Just in words, you may not be able to tell right from wrong.
But when you enter reality and listen to the desires and voices of the people involved, you can instantly tell the difference between right and white, wrong and black.
Nie Yuanji knew that although Lin Tangchen was stubborn, he was also an honest man and a man of the people. Since Gu Zhengchen's original intention was for the people of Quanzhou Prefecture, and the people of Quanzhou Prefecture came here willingly, he continued to insist on a thorough "rest and recuperation" It’s hypocrisy that doesn’t care about the people’s vision.
Lin Tangchen lowered his head and admitted his mistake.
Gu Zhengchen was very satisfied that the problem was solved.
Walking into Guanhaiyuan, Zhao Yihui took out a document and handed it to Gu Zhengchen respectfully: "Regarding the navigation regulations, the Municipal Shipping Department has drawn up some items, and the specific choice still needs to be decided by Prefect Gu."
Gu Zhengchen took the document, unfolded it, looked at it, and shook his head slightly: "Businessmen in the voyage trade are most concerned about the tax items, so they can put the tax items in the first item. In addition, don't mention that the Municipal Shipping Department rents a ship with a tax of one per ten, and the navy If you escort ten taxes and one, just write five taxes and one."
Nie Yuanji and Lin Tangchen took a deep breath.
Five taxes and one?
This is simply a heavy tax!
Zhao Yihui was a little worried: "If we don't write it clearly, will it dampen the businessmen's willingness to go overseas?"
Gu Zhengchen shook his head: "How can there be such a good thing while making Haili and not paying heavy taxes? Most of the people in the household department are vegetarians, and the commercial tax is actually set at 30 tax. This commercial tax has no impact on pots and pans. OK, but a drop in the bucket when it comes to spices, silks, curiosities, etc.”
"Directly write down five taxes and one tax. Only those who are willing to accept this heavy tax can go to sea. If they are not willing to accept it, they will not be allowed to go! Naval escort will not last for several years or even decades. Could it be said that after the sea becomes peaceful in the future, merchants will have their own ships? , the City Shipping Department will not collect taxes? Five taxes and one is a certain death rate. Unless the emperor nods, no one can touch it. "
Zhao Yihui and Su Xianqin nodded repeatedly.
Gu Zhengchen pointed to the document and continued: "Quanzhou Prefecture's opening of the sea for long-distance trade is not something that can be done overnight. It needs a process. This document states that it requires two steps. I think the step is still a bit big. You might as well change it. For three steps.”
Zhao Yihui asked: "What three steps?"
Gu Zhengchen thought for a while and said seriously: "The first step is to open the sea and carry out long-distance trade with large ships. In this process, ships under six feet tall are not allowed to go to sea, and fishermen are not allowed to go to sea. Everyone, pirates and Japanese pirates are not allowed to go to sea. It hasn't disappeared. The fleet came back this spring with a bunch of heads, and that's proof of that."
"In the early days of opening the sea, we must rely on naval escort. This means that the fleet cannot be too large, lest the navy cannot take care of it. Therefore, we will focus on large ships in the early stage, and lease the space and cabins of large ships to a number of businessmen based on their load. .”
Su Xianqin looked at Gu Zhengchen, his heart burning.
It was he who single-handedly won precious opportunities for the people of Quanzhou Prefecture. No matter what, he must take every step carefully.
Seeing that no one objected, Gu Zhengchen continued: "After completing several safe trades, the navy will assess maritime safety. If the navy believes that the route is safe, it will move to the second step. Large, medium and small ships will be assembled to go to sea. The size of the assembly should be controlled within Within a hundred ships, they will also be escorted by the navy, but the size of the naval escort fleet will be reduced to allow multiple batches of assembled fleets to leave the port in sequence."
Zhao Yihui agreed with Gu Zhengchen's arrangement: "The assembly of a hundred ships to go to sea is already a large scale. Under the condition that the sea is relatively safe, it can indeed reduce the number of naval fleets."
Gu Zhengchen sat down, took the tea brought by the officials, and said in a deep voice: "The third step is to expand the scale of the Quanzhou Prefecture Navy, achieve cruising protection within 200 miles of the outer sea, and at the same time build Quanzhou's coastal city defense and set up sergeants to garrison it. . On this basis, we will enter the third step, fully liberalizing long-distance trade, allowing merchants to leave the port alone to conduct maritime trade, and allowing fishermen to go to the sea."
Su Xianqin frowned and asked: "Prefect Gu, the fishermen need to wait until the third step to go to the sea. How long will it take? Can we arrange for some people to fish offshore first?"
Gu Zhengchen flatly refused: "Your Majesty gave us three years, but don't forget that your Majesty has the right to revoke the Quanzhou Special Economic Zone at any time! Once the people go to sea prematurely and unfortunately encounter pirates and Japanese pirates, the door to the Quanzhou Special Economic Zone will probably be opened. It will be closed forever! Quanzhou Prefecture needs to be patient and repair the fence before catching fish."
Nie Yuanji raised his hand and clapped his hands: "It's a good idea to repair the fence and then catch the fish, Gu Zhifu said so! I think these three steps are to be neither hasty nor slow, neither arrogant nor impetuous, and work step by step. Only in this way can we win the next prize for Quanzhou Prefecture." One three years, and the next thirty years!”
Lin Tangchen couldn't help but nod.
I have to admit that Gu Zhengchen has amazing wisdom when it comes to handling government affairs. He can explain complex matters clearly and clearly plan the opening of the sea without regulations. No wonder this man became a Quanzhou County man and a magistrate at a young age. He is what he is today, not because of flattery, but because of his real ability.
Zhao Yihui, Su Xianqin and others all understood that the emperor now had a bad temper and was a bit impatient. He promised to give it three years, but if something went wrong in the middle, the Quanzhou Special Economic Zone might really be shut down.
Haste makes waste, so it is appropriate to take a steady approach in three steps.
Gu Zhengchen did not determine the time point for the three steps. These three steps may not be completed within three years. It may take longer. However, if the naval construction speeds up, these three steps may also be completed within more than two years.
"Has the Municipal Shipping Department made arrangements for the identification of ships going to sea?"
Gu Zhengchen asked.
Zhao Yihui nodded, quickly found a scroll from the desk, spread it out and said to Gu Zhengchen: "There are currently three signs for ships going to sea, namely hanging flags, painting, and issuing official certificates."
Su Xianqin pointed to the pattern on the paper: "Merchant ships cannot fly the navy's battle flag, but they can design a brightly colored and eye-catching flag. The flag can be used to identify whether it is a merchant ship."
Gu Zhengchen stared at it and saw a pennant on the paper. There was a pattern similar to the "Sun God Bird" drawn in the pennant, but there was no bird in the pattern, the middle was blank, there were streaks of "rays" toward the middle, and there were also " light".
Su Xianqin continued: "Merchant ships approved by the Municipal Shipping Department to leave the port must have a white background, black body, and red mast, and the pattern should be left during the painting process to prevent other ships from imitating the paint."
Gu Zhengchen nodded slightly.
After opening the sea, it is okay for the ships to follow the navy, and no one can easily impersonate and join. But if there is no need for naval escort in the future, how to distinguish between a merchant ship and a pirate ship? There is always a need for eye-catching signs.
In addition, the Municipal Shipping Department is like the customs. All entries and exits need to be registered. In places where going to the sea is not allowed, you cannot go to the sea without permission. Ten ships were sent out here in Quanzhou, but when they came back there were twenty. How to tell who is fooling the public?
The lacquer can indeed prevent ships from other places from mixing in. The ships in Quanzhou Prefecture have all white bottoms, black bodies, and red masts, so ships from Guangdong that want to engage in smuggling trade cannot mix in. This design is also prepared to reduce illegal immigration.
But the two tricks of flagging and painting are not enough. It is not impossible for others to imitate.
Zhao Yihui said: "The most important thing is the shipping certificate of the Municipal Shipping Department. Any ship going out from the Quanzhou Shipping Department will be issued two seagoing certificates to the captain and deputy captain, one is a document and the other is a seal, and Leave the fingerprints of all crew members in the fleet. If the documents and seals of the returning ship do not match, they will not be allowed to enter the port and berth. If the captain and deputy captain pass away due to illness, or the documents and seals are lost, the fingerprints of all crew members must be checked."
Gu Zhengchen listened to these plans and thought about them carefully.
Nie Yuanji asked: "What if we can avoid pirates or pirates from hijacking ships and enter Quanzhou Port directly?"
Zhao Yihui smiled and said confidently: "Any ship entering Quanzhou Port will not enter directly. Instead, it will need to be inspected by Shihu Pier before entering or exiting. According to the idea of the Municipal Shipping Department, Shihu Pier will be managed by a naval sergeant. Responsible for checking the seals and documents, and if the Navy finds anything wrong, they will be detained immediately."
Nie Yuanji was stunned.
Shihu Terminal is still some distance away from Quanzhou Port Terminal, and Quanzhou Port can deal with changes there calmly. Besides, there are navy sergeants checking, so there won't be any big problems.
Gu Zhengchen took another sip of tea and nodded: "These ideas of the Shibo Department are good, I think they are feasible, but the flag is not bright enough, we can find someone to redesign it, instead of a pennant, use a four-corner flag. In addition, give everyone Merchant ships are numbered in a register. Each ship has a unique number. These numbers are painted directly on the outside of the ship. Pay attention to distinguish official ships from civilian ships. Official ship numbers always start with the sun and moon, and civilian ships always start with stars."
Zhao Yihui murmured: "Sun, moon, stars?"
Su Xianqin nodded heavily, feeling inexplicably excited.
The sun and moon are in the sky, and the vast sky is clear.
The sky is filled with stars, and all the people are alive.
Nie Yuanji and Lin Tangchen were a little shocked. What shocked them was Gu Zhengchen's sudden decision and his perfect strategy for the plan.
Only then did Lin Tangchen realize that he was nothing compared to Gu Zhengchen. His abilities far exceeded his own, and his knowledge and wisdom were much higher than his own.
Since he is more thoughtful than me, why should I oppose him?
Impressed!
At this moment, Lin Tangchen was completely impressed by Gu Zhengchen's ability. He changed from a person who wanted to compete with Gu Zhengchen to become a supporter of Gu Zhengchen.
Gu Zhengchen clarified more details of opening the sea, made arrangements for the Municipal Shipping Department, Quanzhou Port Terminal, Shihu Terminal, ships, merchants, cargo entry and exit management, etc., and determined the route arrangements for the North Sea and the South Sea. Avoid collisions and chaos when the fleet enters and exits.
When we left Quanzhou Port, it was almost dusk.
Lin Tangchen and Nie Yuanji watched with admiration as Gu Zhengchen climbed onto his horse easily, but the two of them could only ride in the carriage.
Gu Zhengchen held the horsewhip and said to Nie Yuanji and Lin Tangchen: "Tomorrow, Nie Tongzhi will be responsible for ordering Mao. He will go to the government office and inform my wife that I will stay at the Quanzhou Guard tonight and will not go back."
"this--"
Nie Yuanji and Lin Tangchen were stunned.
Is it appropriate for you, a prefect, to stay in the guard camp?
Lin Baifan reined in the reins, stabilized the horse beneath him, and said with a smile, "Commander Gu, are you ready to start?"
