Feng Ziying ignored the restlessness of the people below, her eyes just glanced, and the voices in the entire hall subconsciously became quieter and quieter.
"Everyone can listen to what I am saying. If you have any questions, you can ask questions later, and you can discuss and negotiate. Otherwise, why would I have summoned you here?" Feng Ziying snorted lightly, "The Ezo land and the Jurchen hinterland are the imperial court. The strategic plan is indispensable to the military affairs of the imperial court, so there is no need to question this. If there is no risk in crossing south, why does the imperial court need such favorable treatment?"
"In addition, at the suggestion of my official, the imperial court also preliminarily agreed that in order to encourage the people and merchants of the Great Zhou Dynasty to open up sea routes and promote trade, in addition to the Ezo land and the Jurchen hinterland, the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty including but not limited to the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty, as long as If you can explore and discover new areas and new routes to the surrounding areas that are not yet mastered by the merchants of the Zhou Dynasty, the court will give you a heavy reward regardless of whether it can bring substantial benefits. And if the new areas and new routes discovered can bring substantial benefits, For example, if there are goods in great demand in the area, such as gold, silver, copper ore, medicinal materials, crops, spices, etc., the court can also grant them exclusive cultivation and trading rights while giving heavy rewards. All or part of the land reclamation and trading rights can be sold to the court and other gentry and merchants..."
This is almost like a Dazhou version of the regulations to reward colonization.
Neither Zhongshuke nor Zhongshuke intended to do so, or even thought about it at all, but in Feng Ziying’s view, this was an important step that Zhou Dynasty must take to compete with European countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. .
To put it bluntly, with the development and population growth of the Great Zhou Dynasty, sooner or later the Great Zhou Dynasty will also need more land under the sun.
This suggestion made Fujian businessmen very interested.
They had many contacts with businessmen from Guangdong and Guangxi, and knew that in addition to the well-known places such as Luzon and Manchuria, there were countless uninhabited islands and lands in Southeast Asia or inhabited by mountain people.
The environment in those places is harsh, but the climate conditions are rich in precious wood, suitable for growing spices, and even have gold and silver mineral deposits. If the routes to the land of these islands can be opened up and presented to the court, this may also be a way to make money.
This coastal area is full of desperadoes who like to take risks but have little capital for maritime trade. If we can help a few of them to engage in this business, they will be able to make good friends with the court and gain some benefits. In particular, the former is of great significance to the future expansion of sea trade.
"I don't know how much you know about the Nanyang region. The Hongmao Fans, the Flemish people, and the English people all traveled tens of thousands of miles to Nanyang to seek benefits. They took away a lot of spices, gold and silver. Why are we so big? Why don't Zhou merchants dare to try it? There are tens of millions of large islands in the South Seas. I am waiting for you to boldly explore and try. I very much hope that you can make a lot of money from it. In this regard, the imperial court Don’t hesitate to reward me generously!”
From simple sea trade in mature areas to colonization of undiscovered areas and then sea trade, this is not just a change in sea trade methods, but the instillation of a new concept.
These merchants must understand that there is no market and no output, so they can discover, develop, colonize and cultivate, so as to form trade interactions with the mainland of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This is the correct way to develop maritime trade.
The topic is a little off topic, but this concept needs to be instilled in them first.
It's rare to have such an opportunity.
This group of people are all influential in the local area. After they return, they can convey the court's intention to more people, so that those who are not qualified to participate in maritime trade can join in by cultivating new trade routes. And the court will also give encouragement.
"Sir,..." Someone really couldn't help but want to ask first, and everyone looked at him.
"Well, it stands to reason that I should answer questions after I have said everything. However, I know that what I just said may be slightly different from what we were originally going to talk about. I am afraid that you will not be able to remember clearly in a while, so I will make an exception and answer the question first. The problem of exploring new routes and new areas.”
Feng Ziying glanced at the other party. The Zhang family of southern Fujian was said to be a descendant of the Zhang family of Zhang Dun, the former prime minister of the Song Dynasty. They were not only a distinguished family of gentry but also a giant maritime merchant.
"you say."
"The common people would like to ask, according to the imperial court's wishes, as long as new routes and places can be discovered, they can cultivate and explore by themselves, and everything they gain belongs to the discoverers?" Zhang Quan stood up and bowed his hands in salute before asking questions.
"In the whole world, everything is the land of the king; on the coast of the land, is it the king's ministers? As long as they are the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty, all the land they get is the land of the Zhou Dynasty." Feng Ziying took a deep look at the other party, "But I want to emphasize one point, this Soil does not refer to fields, but to territory, which means that if the land is newly developed, it must be the land of the imperial court, but if the land is recognized by the government, the land deed can be obtained from the government..."
"Then what your lord means is similar to Dongfan Land?" Zhang Quan immediately asked.
"No, it's different. Dongfan is not a newly expanded land in terms of territory. Since the Han and Wei dynasties, all dynasties have belonged to China. However, due to geographical and population reasons, it has prospered and declined, so now the court is ready to vigorously develop it." Feng Ziying His face was calm and his attitude became gentler, "The land I am talking about, such as the land of Nanyang, refers to the land that has never belonged to the Great Zhou Dynasty. If anyone can open up new routes and expand new fields, then report to me, in the Zhongshu Department Once the documents are filed and the court establishes its governance, the land to be expanded can be issued by the court government, and the court will also allow legal channels and even encourage relocation of people to cultivate land..."
This statement immediately caused a burst of whispers among the crowd.
In fact, many maritime merchants from Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangxi, as well as some people who were both merchants and pirates and lived on the sea, settled in Nanyang.
Although the Francoji people occupied Luzon, they were still fighting against the indigenous people in the local mountains and forests of Luzon. They did not achieve an overwhelming victory, and the land of Luzon was not completely controlled by the Francoji people. The same was true for the Hongmao people. Although it also began to set foot in Kalimantan, it was counterattacked by the local indigenous residents and has not made much progress so far.
It can be said that the entire Nanyang region is still in chaos except for the Luzon area where the Francois have the upper hand and their position is relatively stable.
Some small dynasties, including those established by local indigenous people, did not really control the entire region. For example, the Maluku region, which was later regarded as the Spice Kingdom, Aceh and Jambi in Sumatra, and Banten in Kalimantan, were all still in a state of turmoil. A more disorganized state of divide and conquer.
There are also many people who went abroad from Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian and lived in the Nanyang area. However, because the Zhou Dynasty followed the policy of the previous Ming Dynasty and did not allow people to leave the country and go abroad, otherwise they would be punished, so no one dared to expose them. This situation.
In fact, the government is also well aware of the situation, but on the surface everyone tacitly refuses to admit it or pretends not to know. But today, the remarks of this editor-in-chief undoubtedly represent the imperial court. A huge shift in policy.
If we follow Feng Xiuzhuan's statement, then the land that has actually taken root in many places in Nanyang can be donated to the imperial court, recognized by the imperial court, and become the land of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The handling of the affairs and the management of the officials appointed by the imperial court can all be carried out in a fair and orderly manner.
This huge change is hard for many people to believe.
Feng Ziying is killing first and then showing off.
Even he himself didn't know what this promise would bring.
But if this was not done, it would be difficult for the Zhou Dynasty to compete with the Hong Mao Fan (Dutch) who had already established a foothold in Luzon and settled in Kalimantan in maritime trade and colonization of Southeast Asia.
The British had also begun to establish trading stations in Sumatra and obtained a charter from the British King. The offensive was also in full swing.
It can be said that although the Zhou Dynasty had a geographical advantage in colonizing Southeast Asia compared with these Europeans, the isolation and maritime ban policies since the Ming Dynasty have made the Zhou Dynasty's spirit of exploring the sea significantly lagging behind.
If we do not provide enough stimulation to the people, it will be difficult to regain the upper hand in the competition with Europeans.
Spices, a product with great demand in Dazhou, not only cannot meet the needs of Dazhou, but also cannot become an important product exported to Xiyi. This is exactly what Feng Ziying wants to achieve, and this is what he will rely on to impress and An important factor in convincing Emperor Yonglong and his cabinet.
Perhaps the imperial court is now forced to implement the strategy of opening up the sea under huge financial pressure, but Feng Ziying's purpose is very simple, which is to make the opening up of the sea a national policy that will continue.
To achieve this, the court must realize that opening up the sea and developing foreign land can bring continuous benefits, and the benefits will become larger and larger.
This income must become an indispensable part of the interest class behind the court or the emperor and even the court princes. Only in this way can this strategic national policy last forever.
For this reason, Feng Ziying is willing to take a gamble.
Everyone is chewing on the profound meaning behind Feng Ziying’s words. Since the Song Dynasty, Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian have had a history of going to Southeast Asia, and since the Ming Dynasty, this situation has become more prominent. Luzon is a typical example. There are no less than tens of thousands of Chinese, and also in Kalimantan, Sumatra and other places, the number of Chinese is tens of thousands. Under this situation, when the strength of the naval fleet of the Great Zhou Dynasty has recovered to a certain extent, it may not be impossible to launch this strategy.
Of course, before that, Da Zhou still needs to recuperate his energy and try to avoid conflicts with Europeans such as Fo Langji and Hongmaofan. Da Zhou's main enemies are not them yet.
Only after the threats from the Jurchens and Tatars have been resolved can we focus on returning to the sea. The main task undertaken by the sea now is to relieve the pressure on the imperial government's finances.
However, the early thinking must be instilled in them. Avoiding conflicts with the Westerners does not mean doing nothing. Nanyang is so big and Chinese are everywhere, how can there be no chance?
