Rule over Ming Dynasty

It’s already freezing cold in Songjiang Prefecture in November, but the deciduous cypress trees all over the mountains and plains on Fenghuang Mountain are in full bloom.

Shanghai County was originally a small seaside county under the jurisdiction of Songjiang Prefecture. With the establishment of the Shanghai Shipping Office and the construction of Shanghai Port, it became the most important port city in the Jiangnan region.

White seagulls soar over the pier in the winter sun.

There are tall-masted sea-going ships returning to their owners, and there are sea-going ships loaded with cargo sailing to the estuary, but more sea-going ships stop here and prepare to integrate into the Jiangnan waterway transportation network along the Yangtze River.

Since the Spring Festival is less than two months away, although there are still merchant ships choosing to sail for trade, sailing now is likely to delay the Spring Festival, so the number of merchant ships sailing has significantly reduced.

Just like this, the bustling Shanghai docks continue to welcome merchant ships returning from overseas. These merchant ships are berthed here to be inspected by the Shanghai Shipping Department, and they need to obtain customs clearance documents and pay customs duties here.

In order to prevent ships from going through Shanghai port inspection, the imperial court also established an additional guard station on Chongming Island, whose main responsibility was to inspect smuggling merchant ships.

The Shanghai Shipping Department adopts a dual taxation model, which levies tariffs on merchant ships that go out to sea, and also levies tariffs on merchant ships that return.

Generally speaking, merchant ships returning from the sea are unlikely to return empty. They will also bring back a large number of souvenirs from Japan, North Korea and other regions.

"Check the yarn, it's all Japanese seafood, hurry up and register it for me to release!" A dark-skinned middle-aged man cursed very arrogantly in front of the Shanghai Shipping Department official responsible for the inspection.

"Second Master Shen, isn't this against the rules? Since the ship is full of Japanese goods, let me go up and take a look. It won't waste much time!" Zhang Limu knew that the other party had a profound background, and he appealed in embarrassment.

According to the latest decree issued by the Ming Dynasty this year, these goods shipped back from overseas are also subject to tariffs, but food is exempt from tariffs.

Ordinarily, this was the court's policy to favor business, but it happened to give some people a loophole.

Now Mr. Shen insists that all the goods on board are marine goods, which means that they must be treated as duty-free. This is obviously suspected of evading tariffs.

Mr. Shen was bathing in the winter sunshine, pointed his thumb at his face and said: "What are the rules? We are a Jiangnan company and it is the rules!"

Where there are interests, there are rivers and lakes.

The emergence of Jiangnan Company was unexpected by Zhu Youtang, but it was reasonable.

Avoid taxes and save on land transportation.

These six words actually illustrate the advantages of water transportation. Although the cost of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal accounts for 80% of the water transportation, the cost of land transportation is actually higher, and it can avoid numerous checkpoints and taxes.

In addition to cost, there is also the factor of rogue bandits.

If Wang Hua and Wang Shouren had not annihilated the gang of bandits in southern Jiangxi, I am afraid that the water and land passages between Guangdong and Jiangxi would still be unsafe, and there would be a great possibility of goods being lost.

This is exactly the case. Even if the Ming Dynasty did not open the sea, shipping has always been the first choice of many Ming merchants.

Private trading ports in the Jiangnan area emerged in the early Ming Dynasty. It is said that Shen Wansan, the world's richest man at the time, relied on the convenience of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to transport silk, ceramics and grain from Jiangsu and Zhejiang overseas, and thus accumulated astonishing wealth.

The Jiangnan region not only has a developed land and water transportation network, but also has porcelain, printing, textile, and even tin foil and publishing industries, all of which are at the top of the world.

Especially in the Jiangnan area, the gap between rich and poor is very large. Taking Huizhou Prefecture as an example, since the area except She County is mostly mountainous, many people are forced to engage in business to make a living.

Geographically, Jiangnan is closer to Japan and naturally has the advantage of trading with Japan.

In fact, there is a very important factor here. Japan's main currency is Ming Dynasty copper coins. In addition, they own gold and silver precious metals, which attracts Chinese businessmen to Japan for gold mining.

Even without Hongzhi's opening of the sea, Jiangnan merchants had always had trade relations with Japan.

With the full rise of Ming Dynasty's overseas trade, more and more people are participating. In the past, they all worked secretly and alone, but now large chambers of commerce have been formed.

The Qin family has always had trade relations with Japan, and they also took the initiative to take the lead in establishing the Great Chamber of Commerce and forming the largest interest organization in Jiangnan - Jiangnan Trading Company.

Although this organization is not as close as the later groups, it is still carrying the same banner, and the relationship with all parties is managed at the same time.

What's more, tariffs are heavy taxes. The imperial court now sets tariffs at ten taxes and two taxes, which is nothing short of robbery.

It was after the Qin family's matchmaking that various interest groups established Jiangnan Trading Company, and it was even easier to publicize this small Shanghai shipping company.

"I know that you are Jiang Shang's ship, so I definitely don't dare to embarrass you. However, our Shanghai Shipping Department's procedure is to inspect. I just want to board the ship for a look. Please do it for your convenience!" Zhang Limu! He was well aware of the shortcomings of taking advantage of others, but he still persisted in putting forward conditions.

Mr. Shen's face immediately darkened, but he did not expect this low-ranking official to be so unworthy: "Are you new here? In that case, call you Lu Tiju over here!"

"Shen Liujin, why are you so angry today?" Xiao Liben, deputy director of the Shanghai Shipping Department, noticed the dispute here from a distance and walked over with his hands behind his back, putting on an official air.

Second Master Shen knew that he was looking down on his status, but he pointed behind him and said: "Your people don't open their eyes, but they insist on getting on the boat to disturb Mr. Xu's elegance!"

On the deck, a young man was lying lazily on a fox fur chair, playing with an extremely sharp Japanese sword seriously in his hand.

Although Japan's seafood and sulfur and other commodities can make a lot of money, he has found that the biggest profit is actually this kind of Japanese knife.

Who would have thought that those simple-minded Japanese people in that undeveloped land that they had always looked down on could actually have such superb knife-making skills?

Although Japanese swords are not necessarily better than Ming swordsmiths, their knives are of high quality and low price. In particular, this Japanese samurai sword is simply easier to use than the Ming swords.

Now that a batch of Japanese knives have been introduced, this gang is making a lot of money again. Today's Jiangnan business is making money every day.

"Mr. Xu? This is a new comer who is ignorant. Please forgive me, Mr. Xu!" Xiao Liben was immediately startled, and then urged Zhang Limu to stamp and let him go.

"Master, how about I play the piano for you to relieve your boredom?" A beautiful woman accompanied Mr. Xu, looking very attentive.

Mr. Xu enjoyed the leisure life of traveling on sea ships and earning a lot of money. He was drinking the wine in his hand and gently raised his hand to signal his concubine to play a song.

Zhang Li looked at the merchant ship going away, and finally couldn't help but ask: "Master Xiao, who is this Mr. Xu?"

"Xu...just think in the big picture!" Xiao Liben prompted, pretending to be mysterious.

Zhang Limu was about to use his lifelong imagination, but he was very confused and said: "Our Mr. Xu Ge is indeed surnamed Xu, but isn't he from Jiangxi?"

"Who said it was the current Pavilion Elder? The current Pavilion Elders are all made up of paper. That person's surname is Xu. He is not only the Pavilion Elder, but also Yuan Fu!" Xiao Liben corrected him angrily, and then announced the answer.

Zhang Limu couldn't help but take a breath. Dare Qingren's family has such a big background, and he is probably a small pavilion boss. This place in the south of the Yangtze River is really a hidden dragon and a crouching tiger.

"In the future, if you encounter Jiangnan merchant ships, don't look for trouble. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect you!" Xiao Liben reached out and patted the young official, warning him in the tone of a veteran.

Zhang Limu has slowly figured out the secrets of this, but he said with some scruples: "Master Xiao, I have checked this year's tax account book. If this continues, it will be much lower than last year. I'm afraid it will be difficult to report to the court. ?”

Although they opened the door of convenience to Jiangnan Company, Jiangnan Company had too many ships, which directly affected the tax revenue of the Shanghai Shipping Department.

Once the court investigates them and finds out that they are corrupt, they may lose their lives.

"You are still too young. What's wrong with this? There are more storms this year and fewer merchant ships are sailing, so our shipping department's tax revenue will inevitably decrease!" Xiao Liben had already thought of the reason and seemed confident.

Zhang Limu was not persuaded by this reason and seemed to have some scruples: "It's just..."

"Nothing is wrong! Our shipping department operates according to the rules. It is the emperor's will to exempt seafood from tariffs. Besides, the people above us will speak for us. Just put your heart back in your stomach and nothing will happen! "Xiao Liben interrupted Zhang Liben and gave him reassurance.

Originally, he did not dare to make it too obvious, but for some unknown reason, the imperial court exempted all food goods from overseas from tariffs.

Now the imperial court can still get a lot of tariffs, and the merchant ships going out to sea make a lot of money from Japanese swords and other products, and they can benefit from it. It can be said that all three parties win.

Seeing that the other party was so confident, Zhang Limu felt relieved when he thought that there was probably a big shot covering him, and he also thought about how to spend the money.

As the New Year is approaching, Jiangnan presents a peaceful scene.

In particular, they have made a lot of money from maritime trade this year, and there will be more and more trade in the future, which makes them look forward to the arrival of the Spring Festival. Far away from the East China Sea, Japan at this time presented an original island appearance, with many areas undeveloped.

Japan is known as the country of a thousand islands, but most of them are small islands. For example, the islands occupied by Wang Zhi, the king of Song Dynasty, are actually two small islands to the west of Kyushu Island.

Since Hokkaido is still in the hands of the indigenous people, there are now only three large islands in Japan: Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku.

Among them, Honshu is the largest island, while Kyushu and Shikoku are both inferior islands. The three islands can face each other across the sea, so they are closely connected.

Although winter has arrived and the cold air from the north is blowing biting cold winds, merchant ships flying the Ming flag continue to come from the east, and their first stop is Kyushu Island.

On Kyushu Island, thick white smoke rises from Mount Aso in the center of the island.

This is an island located in the west. Since it is closest to China, most of the Japanese here go to China. It is also a place that Ming Dynasty merchants like to visit.

The surface of this island is similar to that of Qiongzhou Island in the Ming Dynasty, except that the Japanese emperor divided the kingdoms here into: Chikuzen Country, Chikugo Country, Hizen Country, Higo Country, Bunzen Country, Bungo Country, Hyuga Country, and Osumi country and Satsuma country.

Each country has a guardian, and the governing body of Kyushu is Kyushu Tankai.

Just like other regions in Japan, the emperor and the generals have actually existed in name only. The current Kyushu topic cannot cover Kyushu Island. Not to mention the incompatible relationship between countries, even within a single country, there is also the rule of separate territories. Case.

Kyushu Island is an island with a bulge in the middle. The island is mostly mountainous and hilly. Although there are places for agricultural cultivation, many residents are engaged in fishing.

After Hou Haotian and his party left Daming City, they came straight here.

In the distance, a young man wearing a Ming Dynasty costume was holding a painting fan, and was served by a beautiful maid next to him. He was sitting at the newly built pier with a smile on his face.

"We haven't seen you for many days, Brother Zheng is still as charming as ever!" Hou Haotian and others got off the boat and greeted him happily.

The surname of the young master in front of him is Zheng, and he naturally belongs to the Zheng family that has been around for hundreds of years. Although he acts very low-key, some resources are not comparable to ordinary people.

The reason why Jiangnan Company was established was that despite the efforts of all parties, it was mainly the Zheng family that operated silently behind the scenes, and even the Zheng family took the initiative to sacrifice a lot of profits.

Even though Hou Haotian's father was the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanjing, he did not dare to put on airs when faced with someone who was related to Wei Guogong through marriage.

The corners of Zheng Jie's mouth raised slightly, and he looked very proud and said: "Did your trip go smoothly?"

Wang Yanao and Cheng Xin exchanged proud glances, then smiled and said: "Of course!"

"Bring it down!" Hou Haotian raised the corners of his mouth and clapped his hands and said.

But I saw a group of crew members unloading cargo from the deck, which turned out to be a flying shuttle loom that was rare in the south of the Yangtze River.

"They were all focused on that batch of farm tools, but they didn't know that this ship had been modified, and I hid these shuttle looms in the cabin!" Hou Haotian said with pride as he thought about the confrontation with Xu Shiying.

When Zheng Jie saw the flying shuttle looms appearing in front of him, he couldn't help but nodded with satisfaction and said, "As expected of Mr. Hou, he really got this batch of flying shuttle looms!"

"Mr. Zheng, I've finished my work, how about you?" Hou Haotian was very proud of his achievements, but asked provocatively.

Zheng Jie smiled slightly, then motioned for them to bring the shuttle loom, and then led the group towards the mountain city ahead.

The Zheng family's heritage is not only in China, but also in Japan, which is far away from China. They also have connections and have a deep connection with the Kyushu guardian Otomo family.

Entering the mountain city, several Japanese warriors guarding the gate showed great respect for Zheng Jie and took the initiative to walk in front to clear the way for Zheng Jie.

The group of people came to a workshop. Just as the shuttle loom arrived, a group of women wearing Ming Dynasty costumes appeared and immediately began to operate the loom skillfully.

Zheng Jie turned to look at Hou Haotian, but asked with a slight smile: "Mr. Hou, these are the best weavers in our Songzhou Prefecture. Are you satisfied?"

"Haha... In that case, our Jiangnan Textile Factory has been officially established!" Hou Haotian said very happily when he saw that Zheng Jie's smuggling ship was also going smoothly.

Since following Zheng Jie in maritime trade and making his first pot of gold, he has become obsessed with this business.

Although with his identity and status, smuggling through the Shanghai Shipping Department was easy, he still had to face the East China Sea Governor's Office, which was eyeing him.

Hou Haotian knew that smuggling was not a long-term solution, and the labor force in Jiangnan was too expensive, so he chose to build a Jiangnan textile factory here. Here he could avoid the East China Sea Governor's Palace and sell directly here, and he could also bypass the control of cotton cloth.

Now he provides the most advanced shuttle looms, while Zheng Jie is responsible for bringing in a group of skilled female weavers. The cooperation between the two parties can be described as a win-win situation.

When the current head of the Otomo family, Otomo Yiyou, learned that the three noble sons of the Ming Dynasty were coming, he took the initiative to host a banquet and even arranged for several beautiful Japanese kaikos to perform.

Hou Haotian and others knew that the other party was a local snake in Jiuzhou Island, so they brought generous gifts to them, hoping to form such a good relationship.

Otomo Yiyou didn't like jade, but he still pretended to be excited to accept it, and then asked seriously: "I heard that silver transactions are no longer allowed in the Ming Dynasty?"

Originally, this kind of thing had nothing to do with him, but now the trade with Ming Dynasty is increasing, and he does have some silver in his hands, so he wants to know the real situation.

Once the Ming Dynasty really no longer allows silver to circulate, then he will have to give up silver in the future and try to get more gold.

"To be honest, Lord Guardian, our Ming Emperor has killed many meritorious ministers since he came to the throne, and he has also tried to introduce many new policies! For example, if we live in a bigger house and wear better clothes, he will tax us! "Hou Haotian thought about what Hongzhi had done in these years, but he kept smiling and said crazily.

Otomo Yoshie took a deep breath, but blurted out in a straight voice: "Isn't this a tyrant?"

"I am dissatisfied with the Lord Guardian. The people below us all regard him as a tyrant! Not long ago, he fell in love with the bride that his younger brother was preparing to welcome. The family refused to enter the palace as a concubine because they had an appointment. As a result, he killed the nine tribes!" Cheng Xin and Zhu Youtang had a grudge against their brother, but they pretended to be sad and discredited.

Zheng Jie and Cheng Xin naturally knew the little thoughts of their two companions, but considering what Hongzhi had done over the years, it was naturally impossible to clear Hongzhi's name.

The image of a cruel tyrant suddenly appeared in Otomo Yiyou's mind, and his eyes were full of sympathy: "This... this is really the misfortune of the people of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Our emperor now wants to ban the gold and silver trade imitating Taizu, but the people below are complaining, but this ban on silver is retrograde and will definitely not last long!" Hou Haotian returned to the topic just now, looking very determined.

This was not because he deliberately badmouthed Hongzhi's silver ban, but he felt the same way in his heart.

From the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Ming Dynasty had wanted to ban private gold and silver transactions, and even introduced the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes. However, things proved that not only the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes could not be trusted, but also copper coins could not be trusted.

After so many years, silver transactions became popular in Ming Dynasty.

This time Emperor Hongzhi wanted to repeat his old trick and actually asked the people across the country to adopt the new silver coins issued. This was simply an attempt to rob them of the wealth they had accumulated for generations.

The silver mines in Japan have just begun to improve, but Ming merchants are not allowed to settle silver transactions with Japan. It is simply a big joke.

"In this way, as long as you get a silver mine, it is equivalent to owning a gold mountain!" Otomo Yiyou said as he picked up the wine glass and seemed enlightened.

"Master Guardian, as long as you own the silver mine, our Jiangnan Company can guarantee that you will have as many goods as you want, and you will have as many women as you want!" Zheng Jie saw Otomo Yiyou's reaction and threw it out immediately. Bait Road.

Originally, he looked down upon Japan. After all, although there were a lot of copper coins here, their purchasing power was still too low. But after learning that there was a large silver mine in Japan's Iwami Country, the Qin family's thoughts became active.

This is why the Qin family is willing to share the Japanese trade with other Jiangnan families through Jiangnan trading companies. Although the amount of maritime trade is very gratifying, the silver mines are the real wealth.

Once the Qin family and the Dayou family successfully mine a silver mine, the Qin family will not only directly receive a steady stream of silver, but they will also be able to control Japan's trade power through the relationship with the Dayou family.

As for the Ming Emperor's abolition of the silver standard, he was just jealous of Japan's large silver mines, so he deliberately compiled those so-called dreams to deceive the world.

In fact, he came here not only to set up a Jiangnan textile workshop, but also brought many miners with him, with the purpose of finding a large silver mine on Kyushu Island.

Otomo Yishou drank the wine in his hand in one gulp, his eyes also flashed with greed and said: "Haha... I will definitely get a silver mine. I want all your Ming Dynasty's goods and women!" (End of Chapter)