With the full support of the Ministry of Revenue, Beizhili and the Navy, Tianjin Port began to take shape. The docks were inserted into the Wei River. From a distance, they looked like the teeth of a comb, regular and dense.
The Tanggu City Shipping Department is located on the south bank of the Wei River. It consists of the City Shipping Department, a post house, a large warehouse, a trading shed and other buildings. There is a building complex on the north bank of the Wei River, which is a place for ordinary business travelers to stay and eat.
When Zhu Yunwen set up the Municipal Shipping Department, he did not follow the regulations of the Hongwu period. For example, the Guangzhou City Shipping Department only received Champa and Siamese tribes, and the Quanzhou City Shipping Department only received Ryukyu envoys. The joint system means that when official envoys enter the Chinese shipping department, they must report to the port four months or six months in advance and submit a unique certificate. They can arrive at the corresponding shipping department in the future with the certificate.
The certificate of eligibility is a one-time use. Before leaving, the envoy can report the time of his next visit and leave a new certificate of eligibility.
The setting up of this kind of measures helps to avoid merchant ships pretending to be envoy ships, so as to better protect envoys, place and receive envoys. It also controls the frequency of envoys entering China. They cannot just come in the first month and return in March. When I get home, it’s Daming again in May. I’ll be hosting you all day long. Daming is also tiring. Just come here once to three times a year...
With people from the security bureau leading the way, it was very easy to enter the Shibo Department, and even the guards did not dare to offend.
Because of the cold winter and strong north wind, many ships were moored at the port pier and did not leave the port. Only a few ships entered and exited.
Zhu Yunwen did not take people directly to the Shipping Department, but to a dock where four ships wanted to station.
The pier that extends into the river is quite wide, with a foot and a half width, which also brings convenience to the transfer of goods. Sea-going ships of different sizes are parked on both sides of the pier, and there are many clerks and businessmen on the ships. From time to time, there are people passing by. Come to the lively sound.
As the four ships approached, Fang He, an official from the Shipping Department, directed the officials to respond. After the ships were safely anchored and moored, planks were put down on the ship, accompanied by a shout: "The envoy is here, where are the officials?" ?”
Fang He quickly laughed and boarded the boat along the wooden plank: "The envoy from North Korea is coming from far away. Please get off the boat quickly and take shelter from the wind. The post house is ready."
The envoy Li Huan walked out of the cabin wearing a tiger robe. He looked at Fang He and asked, "What rank are you?"
Fang He was stunned for a moment, his face darkened: "Ninth grade."
"Haha, even a mere ninth grader is worthy enough to pick me up? I'll ask you to come and invite me in person!"
After speaking, Li Huan turned around and entered the cabin.
Fang He shouted: "Although Jiupin has a low position, he is still an official of the Ming Dynasty and has the right to welcome envoys. You are here on behalf of the King of Korea. You are so arrogant. Aren't you afraid of the power of the Celestial Empire?"
Li Huan's voice came from the cabin: "If the Celestial Empire valued etiquette, how could there be any debate at this time? If the lift cannot be carried out, we will not disembark. If we miss the deadline, the court will hold you accountable. How will you handle it?"
Fang He gritted his teeth, but could not refute, so he could only say: "Since you insist, I will report the case and promote you. But at this time, I need to meet the certificates, inspect the cargo on the ship, make a list of the tributes, and ask the envoy to restrain the subordinates. Cooperate well.”
"You are so presumptuous!"
Li Huan was a little angry.
Fang He calmly said: "I also act according to the rules. If the envoy is unwilling to abide by the rules of the Ming Shipping Department, he can leave this port and land elsewhere."
"Then please do it!"
Li Huan was helpless. The Ming Dynasty opened a municipal shipping department and set up a suitable document. There was no way to go ashore in other places. There were no ports in other places. Even if he went to a beach, no one would receive him. He was picked up by the local government. If the county finds out, it will probably be treated as a Japanese pirate and killed.
Fang He waved coldly and asked the official to board the ship for inspection.
Zhu Yunwen stood on the dock and watched this scene. He couldn't help but frown a little. He turned to Xia Yuanji and asked, "Are all envoys so arrogant and domineering?"
Xia Yuanji smiled bitterly: "It's indeed a bit arrogant."
Although the official is of the ninth rank, he does have the right to receive envoys. This is not because the Ming Dynasty did not follow the etiquette. You must know that the ambassador of the Huitong Pavilion in the capital is also the ninth rank. When envoys from various countries arrive in the capital, not all envoys are led by Zhengjiu. Even if the foreign king comes, he has to listen to the arrangements of the ninth-rank ambassador. It is really a bit nitpicking to find fault with the ninth-rank ambassador.
Seeing this, Yang Shiqi made up his mind: "The envoys are gentle in the capital, but outside they are shouting and shouting, they are quite rampant, and they even hurt the people."
"Is there such a thing?"
Zhu Yunwen was a little shocked and angry.
The envoy is a foreigner who comes to Ming Dynasty to be a guest. How dare the guest bully the host?
Damn it, this is the Ming Dynasty, not the Qing Dynasty!
When foreigners come to Ming Dynasty territory, they should be honest and abide by Ming Dynasty rules. This is the bottom line! You still dare to bully the people of Ming Dynasty. Who do you think you are? Do you want the people of Ming Dynasty to bow their heads and serve you?
Zhu Yunwen remembered that foreigners were looking for bicycles all over the world when they lost a baby, and the news about Chinese people losing a baby and not doing anything happened made him angry. If the Ming Dynasty wanted to rise, it had to rise psychologically. You are a foreigner. I look down on you. This It's because we have etiquette and you want us to look up to you and go back to your place. Ming Dynasty doesn't welcome you!
"Where's the envoy? When did it happen?"
Zhu Yunwen asked.
Yang Shiqi sighed: "I also heard about this from the Imperial College Supervisor. Ryukyu envoys traveled frequently to pay tribute, and they often stayed in Fujian for a long time. They often did something illegal due to language barriers, different habits, trade disputes, etc. The local officials, considering that he was an envoy from a vassal state, did not want to make public the incident of violating discipline and beating people and businessmen, so they suppressed the matter and did not report it."
Zhu Yunwen had a sullen face. What happened was not just a matter of the quality of the Ryukyu envoys. A key issue lay with the Ming Dynasty. After all, the external tone set by Zhu Yuanzhang was to be gentle and peace-oriented.
The Ryukyu envoy would also think: Annan conquered so much territory of the Ming Dynasty and plundered so many people, but the Ming Dynasty did not do anything. Just don't be angry, don't be angry, everyone should live a good life. Now, beating up a few common people is not considered a fault.
It is wrong to be gentle to people from far away and tolerant to foreigners!
Zhu Yunwen turned sideways and looked at Liu Changge, and said seriously: "In the future, when all envoys come, the Security Bureau will have to send people to follow them. Who dares to act recklessly, bully the people of our court, break their legs, or even show their heads in public!"
"Isn't this too harsh? They are more like envoys of the vassal state, so I'm afraid it will affect the harmony between them. The court should focus on the overall situation and not stick to small details..."
Xia Yuanji quickly stopped him.
Zhu Yunwen shook his sleeves and said in a cold voice: "They are the ones who have to take the overall situation into consideration! You must remember that you can't just be gentle with others, you must be gentle with strength. If you are blindly gentle, you will only be bullied. We, the people of the Ming Dynasty, should not be bullied by outsiders. Bully!"
Xia Yuanji couldn't say anything else.
Yang Shiqi said calmly: "It is a good thing to stamp out any signs of it, lest they become so rampant that they dare to bully the government, officers and soldiers."
Xia Yuanji wanted to ask if it was possible? But think about it carefully, now the North Korean envoys here dare to bully the officials of the Shipping Department, and there is no way that they may really ride on the officials one day.
After taking inventory of official duties, return the report to Fang He.
Fang He reviewed the list and shouted through the curtain: "The envoys came this time and brought only more tribute than before, but the private goods increased seven times. Isn't it too much?"
"Bringing private goods is approved by the Ming court, and the Shipping Department can take a cut and bid for it."
Li Huan shouted.
Fang He shook his head helplessly, turned around and got off the boat. When he met Zhu Yunwen and others, he frowned and asked: "Which boat are you on? It's windy now, so don't dare to run around. Go back to the cabin quickly."
Zhu Yunwen glanced at Liu Changge. Liu Changge stopped Fang He who was about to leave and showed the Security Bureau's badge: "The Security Bureau wants to ask questions."
Fang He turned pale, turned to look at Zhu Yunwen and others, and walked over: "I wonder what you guys want to ask?"
Zhu Yunwen pointed at the many ships in the port: "Now the City Shipping Department has accommodated many ships, and it must have been quite fruitful. I wonder how much the balance will be this year, do you know?"
"Balance? What balance? Where did the balance come from?"
Fang He asked back.
Zhu Yunwen was confused by Fang He's rhetorical question.
The imperial court has worked hard and invested so many resources to build the Municipal Shipping Department. This foreign trade has been going on for a year. You have been doing it for so long and so many ships have come. Considering that you have just started, let alone making tens of thousands of taels. It's okay to get a few thousand taels.
Xia Yuanji was also a little anxious and asked quickly: "Don't the Municipal Shipping Department collect taxes? A one-foot-long ship levies one or two taels, and a two-foot boat levies two taels or four cents. In the past year, there have been no fewer ships moored in the dock. I see there are quite a few big ships, so the Shipping Department should have collected the money, right?"
Fang He nodded: "Yes, I'll take it."
Xia Yuanji breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he collected the money, it would be easy to handle, so he asked, "What about the balance?"
"Balance? What balance? Where did the balance come from?"
Fang He repeated it.
Xia Yuanji almost ran away, Zhu Yunwen clenched his fists, and Yang Shiqi smiled a little. This is an interesting guy. Zhu Yunzhen didn't say anything, and Liu Changge and Tang Buping couldn't get angry, so they had to stand aside and act as pillars.
"After deducting the expenses from the taxes collected, how much money is left over!"
Xia Yuanji had a good temper and was almost angered.
Fang He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then raised his head, looked at Xia Yuanji and said seriously: "Oh, you said there is no balance, there is not one, and I still owe 1,800 taels of silver. I will ask the Ministry of Accounts for money during the New Year. You guys. Any thing else?"
"What?!"
Zhu Yun stared, Xia Yuanji was tongue-tied, and Yang Shiqi's hands were trembling.
What's this?
The Shibo Company has been in operation for one year. You tell me that not only did it not earn a single copper coin, but it also lost 1,800 taels?
Zhu Yunwen was extremely depressed. Who in the later generations of customs would not be extremely rich? Look at their buildings, their grandeur, their supporting facilities... How come it ended up being a loser in his own hands?
No, even if the tax is charged on a per-ship basis, there should be one or two thousand ships going back and forth to the Tianjin Port Shipping Department in a year, and at least three or four thousand taels of silver can be collected. Moreover, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Affairs is directly responsible for the salary of the personnel of the Municipal Shipping Department, and the ship tax money will not be used. Why is there not a penny left over, and so much is paid out?
