Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty: In the beginning, Li Qingzhao and Li Qingzhao made a private decis

"The maritime merchant is back!"

As a large number of ships following Tong Guan arrived at Dengzhou Port, the entire Song Dynasty business community was excited.

Without him! Just because the profits earned by maritime merchants in the previous two times were so amazing, they naturally paid special attention this time.

Although the ships returning this time accounted for only half of Tong Guan's ships to the Western Ocean, the scale of this voyage was surprisingly large. Even only half of the fleet was enough to exceed the sum of all the fleets in the previous two voyages.

In Dengzhou Port!

Once again, there was a huge scene of thousands of ships gathering. Almost all the famous merchants of the Song Dynasty gathered here. What's more, there were merchants from Yelu Nanyin of the Liao Kingdom waiting here, just to get the first hand and the best Nanyang. goods.

"The treasure of Champa Kingdom, two hundred cargo ships!" Fan Sanming shouted excitedly.

Now Fan Sanming is here on behalf of the Ministry of Commerce, which is about to be established by the imperial court. Although the Ministry of Commerce is still under preparation, it has certain powers. This maritime business feast is when the Ministry of Commerce will emerge.

This time, the Ministry of Commerce must not only properly calculate the goods brought by maritime merchants and ensure that they are sold at a high price, but also ensure that the Shipping Department, which is about to be assigned to the Ministry of Commerce, collects more taxes.

Following Fan Sanming's order, two hundred cargo ships loaded with goods obtained by the Champa City slowly docked, and a large number of laborers rushed onto the deck to start loading and unloading the goods.

Soon, the entire dock was filled with rare treasures.

Under Fan Sanming's command, merchants from all over the country stepped forward one after another, and carried out large-scale transactions worth thousands of dollars without blinking an eye.

Before long, the cargo of two hundred ships was sold out, and each one was sold at a high price.

Just when both the buyer and seller were satisfied, Fan Sanming suddenly said again: "Fan knows that many shopkeepers and ship owners do not fully maximize their interests. The Ministry of Commerce can guarantee this, and the shopkeepers can order the required goods from the ship owners. , the ship owner also avoids some risks, and the goods shipped back are not worried about marketability, what do you think?"

"The Ministry of Commerce guarantees trading houses and shipping companies?"

After Fan Sanming finished speaking, everyone on the dock couldn't help but be stunned.

You must know that although the profits of maritime merchants are huge, it takes too long after all, and they can only buy what they bring back. For maritime merchants, they are more worried that the goods they bring back cannot be sold at high prices.

If the Song Dynasty Commercial Bank orders in advance and the maritime merchant is responsible for transporting the goods, the Song Dynasty Commercial Bank can obtain a large amount of the desired goods, and the maritime merchant can also reduce risks.

"This is a great move!"

All the merchants nodded in praise. The Ministry of Commerce was about to be established, and it already represented the position of the imperial court. With it as guarantee, everyone could naturally trust it.

At the moment, a number of commercial banks and maritime merchants signed the next batch of contracts in triplicate, and asked the Ministry of Commerce to keep the deposit.

Under Fan Sanming's operation, ships docked one after another, and a large number of overseas rare treasures were sold throughout the Song Dynasty. At the same time, they also received large orders.

"The Ministry of Commerce won a resounding victory in the first battle."

At the moment, Fan Sanming couldn't help but feel excited when he looked at the massive taxes collected and the large orders that would be placed in half a year.

He believed that if this news reached Kaifeng City, it would definitely make the entire court look at the unestablished Ministry of Commerce with admiration.

When Fan Sanming's memorial arrived in Kaifeng City, the first batch of overseas treasures had already been rushed to Kaifeng City.

Kaifeng City is the place where the richest man in the world is located, and it is also the final distribution center for overseas rare items. A large number of overseas rare items appear in Kaifeng City, and the entire Kaifeng City is crazy about them.

No matter how many overseas goods there are, they cannot fill the huge market in Kaifeng City. No matter how many precious treasures there are, they cannot stir up any waves in Kaifeng City and are quickly digested.

At the same time, Fan Sanming's memorial also arrived in Kaifeng City, which also caused an uproar. No one expected that the Ministry of Commerce could have such a wonderful effect. It only made a guarantee between the trading houses and maritime merchants, and actually increased the taxes of the Song Dynasty out of thin air. A big chunk.

"The officials are very happy. The Nanyang fleet has returned and brought a large amount of taxes to the Song Dynasty. This year has just passed half, and the shipping companies in various places have already collected more than 2 million yuan in taxes."

In the Chuigong Hall, Fan Chunchun, the Minister of Household Affairs, reported the good news to Zhao Xu with a happy face.

The Municipal Shipping Department will soon be subordinated to the Ministry of Commerce and will be responsible for managing the taxation of sea-going ships in the East and Southeast Asia. As the scale of the voyages to the West continues to expand, the City Shipping Department's taxation will also expand, becoming the most important source of wealth for the imperial court, and both It was extra income. If he could earn such an income of two million yuan in taxes in a normal year, the court would be overjoyed.

But who would have thought that Fan Sanming's modest operation on behalf of the Ministry of Commerce would lead to such surprises. From this point of view, this year's taxation of the Shipping Department will definitely hit a new high.

"Okay! The Ministry of Commerce has achieved such success in just a small test, which really makes me feel relieved." Zhao Xu said happily.

Since he succeeded to the throne, he has pursued a policy of opening up borders, which consumes a lot of money every year. The large income of the Municipal Shipping Department every year has greatly alleviated his pressure. Now the Ministry of Commerce is trying its best, and the taxes of the Municipal Shipping Department have been greatly increased. Naturally, Zhao Xu had more confidence in establishing a commercial department.

"Reporting to the officials, the taxes of the Shipping Department have increased sharply, and the two largest ones are Dengzhou and Quanzhou, because Dengzhou is the starting point for the voyage to the East, and Quanzhou is the starting point for the voyage to the Southeast Asia. If the Song Dynasty gets another The opening of the Western Ocean will definitely increase the number of shipping companies in the Song Dynasty several times more." Fan Zheng said proudly.

In addition to the three prime ministers, there were still many stubborn officials who were dissatisfied with Fan Zhengzhi's proposal of opening up the Western Sea. The rise of the two municipal shipping offices in Dengzhou and Quanzhou was enough to make the officials determined to open up the Western Sea. proposal.

Recently, the Dali envoy was sent to Kaifeng City by Zeng Bu at high speed. He kept visiting all the officials of the court. While expressing his loyalty to the Song Dynasty, he generously promised benefits. In addition, the Song Dynasty was in a state of war weariness after successive wars. Suddenly, There were more and more memorials against sending troops to Dali.

Fan Zheng just took advantage of the two starting points for going to the sea in Dengzhou and Quanzhou to make the Song Dynasty pay more attention to the Western sea ports.

"The outlet of the Western Ocean!"

Many officials with conservative personalities couldn't help but frown when they heard this reason.

They took advantage of Dali's surrender and prepared to persuade the officials not to use weapons rashly, but they did not expect that not only did they not succeed, but they made the Song Dynasty more determined to capture Dali, and even scheduled the next war for the Song Dynasty.

"How can it determine the national destiny of the Song Dynasty if it's just an outlet to the sea?"

Many conservative officials were very dissatisfied, thinking that Fan Zheng was being alarmist.

"I agree that if the Song Dynasty obtains access to the Western Ocean, its voyages to the West will probably be like its voyage to the East. The return trip will take several months. Not only will the wealth of the Song Dynasty be doubled, but it will also make our country, the Song Dynasty, prestige all over the world." Su Shi praised highly.

Su Shi was the Minister of Rites. With the rise of the Song Dynasty and the influence of Tong Guan's voyages to the West, overseas countries continued to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty, which made Su Shi quite proud.

"We must defeat Bagan in our voyage to the West. According to what envoys from overseas countries have said, Bagan is not a small country, but a powerful country in the West, far beyond what Dali can match." Yang Wei frowned. Other conservative officials also spoke out one after another, stating the disadvantages of the expedition to Bagan in an attempt to dissuade Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu couldn't help but frown. Bagan was a powerful country, and it was located in the western land. The road was far away. The Song army had to go on a long expedition and was not accustomed to the acclimatization.

Even if Dali is conquered and Dali is initially determined, it may be difficult to reuse Dali's troops and horses.

Fan Zheng sneered and said: "No matter how strong Bagan is, it can still be stronger than Xixia and Liao. By then, the Song Dynasty will rely on the remaining power of defeating Liaoxia and gather powerful domestic troops to go south to defeat Bagan. This is what it should be." ."

"The Song Dynasty is a country of etiquette. There was a time when troops were sent out and wars were going on. And you, the evil doctor Fan Zheng, was the culprit." Yang Wei pointed at Fan Zheng and angrily rebuked.

When Fan Zheng heard this, he was not ashamed but proud and said: "Then you say that Fan's evil method made the Song Dynasty stronger. Are you willing to go back a few years ago and be bullied by Liao Xia?"

All the officials in the court couldn't help but feel silent. Although the current behavior of the Song Dynasty was contrary to their ideals, it was undeniable that it felt good not to be bullied by others, and it even felt better to bully others.

"To report to the officials, Wei Chen once said in the court that those who do not plan for the world are not enough to plan for a moment, and those who do not plan for the overall situation are not enough to plan for a region. After returning, Wei Chen tossed and turned and could not sleep at night. He found that if the Song Dynasty did not plan In all eternity, I’m afraid the country’s destiny will only last less than a hundred years!” Fan Zheng said solemnly.

“It takes less than a century for the country’s destiny!”

All the officials couldn't help but be stunned and looked at Fan Zheng in disbelief. Fan Zheng was only a fifth-rank official, and he was usually more of a doctor than an official. He actually claimed that the Song Dynasty would not be able to survive for a hundred years, which was simply alarmist.

Fan Chunli's expression changed and he yelled angrily: "Sir, what are you talking about?"

Fan Chunli was immediately furious. Although the officials loved Fan Zhengduo, they still could not tolerate Fan Zheng's comments on the national destiny of the Song Dynasty.

But Fan Zheng stiffened his head and said: "My child is not talking nonsense, but the national destiny of the Song Dynasty was less than a hundred years old, and it has a great relationship with the medical family."

"Is it related to the doctors?"

All the officials in the court were stunned. No one expected that Fan Zheng would take the initiative to take the blame on himself.

Zhao Xu couldn't help being stunned and said: "I am curious about what the doctors did to harm the fate of the Song Dynasty."

"Oh! The truth is also listening." Zhang Dun said with a half-smile.

He simply did not believe that Fan Zheng would take the initiative to plead guilty. In his opinion, Fan Zheng was definitely doing his old tricks again and using evil methods.

The other officials had the same idea, as if they were watching Fan Zheng's performance.

Fan Zhengyi gritted his teeth and said: "Now that the Song Dynasty's reform of farm work has been completed, Wei Chen once calculated the grain output and population of the Song Dynasty and found that with the current acres and output of the Song Dynasty, even if the land is cultivated continuously, a maximum of 20,000 people can be fed. Tens of millions of people, and now that doctors have developed greatly, the birth rate and survival rate of babies have increased greatly, and the number of people will reach 20 million in at most twenty years."

The officials frowned. Fan Zheng had already talked about the threat of population growth in the Song Dynasty for a long time, but they did not expect that Fan Zheng would talk about it in public again.

"Twenty years later, the people of the Song Dynasty will reach 20 million, forty years later, the people of the Song Dynasty will reach 40 million, and a hundred years later, I am afraid it will reach as many as one hundred million. All this is just because Doctors have made great progress in maternal and child medical skills, but the land and food in the Song Dynasty were limited, how could they feed hundreds of thousands of people." Fan Zheng said solemnly.

"In a hundred years, the population of the Song Dynasty will reach one hundred million!"

As soon as this news came out, all the officials in the dynasty could not help but be stunned. When the population of the Song Dynasty exceeded 10 million, everyone in the Song Dynasty cheered, thinking that the prosperous age of the Song Dynasty was coming. However, after hearing Fan Zheng's prediction, the population of the Song Dynasty would be When it reaches one hundred thousand, there will be no joy in the hearts of all the officials in the court, only fear from the bottom of their hearts.

"One hundred thousand people."

Zhao Xu couldn't help but take a breath. There are hundreds of thousands of mouths, and how much food is needed to fill them. As an emperor, he naturally knows the consequences of starving the people of the world. I am afraid that the Song Dynasty will be full of wars and rebellions. , not to mention one hundred million, even forty million people, the Song Dynasty would have difficulty feeding.

Fan Zheng has been merciful about the national destiny for a century. If it develops normally, the Song Dynasty may not be able to feed so many people in forty years.

"Evil doctor Fan Zheng, the world really did not call you the wrong nickname. You really have evil intentions and are alarmist." Cai Jing angrily rebuked.

Fan Zheng looked at Cai Jing and sneered: "Fan has evil intentions. Fan can tell you clearly that a hundred years after the founding of the Song Dynasty, the population increased from 30 million to tens of millions today. You can do your own calculations. A hundred years after the Song Dynasty, the population of the Song Dynasty will be How big will the population of Song be?"

The other officials looked at Fan Zheng with fear. Fan Zheng was simply a devil, leading the Song Dynasty to a completely different path step by step. What made all the ministers helpless was that there was nothing wrong with what Fan Zheng said. As long as They knew a little bit about arithmetic, and combined with the number of newborns counted by the Ministry of Household Affairs every year, they could deduce that what Fan Zheng said was true.

When thinking that the Song Dynasty would have to feed 100,000 people within a hundred years, officials all over the court could not help but feel cold. With the Song Dynasty's current acres of land and grain output, it was impossible to achieve this.

"Even if the Song Dynasty was lucky enough to escape the first hundred years, what about the second hundred years?" Fan Zheng asked again.

The entire court was suddenly audible, except for the constant gasps of the officials.

"Shut up, you traitor!" Fan Chunli couldn't bear it anymore and angrily shouted.

Hearing Fan Chunli angrily reprimanding Fan Zheng, all the officials in the court were not happy at all. Instead, they all shed cold sweats. The population of the Song Dynasty will probably be even greater in the second century. To feed such a large population, more land will be needed. At that time, the Song Dynasty had only two choices, either to perish, or to take the initiative to seize more land for the people of the Song Dynasty.

“Furthermore, according to the news sent back by maritime merchants, the countries in the South China Sea are a land chosen by nature. It is hot all year round and rice is available all year round. The people can gather endless fruits from the woods without cultivating them.

Nowadays, there are tens of millions of people in the Song Dynasty, and the domestic food supply is already somewhat overwhelmed. If the Song Dynasty gets all the land in the South China Sea and uses it as a grain-producing area, it is not impossible to feed hundreds of thousands of people. By then, there will be more people in the world. Who is my opponent in the Song Dynasty? "Fan Zheng looked around the court and said proudly.

Zhao Xu took a deep breath, slowly stood up and said: "What Fan Taicheng said is true. If you don't plan for the future, you can only plan for a moment. My dear friends, we must prepare in advance for the crisis caused by the population explosion within a hundred years."

The officials nodded helplessly.

Regardless of the fact that the Song Dynasty has now defeated the Qingtang Tubo, and even Dali is within easy reach, and even if it destroys Xixia and Liao in the future and doubles the territory of the Song Dynasty, not all of these places are suitable for living, and it can even be said that most of them are They are all barren lands and cannot support a larger population at all. The only countries that can support the Song Dynasty with more food are the countries in the South China Sea, and the only ones that can bring huge wealth to the Song Dynasty are the Western Ocean estuaries.

"The Ministry of Rites immediately controlled the Dali envoy. Don't let him talk nonsense, and then send an order to Fan Sanming, asking him to deliver a large amount of Nanyang rice to maritime merchants in the name of the court. If the Song Dynasty wants to plan for a hundred years, it must start now." Zhao Xu said solemnly.

"I will obey your orders!"

All the officials responded one after another.

All the officials knew that the battle of Dali, which had been repeated several times, was finally settled.

Not only did this battle have to be fought, but the Song Dynasty was determined to win Dali, and it also wanted to plan for the countries in the South China Sea. (End of chapter)