Merchants are prohibited from going overseas, and the government establishes a monopoly to monopolize the profits from exotic goods and rare jewelry. Lao Zhu believes that in this way, he can make a lot of money.
However, although Zhu Yuanzhang tied the hands and feet of the merchants, the merchants would still be active. Today they would find a hidden bay, and tomorrow they would find an unknown waterway to secretly do some business.
Commonly known as: smuggling.
The Ming Dynasty has a long coastline, and there is no anti-smuggling and anti-drug agency. Can you ban it when you, Mr. Zhu, say it is prohibited?
Zhu Yuanzhang banned it for several years, but found that his shipping company was getting less and less business. What made Zhu Yuanzhang most angry was that he had not bought Fanxiang Fanhuo, but there was a large amount of Fanxiang Fanhuo on the market.
This is a bit too much. After all, you have smuggled things here without a certificate or paying taxes, so you just trade them secretly. But it is a bit too much to have them all over the street, with no shortage of them everywhere, and to openly sell them.
Isn't this a slap in Zhu Yuanzhang's face?
What does Lao Zhu’s face look like?
Can you smugglers fight it?
So in the seventh year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and shouted: "I have abolished all the shipping departments. From now on, no ship will be allowed to go to sea!"
The policy of not going to the sea was probably the result of Lao Zhu not reaping the trade dividends and suffering from pink eye syndrome. His mentality at the time should have been like this:
I don’t do business, and I won’t let you do it either!
The regulations of "nothing allowed to enter the sea" are clear and clear, and there is no room for secret operations, so it is easy to investigate.
Go to the sea and see that as long as they are people of the Ming Dynasty and ships of the Ming Dynasty, then it is easy to say, just arrest them and deal with them.
It needs to be stated that "nothing is allowed to enter the sea" is only for the Ming Dynasty. Foreign envoys coming by ship will not be killed.
But this ban has not dampened the enthusiasm of smugglers. Spices, jewelry, sumac and other foreign goods will still appear on the market. After all, foreign envoys also sell these things. If I buy them from him and sell them, you, Zhu Yuanzhang, can't kill my head, can you?
You said I was smuggling, so you need to have evidence when speaking...
No matter how Zhu Yuanzhang dealt with it, he could not solve this problem until the thirteenth year of Hongwu. In this year, Hu Weiyong was killed, and many people were killed with him.
Many officials are afraid that losing their heads all day long is like cutting up watermelons, cutting hundreds and hundreds of them. Who can stand it?
Some officials wanted to run away, but they were stopped by Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang was worried that these people would go overseas, so the sea ban would be tightened, the blockade would be tighter, and the punishment would be harsher.
In Srivijaya, people relied on this small amount of goods to improve their lives. Zhu Yuanzhang banned the sea, but they still had to live, so they sent many people to find new smuggling routes.
It is risky to open a new route, and many people were arrested. It was in this year that the "Sanfo Qi Naisheng Spy" case that shocked the Ming Dynasty and Nanyang appeared.
Lao Zhu killed all these spies, and Srivijaya naturally quit after a bunch of brothers died. Whether it was the original King Srivijaya, the later smuggler Liang Daoming, or the Pirate King Chen Zuyi, they all Very angry, he blocked the East-West Sea Channel to retaliate against the Ming Dynasty.
It's hard for good people to do business, but the market for pirates is bullish.
Chen Zuyi's ability to grow into the Great Pirate King is probably related to Lao Zhu's strict ban on the sea.
Smuggling is prohibited and control is too strict. As a result, the domestic supply of spices in the Ming Dynasty is very small, and the price is naturally more expensive than gold. Driven by profit, many profit-seekers are not afraid of sacrifice and will continue smuggling to the end despite all difficulties and dangers...
By this time, the benefits of tribute that Zhu Yuanzhang insisted on were no longer enough for him to eat a meal. So in the 28th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered again:
The private use of Fanxiang Fanhuo is prohibited.
In other words, if you want to braise a dish at this time, add some spices, make braised pork or something, that would be against the law. If you want to get incense, if it is imported, you will be out of luck...
From the third year of Hongwu to the first year of Jianwen, nearly three years
For ten years, the Ming Dynasty banned trade, and the tribute paid was basically only a few land-based countries.
Rationally speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang's sea ban policy was a failure. He wanted to make money, but in the end he failed to make any money. He wanted to ban smuggling, but smuggling still existed. He wanted to ban smuggling, but pirates became more rampant...
Now, it's Zhu Yunwen's turn.
Zhu Yunwen knew very well that the policy of not going to the sea was unpopular with the people.
As the saying goes, you live on the mountain and live on the sea. There are so many people living on the coast. In addition to fishing, they also do some import and export business to improve their lives. Who are they offending?
What's more, now that the sea is closed and the door is locked, in a few hundred years, people will open the door for you. At that time, you can only be like a weak woman, enduring the pain and humiliatingly signing a contract to receive guests. One signature can cost dozens of dollars. Hundreds of years.
Zhu Yunwen did not want to accept guests, let alone the Chinese people. Therefore, the sea must be opened. It does not matter about paying tribute, but trade must be restored.
Liang Daoming's request is an excellent opportunity to promote the lifting of the ban on Dahai.
Zhu Yunwen looked at Ru Yun and said solemnly: "It is an indisputable fact that the three Buddhas and other countries in Nanyang are rich in products. Taizu has been banned for nearly thirty years and has no interest in the court. Instead, he is engaged in private business. If it continues like this, it will be impossible. Meaningless.”
"Since Srivijaya requested to be incorporated into our Ming Dynasty territory, I agreed. Xie Jin, you come to draft the decree. The Ming Dynasty Navy mobilized troops to go to Srivijaya, so it cannot only consume the country's children without benefit. Let's do this, Navy Master The fleet goes to Srivijaya together with the merchant fleet, the naval fleet escorts the left and right to keep it safe, the merchant fleet sells for a profit, and the Ming Navy gets 30%, what do you think?"
"Merchant fleet?"
Xie Jin and others were stunned.
Where did the merchant fleet come from?
Even if a businessman wants to go to Srivijaya to do business, he must have a ship. These days, except the imperial court, who has a sea ship...
Soon after, the three kings Zhu Zhi, Zhu Geng and Zhu Gui were summoned to the palace.
In the evening of that day, the three kings held a dinner party at Qingyan Tower and invited businessmen from inside and outside the capital to the banquet.
The capital's grosgrain merchant Qin Heng, ceramics merchant Wang Zhongfu, silk merchant Shen Yiyuan, salt merchant Huang Facai, pawnbroker Wu Tang, Suzhou grain merchant Zhao Dayu... Thirty-six merchants all came to the appointment.
All the merchants saluted the three kings. Zhu Zhi raised his hand and pressed it, saying: "Everyone, I am just a merchant, and the vassal king is just a name. Between merchants, just follow merchant etiquette. Please take a seat."
Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but feel a little more cordial and sat down one after another.
Zhu Zhi glanced at Zhu Geng and Zhu Gui, and seeing them nodding, he picked up his chopsticks, knocked on the toast, and said: "I invite you here this time because I want to discuss two transactions with you. This first one Buying and selling means leasing a boat.”
"Leasing a boat?"
The merchants looked at each other with doubts on their faces.
When Huang Facai saw that everyone was silent and looking at him, he couldn't help but bravely asked: "Your Majesty..."
Zhu Zhi interrupted Huang Facai and said: "There is no prince here, so you can call me by my first name. Brother Facai wants to say, what is the use of renting a boat, right?"
Huang Facai nodded heavily.
Yes, everyone is a businessman with a lot of money in their hands. To purchase and transport goods, transportation is naturally indispensable, such as carriages, handcarts, mules, horses, and ships. There is no shortage of them.
Since there is no shortage, there is no need to rent a boat.
Zhu Zhi said with a smile: "Yes, you have more or less many boats in your hands. But you, river boats cannot travel on the sea."
After Shen Yiyuan heard this, he was shocked and stared at Zhu Zhi.
Can’t walk across the sea?
Could it be that when he said leasing a ship, he meant leasing a seagoing ship?
Sea ship?
That means we have to go by sea, and we have to go by sea to do business. Where else can we go?
Nanyang!
Shen Yiyuan figured out the joints in an instant, with desire and expectation in his eyes. Other businessmen are also shrewd people. They can make a lot of money, but their IQ is still too high.
Gotta go.
Qin Heng swallowed, moistened his itchy throat, and asked, "What did Brother Zhu mean?"
Zhu Zhi laughed, raised his glass and said, "What do you mean? Haven't you heard about the victory of the Ming Dynasty in Penghu? Now that the imperial court has defeated the main force of the pirates, King Srivijaya sent an envoy to submit a letter of surrender. In the Ming Dynasty, the emperor has given permission, and soon the Ming Dynasty navy will send its troops south to reach Srivijaya."
Hearing such news, Shen Yiyuan, Qin Heng, Huang Facai and others all looked happy, but they were not convinced.
Huang Facai hurriedly asked: "The imperial navy went south to Srivijaya. It has nothing to do with my merchants. Or maybe there is something hidden in it. I would like to ask Brother Zhu to enlighten me."
Zhu Zhi advised everyone to drink. The wine glasses were empty, but Hongxiu was standing by to add more wine.
"This time the imperial court went south to Srivijaya. It was a big move that has rarely been seen since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. It cost the country a lot of money. The emperor did not want to waste the people and money, so he planned to use trade to make up for the country's children. Since trade, Haha, of course businessmen need to be involved."
small book booth
After Zhu Zhi finished speaking, he smiled and remained silent.
In an instant, all the businessmen became excited.
Trade?
The imperial court actually allowed merchants to trade?
Although there is no clear policy yet, and there is no talk of reopening the shipping department, the emperor's move is already telling everyone: the maritime ban policy will be gradually abolished!
"What is there in Nanyang? I don't need to say more, right? But if you want to go to Nanyang, you first need a sea ship. So if you want to go to Nanyang with the Ming Navy, you must finalize this first deal."
Zhu Zhi looked at the people discussing and said.
Shen Yiyuan took a deep breath, what is there in Nanyang?
There is gold!
That's right, Nanyang's fragrant and sweet things are now as valuable as gold in the Ming Dynasty. They are extremely expensive!
Such as frankincense, ambergris, dipterocarp, agarwood, sandalwood, clove, styrax, musk, patchouli...cardamom, star anise, fennel, pepper, cinnamon...pearls, agate, coral, exotic treasures...
Most of these things are abundant in Nanyang. If you take any of them back, you can sell them at a high price and make a huge profit.
As for the issue of safety on the road, there is no need to consider it.
With the Ming Dynasty Navy personally escorting us, why do we have to worry about pirates?
Shen Yiyuan suddenly thought of something. His original excitement slowly calmed down and he asked: "Since the Ming Dynasty Navy is going with us, the number of ships shouldn't be too many, right?"
Huang Facai, Qin Heng, Wang Zhongfu and others were suddenly shocked. Looking at Shen Yiyuan, their eyes gradually changed from astonishment to admiration. This is a guy who can stay rational at all times.
All the merchants looked at Zhu Zhi, and they also knew that the number of ships must be limited.
Zhu Zhi picked up the wine glass, drank it all in one gulp, and said solemnly: "Sixty merchant ships, this cannot be changed."
Sixty ships? !
This number seems to be a lot, but it should be noted that there are thirty-six merchants here at this time. On average, there are not even one person and two ships.
"How to rent this sea boat?"
Wang Zhongfu asked uneasily.
If you bid, you won't have to bleed.
Zhu Zhi clapped his hands, and a pure woman came over holding a wooden box. The wooden box was locked, but there was a hole larger than a fist on the wooden box.
"Sixty ships, each with a rental price of one thousand taels. The three of us took away six, leaving fifty-four. If everyone here is willing to rent, each of you can rent one temporarily. As for the remaining eighteen , how about leaving it to luck?"
After hearing Zhu Zhi's words, everyone couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was a boat that could go to sea. This was the best result.
Is one thousand taels expensive?
If you can find ambergris, one tael can be exchanged for one thousand and fifty taels of silver, which is still valuable but not marketable. Even if you can't find ambergris, other spices, or pearls, which one can bring you back dozens or even hundreds of times the profit?
