And that chart, even the most detailed chart preserved by the Shipping Department of the Yuan Dynasty was not as good as Wan Yi. In private, he also asked his confidants who were familiar with charts to come over and look at it, and they were all dumbfounded.
All kinds of doubts were weighing in his heart, and it was inevitable that he would talk about ghosts and gods, but he didn't dare to ask. What could he do if he asked? It's not like His Highness just said anything and he just believed it.
Could it be that he had to tie up His Highness to go to the temple and Taoist temple to exorcise the evil spirits? I'm afraid that before His Highness could be tied up, he himself would be dead.
No one in this world would believe it or dare to say that His Highness the Crown Prince has any problems. If there is, then it would be best for him to be able to stop millions of divisions with one sword alone.
Half an hour later, Zhu Biao stopped because his mouth was dry. He took the tea that Liu Jin had specially made cooler and drank it all: "Tomorrow, the Imperial Palace will meet with the representatives of the merchant gang."
Wu Liang came back to his senses and responded: "Nuo, it's just a businessman. Your Highness doesn't need to..."
Zhu Biao shook his head and said: "They will become more and more important. Once the foreign trade routes are opened, these coastal states will surely prosper, and the imperial court's future taxes will depend on them."
Wu Liang was silent for a moment: "Your Highness, this is not something that a humble minister like me should advise, but trade is booming and profits are huge. People who work in the fields will see the benefits and change their minds. If all the people in the world are like this, What should we do if the pursuit of profit leads to the waste of acres of land and the reduction of grain production?”
Zhu Biao looked at Jiangyin Hou with admiration. This is why he appointed Wu Liang as the commander of the ocean. This is not a simple reckless man.
He values integrity and honors his reputation, but cares about money rather than money. He guarded Jiangyin for ten years and spent the night on a city tower with his sword and knife under his pillow. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in his free time, he often hosted banquets with Confucian scholars to teach classics and history, built schools, cultivated land, and persuaded the emperor to reduce taxes. , this is the style of famous generals in the Qin and Han Dynasties.
Only such people can take on the task of starting an era. Going to sea will face all kinds of problems, and it is not a responsibility that one or two brave generals can bear.
Zheng He undoubtedly did an excellent job, but now he is too young. Zhu Biao cannot wait for him for more than ten or twenty years. Among the generals in the court, except for Deng Yu, the most suitable one for Zhu Biao is Wu. Good.
What Wu Liang said now is also the concern of most officials in the court. This situation also occurred in the Han Dynasty. The people abandoned their roots and chased the bottom, and the cultivators could not do half of it. Although the poor people were given land, they still sold it at a low price to the merchants, leaving the farmers behind. Merchants eventually led to one man plowing a hundred people's food, and one woman weaving a hundred people's clothing.
What followed was the policy of focusing on agriculture and suppressing business. In fact, there was nothing wrong with it. A self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy, an ethical culture that demanded equality, proper clothing, limited officialdom, limited number of people who could accumulate property, and prohibited boats, carriages, and armor. ...Although he has talents and beautiful body, he would not dare to obey him without his title. Although there are many rich families, they dare not use their wealth without their salary.
The development of the commercial economy will inevitably lead to the polarization of the rich and the poor, which will always threaten the life ethics of equality, tranquility, and stagnation in small-scale peasant society. Only by adopting a policy of focusing on agriculture and suppressing business can a static ethical and cultural order be achieved and maintained.
If there were no overseas countries, Zhu Biao would probably maintain this tradition with peace of mind. After all, he is neither a farmer nor a businessman. As a ruler, there is nothing wrong with maintaining a stable social order.
It's a pity that it doesn't work. The most tragic Black Death overseas has passed, and some countries are also lucky enough not to suffer from this disaster. The population is still increasing crazily, such as Portugal, the future first maritime overlord. …
Their current situation is probably that they are facing severe social turmoil. The small country cannot accommodate a dense population. The old enemies next to them have blocked the road to land expansion. The only hope is at sea.
Slowly, step by step, even if it affects social stability, Zhu Biao must support overseas expansion, support the development of handicraft manufacturing, and improve the status of businessmen, even if this will cause pain to the country.
This is why he came here specially. He is the country's crown prince and future emperor. Only if he firmly expresses his attitude can this plan that violates social order continue.
Of course, this is fortunate to be at this time. I am afraid that only during this time can he have such strength. Otherwise, no matter how wise and powerful the emperor is, it is impossible for him to promote such a harm to most conservatives in the middle and late stages of the dynasty amid the entanglement and confrontation of interests. A matter of power.
"I will handle this matter properly. The court will not be short of food. Merchants will make huge profits but they will also have to pay heavy taxes. What's more, today's corvee taxes are light and light, so the people will not abandon farming and go to business on a large scale."
There are profits and losses in business, let alone sea trade. If you are unlucky, you will also lose your life. In addition, due to the long-term policy of focusing on agriculture and suppressing business, the social atmosphere is to despise merchants. Generally speaking, if people have land to farm, they will never allow their children to work in the business. Cheap industry.
With such a social atmosphere, it is estimated that it will take at least ten or twenty years to change. The Ming Dynasty has abolished the population tax. This is a period of population surge. Twenty years later, young people will gradually leave agriculture and become businessmen. It's not impossible.
At present, the most common family is a family of seven or eight children. Twenty years later, each of the seven or eight children will give birth to another seven or eight children. The grain produced by their current cultivated land will gradually become insufficient to feed the whole family. They will either move to open up wasteland or find another job. way out.
But no matter how you calculate it, the population is still far from enough. In more than ten or twenty years, the number of people born in the Ming Dynasty will not be enough to fill the cultivated land of the Ming Dynasty. What's more, there will be more people in Yunnan, Guizhou, Liaodong, and Korea, and even Nanyang will have large-scale migration in the future. .
This is only the area near the Ming Dynasty. Doesn’t the land outside the Ming Dynasty not need to be filled by the Han people? Of course it does. Even if the Ming Dynasty cannot control it, there is nothing wrong with them enclosing the territories and establishing themselves as kings. After all, they are different but the same. source.
The Marquis of Jiangyin sighed. He didn't know about other places, but in this coastal state capital, there were memories left by the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The common people here were well aware of the benefits that could be gained from maritime trade.
Not to mention the merchant families, there are already many small families who secretly built sea ships. They were not big, but they were enough to hold some silk and porcelain ornaments. When the imperial fleet went to sea, they followed behind to earn gold and silver.
As long as these people return with profits, the rest of the country will follow suit. Even if they dare not go to the sea, they will sell their farmland and turn into traders. After all, with the sea route open, overseas vassals will come without them.
After listening to Wu Liang's words, Zhu Biao was also a little surprised. The benefits were really impressive. A mere boat dared to face the waves. So the conversion rate of merchants from coastal states must be much higher than Zhu Biao expected.
The two were silent for a moment, and Wu Liang understood what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince meant. No matter what the situation was, ocean trade was inevitable, so as a subordinate, he had already fulfilled his duty of persuasion, and all that was left was to concentrate on ocean trade. He will also do his best to fulfill his responsibilities!
…………
In the palace, His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was obviously a little agitated. His sharp eyes were shining all over the place. The hairs of the officials below stood on end. Their calves were twitching. They felt inexplicably that it would be much more comfortable to kneel down.
With the prince's departure, the ocean-going fleet, which had not been paid much attention by the officials of the DPRK and China, could no longer be hidden. I really didn't expect that the prince would do this. It was really surprising.
Especially for the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, the coastal shipyard has never increased its investment in money and food. How could it have achieved such a large scale without making any noise? His Highness must have subsidized it himself.
Speaking of which, the gold and silver obtained by the Tea Horse Company from the northward trade was never returned to the national treasury. It turned out that it was invested here, the angry (*｀へ′*) Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue thought.
"Your Majesty, Jinghaihou expelled the Japanese pirates, and the sea routes are smooth. We also hope to trade with overseas countries. The Song and Yuan Dynasties made huge profits from this, and we, the Ming Dynasty, can do the same. However, this should be presided over by the imperial court and the opening of the shipping department. How can we easily let private merchants enter when setting prices for trade?"
Yes, it is the right way for the Municipal Shipping Department to be responsible for inspecting incoming and outgoing ships and cargo, collecting questions, extracting goods, and trading. Ordinary merchants should also supervise and examine when they enter to prevent the secrets of our Ming Dynasty from being leaked to foreign vassals. "
"His Royal Highness the Prince is young and must have been induced by those merchants from aristocratic families. Why should he send an order to the local government to arrest those treacherous villains and behead them on the spot!"
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