even iron arrowheads are no longer used today."
After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, one of the most significant changes in the economic geography of Mobei was the rapid decline of the cities built by the Mongol Khanate and the Yuan Dynasty relying on the human and material resources of the Han people and the nearby farmland agriculture.
Han craftsmen are returning to the inland like a tide, including craftsmen of iron casting. They fled the city of Mobei because they were afraid of the endless persecution and exploitation of the Han people by the Mongols.
The result of this is that the Mongolian tribes that returned to the grasslands experienced a dark age of great productivity decline, completely losing their iron smelting technology, and could not even make iron pots.
What's more, iron smelting requires a lot of fuel. Before coal was used to make coke, the fuel for metallurgy was basically wood. Therefore, it was difficult to smelt iron without forests.
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