I'm really not doing business

Chapter 623: The Ming Dynasty is too overbearing!

If we continue to use corrupt officials, will the Ming Dynasty perish?

Hard to say.

But without the corrupt officials, the Ming Dynasty would really have become poor.

The Wanli Emperor had no ability and no money. He did not think about rectifying the administration, expanding the tax base, and redistributing the means of production. He employed countless mine supervisors and drained the pond to catch fish, causing the tax base of the Ming Dynasty to completely decline. The finances and taxation of the Ming Dynasty were like water without a source and a tree without roots.

Wang Chonggu was very clear about his function, a minister who was good at accumulating wealth and gaining power. However, on the issue of whether to expand the power of the state-owned factories, Wang Chonggu and Zhang Juzheng had highly similar attitudes. They wanted to create a rigid nine-headed snake rather than a huge monster that would surely become unmanageable.

This is simply too dangerous.

It is very dangerous both for the Ming Dynasty and for Wang Chonggu himself.

Wang Guoguang and Zhang Xueyan from the Ministry of Revenue talked to each other and finally decided that after the Xizhimen Coal Market was taken over by the government, it would belong to the Ministry of Revenue. This was an expansion of the Ministry of Revenue's power, but it also meant responsibility.

Zhu Yijun originally planned to let Wang Chonggu clean up the house. He made it very clear in his comments that the lowly Confucian was talking nonsense. But when the court officials finally reached a unanimous decision, Zhu Yijun also chose to agree, stamped the floating ticket of the memorial, and approved the content of the court discussion.

This is the court discussion. Zhu Yijun's opinion is very important, and the opinions of the court officials are also important. On the premise of ensuring the correct direction, the decision-making should take into account the tolerance of various social classes as much as possible, and formulate policies that are not perfect but can be implemented.

"I heard that the Western envoy Li Yashi is going back to Western. Your Majesty, I am not optimistic about this and it is better not to let him go." Wan Shihe talked about another thing. In the twelfth year of the Ming Dynasty, the Western envoy Li Yashi was going home because Sauron committed a serious crime and was going to be beheaded, and he needed someone to mediate.

Le Gasi is certainly a suitable candidate, but he will die. As an interpreter of the Honglu Temple, Le Gasi is Wan Shihe's subordinate. Wan Shihe cannot let Le Gasi go when he knows that he will die.

"Liyashi thinks that my imperial edict can protect him. He believes that he can survive as a special envoy sent by the Ming Dynasty to the West. This is an illusion, an illusion caused by staying in the Ming Dynasty for too long." Zhu Yijun looked at Wan Shihe and said with certainty.

The effectiveness of the imperial edict of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is only in the heartland of the Ming Dynasty. Outside the heartland, to the Governor-General's Office in Nagasaki and the Governor-General's Office in Luzon, it is also discussed with the local governors. The area where the Ming Dynasty navy radiates is the area where the imperial edict is effective.

The West is under the control of God, and imperial edicts are of no use.

"But this is Legashi's personal choice. I can only wish him good luck." Zhu Yijun said helplessly: "In fact, Legashi himself knows that he asked for my imperial decree just to convince himself."

"There is a legend about the fire thief in the West. Prometheus stole fire from the gods and brought it to the human world. The gods then bound him to the Caucasus Mountains with shackles. He could never sleep, his knees could not bend, and there was a diamond nail in his chest, torturing him day and night. Every day, a vulture would peck at his liver, and he had to endure the pain of having his body pecked and reborn in the cycle of reincarnation."

"Legas is not stupid, he is just deceiving himself."

"I obey your command." Wan Shihe thought for a long time and finally chose to let Li Yashi go back. Sauron accused Li Yashi of being a traitor, but Li Yashi proved with his actions that he had never betrayed the land that gave birth to him and his king.

No matter in what culture, traitors, traitors and villains are not respected.

In fact, if we carefully evaluate the risks, even if Legazpi really stole things back, he would not be able to steal much. So many five-masted transoceanic ships were sold, and Spain's shipbuilding industry was not weak, but they had not been able to imitate them. This was the result. Whatever Legazpi brought back had no basis for realization, and Legazpi was not a great craftsman and was not familiar with technical things.

Zhu Yijun decided to release Li Yashi.

"The promotion of cowpox has encountered resistance. Currently, very few people are willing to take the initiative to be vaccinated. However, the people in Beijing are waiting for the experimental results in Suiyuan. If the effect is good, it will not be difficult to promote it." Zhang Xueyan, the Minister of Revenue, reported on the promotion of cowpox. In an era where people do not study mathematics, physics and chemistry and magic is everywhere, it is very difficult to promote the cowpox method.

This was expected. The Jiekuyuan had anticipated this. Pang Xian went to Suiyuan because he would definitely be questioned.

This is very normal. In this era, there were people who specialized in capturing foreigners and selling their meat for twenty cents per pound. They also boiled the meat into oil for twenty cents per ounce. It was said that it could cure diseases. The government banned it, but the people did not obey. The court banned foreign meat, oil and cream, but the people opposed it and finally enforced it forcefully.

Therefore, it was normal that the cowpox treatment was regarded as a kind of "magic" and resisted by court officials.

There is really too much "magic" these days.

"Shah Mamtim, the special envoy of the Mughal Empire, has presented a letter of credence. Akbar, the King of the Mughal Empire, sends greetings to Your Majesty, mainly to inquire about the cotton business and the issues on the Toungoo battlefield." Shen Li, the Minister of Rites, talked about Shah Mamtim. Shah Mamtim, who liked to throw money bags, was not the one who spent the whole day listening to storytelling in the Qianmen Building and doing nothing. He still had to do things like presenting a letter of credence. After all, he was a special envoy.

But it is amazing that he can work twice a year and work a full four hours.

The business between Ming Dynasty and Mongol Empire was mainly about Ming Dynasty importing cotton and exporting cotton cloth, and importing saltpeter and exporting gunpowder. These were the two largest businesses between Ming Dynasty and Mongol Empire. Akbar would thank the Ming Emperor for his generosity and kindness every time he sent a letter, and his words were extremely flattering. After all, Akbar made a lot of money as a middleman.

This time, Akbar expressed his concern about the Toungoo battlefield in his letter.

Mang Yingli and Yue Feng, together with the Miao people of Yunnan, launched a brazen attack on the Ming Dynasty, and even broke through the pass and approached Dali. After the Ming Dynasty began to counterattack, the advancement of the battlefield was very slow, but it was firm enough to cause Mang Yingli's prestige in Toungoo to plummet. In addition, various contradictions brought about by years of war and militarism broke out directly with the defeat.

Weapons are ominous tools and should only be used as a last resort.

Victory and defeat are common in the military, and no one can win all the time. The result of militarism is that you can only win all the time. As long as you lose once, the internal contradictions covered up by the victory will erupt in a concentrated manner. Therefore, as long as you start a war, you must do your best to win and put everything on the line.

The Ming Dynasty had not yet reached Toungoo City, but chaos broke out in Toungoo City itself.

There were seven large-scale disturbances in Toungoo City, three of which were armed coups d'état and four of which were looting and burning by ordinary civilians who could not survive. Moreover, the unrest caused by Toungoo City was showing a trend of expanding to the entire Toungoo.

Akbar was not a saint. He was a Turkified Mongol. In his eyes, there were no civilians. He was mainly worried that the escalating turmoil would affect the Mughal Empire. The most important thing was that it must not affect the planting of cotton, which was worth a lot of money.

Therefore, Akbar wrote a letter to the Emperor of Ming Dynasty to ask when the war would be over so that he could send his troops to destroy Toungoo. Akbar was worried about the impact of the riots in Toungoo, and was even more worried about the impact on the cotton business.

The Ming Dynasty would not change its established strategy just because of Akbar's inquiry to Toungoo, and the Ministry of Rites also drafted a letter of credence and sent a reply.

The court meeting was still going on. This time the envoys from the West were still Solon from Spain, Marcus from Portugal, and England was replaced by a man called John Henry. The envoy from France was a male favorite of Henry III. This made the Ministry of Rites very dissatisfied, but there was nothing they could do as France really had no one to send.

"Your Majesty, Chahan Khan of the Rakshasa Kingdom has sent a letter." Shen Li talked about a new envoy, greetings from the Tsar of Tsarist Russia.

Luosha Kingdom is the current Ming Dynasty's translation of Tsarist Russia. Since the Yuan Dynasty knew about the existence of the Grand Duke of Russia, various translations have emerged. Luosha, Luoche, Luosha, Ross, etc. are all the names of Tsarist Russia called by the Ming Dynasty. The term Chahan Khan is also a name that has existed since the Yuan Dynasty, meaning the Khan of the white people.

The Ming Dynasty was not familiar with the Rakshasa Kingdom.

These are all Ming Dynasty's translations of Tsarist Russia. In fact, Tsarist Russia claimed to be the successor of Rome. Chahan Khan's translation was also inaccurate. It should be "triumphant general and dictator". The person who sent the letter was Ivan IV, who was also the first Tsar of Tsarist Russia.

Zhu Yijun opened five copies of the official letter, which was translated from Russian into Latin, Spanish, and Italian vernacular, and then from Latin into Chinese.

This is a letter of credence, but also an obituary. When Ivan IV made up his mind to send an envoy to the Ming Dynasty, he was already seriously ill. When the letter of credence was carried by the envoy to the Vatican, Ivan IV was already seriously ill. In other words, the content of the letter of credence is actually not important.

No one can control what happens after death, no matter how great they were in life.

The letter used exaggerated tones to describe Ivan IV's life achievements.

"This title is longer than mine!" Zhu Yijun looked at a page, which was full of titles.

There are five titles of dictator, eleven titles of tsar, five titles of grand duke, fourteen titles of prince, eleven titles of monarch of the entire northern region; eight titles of lord; and eight titles of duke.

The first page of this national letter is filled with names.

Zhu Yijun's title is much simpler. In all official books, Zhu Yijun has only one title: Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Just these four words are enough, just these four words are enough to win everyone's respect.

The Rakshasa Kingdom has piled up so many fancy things together, which can only be said to be very guilty. It hopes to use such fancy but practical names to gain the respect of the Ming court.

After reading the letter, Zhu Yijun was not bored enough to respond with an equal name, but instead wrote a reply with the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty as the main body.

If you want to deal with Zhu Yijun, you can do the same, but it seems very childish. When the Han Dynasty and the Huns were unable to do anything to each other, they competed with each other in raising their heads, each time they raised their heads higher than the last time, and they had to suppress the other side, just like farmers building houses, they have to make their houses one brick higher than others.

Zhu Yijun was not keen on this kind of childish play which was almost like a fight.

The court meetings were lengthy. Some important matters needed to be discussed seriously, while others were just mentioned in passing. Not every matter that came to the Wenhua Palace required the ministers to spend a lot of effort to deal with it.

After the court meeting, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty went to Beidaying to review the troops and horses. Li Rusong still led the way as the king's vanguard and came to Tonghe Palace to pick up His Majesty and go to Beidaying. Since Qi Jiguang was conferred the title, it was Li Rusong who came to Tonghe Palace to welcome the emperor.

Qi Jiguang was holding a Pingyi gun in his hand, but this Pingyi gun was a brand new model.

"This Pingyi gun has spiral rifling, uses six cents of gunpowder, has a flintlock, and has a 20x sight. It can hit over 120 steps indoors, and 100 steps outdoors because it is windy outside." Qi Jiguang briefly introduced the new Pingyi gun. In addition to the sights, there is also a front bracket, and the firing methods are divided into three types: lying, half-kneeling, and standing.

The front bracket, which is used when the machine is in horizontal position, will be more accurate.

There is a safety pin on the bolt, which means the gun cannot be fired before the safety pin is removed, which guarantees the safety of the gun during the march. The range, accuracy, armor penetration and other aspects have been greatly improved. The projectiles of the Pingyi gun are sharp copper bullets, which are completely different from the lead bullets used in the past.

Copper bullets are the best projectiles, but the Ming Dynasty lacks copper, so it can only choose lead or iron.

Qi Jiguang didn't waste any words and demonstrated it in a standing position. At a distance of 120 steps, every shot hit the bull's eye. And because it was indoors, there were a total of ten shots, and each shot hit the bull's eye of the human-shaped target. Then Qi Jiguang removed the sight and used the three-point-one-line machine aiming to shoot, and still all ten shots hit the bull's eye.

Qi Jiguang packed up the Pingyi gun before standing up. Respecting military equipment means respecting one's own life.

Qi Jiguang smiled and said: "A well-trained sharp soldier, holding this kind of Pingyi gun, can also accurately hit the enemy without carrying a sight."

"A team of ten people is only equipped with one Pingyi gun, because on the battlefield, bird guns are more likely to be used for saturation attacks to deal with enemy charges. Of course, Pingyi guns can also be very effective when clearing high-value targets."

The reason why Qi Jiguang removed the sight was to show the emperor the stability and reliability of the Pingyi gun. The sight is actually very inconvenient to carry, because the sight is relatively expensive. The hardness of glass is actually not very high, much lower than gravel. The sight is easily scratched without protection and is not suitable for long-term use on the battlefield.

But machine aiming is different. It is simple, reliable, widely applicable and equally accurate. This is what Qi Jiguang pursues in military equipment.

"General Li, did you see this?" Zhu Yijun patted the Pingyi gun and said, "If the enemy has this thing in their hands, and you lead your men to charge into battle, and the flag falls, should we fight or not?"

Li Jinglong, the war god of Jianwen, the number one traitor in the Jingnan Campaign, the son of a tiger father, and the captain of the Jingnan Transport Team, was the son of Li Wenzhong, and Li Wenzhong was the nephew of Zhu Yuanzhang. Although Li Wenzhong was a biological nephew, Li Wenzhong's lifetime achievements in battles were truly fierce. Li Wenzhong fought in many battles throughout his life and made great military achievements. When Emperor Shun of Yuan fled to Yingchang, it was Li Wenzhong who led his troops in a surprise attack and forced Emperor Shun of Yuan to continue fleeing north.

However, the performance of Li Wenzhong's son Li Jinglong in the Jingnan Campaign was disastrous.

To put it bluntly, without Li Jinglong's escort, it would be unknown whether Prince of Yan Zhu Di could succeed in his campaign of pacification.

In the crucial battle, the Battle of Baigou River, the government troops led by Li Jinglong were about to repel the Yan army that was advancing southward with steady steps. However, a strong wind blew up and the flag was broken by the wind. The situation of the battle immediately became one-sided. Everyone thought that Li Jinglong had been killed by the Prince of Yan, and the morale of the army immediately weakened.

There are many different opinions on how the Yaqi fell.

For example, Zhu Di once told others that he personally led the troops to cut down the flag, but in fact Zhu Di was in a tough battle at that time. The horse he was riding was injured, and even the long sword he used for close combat had a broken blade and was unable to withstand the attack. He drove his horse back but was blocked by the dike and could not retreat any further. Qu Neng, a general under Li Jinglong, almost caught up with Zhu Di.

For example, Li Jinglong would tell everyone he met that it was a spy who did it, otherwise the Prince of Yan would be beheaded and the outcome of the battle would be unknown. Zhu Di also heard this and, because he criticized the emperor, he was stripped of his title and placed under house arrest.

Zhu Di didn't like what Li Jinglong said, because what Li Jinglong said was wrong. In the Battle of Baigou River, even if the Yaqi had not fallen, Qu Neng and Qu Liangcai would not have been able to capture or kill Zhu Di, because the King of Han Zhu Gaoxu had already arrived with his troops and defeated the troops of Qu Neng and Qu Liangcai. Zhu Gaoxu personally beheaded Qu Neng from his horse. At dusk, Zhu Gaoxu's troops even beheaded Qu Neng's son Qu Tao.

The only conclusion was that the flag was blown down by the strong wind, which was in line with Zhu Di's destiny to ascend the throne.

Li Rusong likes to charge ahead in battles, like a martial madman. Zhu Yijun also reminds Li Rusong not to be impulsive. As a rising star of the empire and the future commander-in-chief of the Beijing camp, Li Rusong must be steady. As the commander-in-chief, he is a high-value target.

"Looking around, only the Ming Dynasty has such magical weapons in the world. Why should we be afraid?" Li Rusong said stubbornly.

"Li Rusong, an arrogant army will surely be defeated!" Qi Jiguang looked at Li Rusong angrily and taught him a lesson. Li Rusong has changed a lot, but he still cannot change his unstable image. How can he be a great general of the Ming Dynasty? How can His Majesty be assured of him?

"General Qi, there is no need to be angry. General Li could have easily fooled me with some clichés like 'I will faithfully follow the emperor's instructions', but he said what he thought. That's sincerity. If all the ministers of the Ming Dynasty were like General Li, I could just sleep soundly in the palace every day." Zhu Yijun said with a smile on his face.

Zhu Yijun liked Li Rusong's character very much. He was a soldier and if he had been like the civil officials and just played the game of perfunctory response and kept everything in his heart, Zhu Yijun would have had to reflect on himself. As a king who went to the Beida camp to review the troops every day, it would be a problem if the generals under his command did not dare to say what they thought and could not say it.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Taixi lost Jerusalem, the eternal holy place, because of the rise of the Desert Eagle Saladin."

"In the second year of the Chunxi reign of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Catholic Church decided to launch the Third Crusade. This crusade was led by the Holy Roman Emperor Barbarossa the Red Beard, Richard the Lionheart of England, and Philip the Cunning, King of France. It was a large-scale crusade that recruited more than 300,000 crusaders, including 70,000 elite knights."

"Saladin, the Desert Eagle, is only with a few thousand men."

"Among them, the Holy Roman Emperor Barbarossa led 30,000 knights and 70,000 followers. When the news came out, Saladin, who had occupied the holy city of Jerusalem, became very nervous. Barbarossa led the army to personally go out to fight. When they reached the Salef River (Goksu River), the ministers at the time advised Barbarossa not to cross the river on horseback. Barbarossa was already 68 years old at the time, and crossing the river on horseback could easily cause problems."

"But Barbarossa would not listen and insisted on riding across the river himself to prove his bravery. As a result, his horse stumbled, fell on the rocks, and drowned in the river."

"Philip the Cunning withdrew from the Crusade, and only Richard the Lionheart continued to advance. At this time, there were only 8,000 soldiers left in the Crusade. Richard's Crusade did not last long because he had to return home to quell his brother's rebellion. In the end, the Desert Eagle Saladin won the Holy City."

The Holy City holds an extremely high status in Western Europe. The Third Crusade was so grand, but it ended in such a way, which is really regrettable.

There are many coincidences in history, which have far-reaching impacts.

As a high-value target, one must have the awareness of being a high-value target. Li Rusong was not a fierce general on the border, but one of the pillars of the empire. Zhu Yijun was not familiar with military affairs, but Qi Jiguang ordered that officers above the rank of general should not charge into battle. The reason for such a ban was that it was very common to lead troops into battle personally.

"Well, Your Majesty, I have actually changed a lot." Li Rusong was helpless. When the war drums sounded and the horns were blown, and when the swords were in battle, it was indeed a torture for Li Rusong that he could not personally charge into the battle. This kind of martial madman actually did not value his own life. There are loyal bones buried everywhere in the green mountains, and it has never been a shame to die in a horse's hide on the battlefield.

While the emperor was sweating profusely while reviewing the troops, all the special envoys sent by the Western countries to the Ming Dynasty arrived at the Siyi Pavilion. Inside the Siyi Pavilion, where the envoys gathered, the routine cocktail party began. In order to prevent any lewd incidents, there were many more Ti cavalrymen on the scene than in previous years. It was okay to clink glasses and play with the red-haired and golden-haired foreigners, but not in public.

Even behind closed doors.

The envoys from various countries were in a very low mood at the party because the wise man Sauron was beheaded by the emperor at Caishikou. The Ming Dynasty did not even let the Minister of Justice to supervise the execution, but instead sent a vice minister to identify the body. More than 127 people were beheaded at one time, and all the sailors who participated in transporting opium were also beheaded by the Ming Emperor.

"Once you arrive at the territory of the Ming Dynasty, you must abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty. Those who refuse to abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty are not envoys, but enemies. All envoys should be aware of this fact. When you are in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, you should abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty." Gao Qiyu stood in the middle of the cocktail party and said to all directions.

John Henry asked loudly: "What if the Ming envoy violated our laws?"

"Of course, the laws of the Ming Dynasty shall prevail." Gao Qiyu said as a matter of course: "If the envoys sent by the Ming Dynasty to the West commit any mistakes, your Majesty should be held accountable. Anyone who dares to attack, detain, or threaten the envoys of the Ming Dynasty will be regarded as a provocation and will bear the wrath of the Ming Dynasty."

"In the territory of the Ming Dynasty, the laws of the Ming Dynasty shall prevail. If the envoys of the Ming Dynasty violate our laws, should the laws of the Ming Dynasty also prevail?" Jon said angrily: "The Ming Dynasty is too overbearing!"

Gao Qiyu shook his head and said, "This is not a question of tyranny. It's just that according to moral standards, the laws of the Ming Dynasty are much stricter than those of England. At least the Ming Dynasty would not come up with a law like privateering licenses that is condemned by both humans and gods. London stinks, whether it's the environment or the morality. What do you think, Jon?"

"Hahaha!"

Legashi led the laughter. Gao Qiyu's Latin was very standard, and all the envoys were proficient in Latin, so it immediately caused laughter. Gao Qiyu's answer was also true. The laws of the Ming Dynasty were stricter than those of England.

There is actually a pun here. John means "toilet" in Latin.

So Gao Qiyu's words hit three notes. He cursed John, the special envoy himself, the stench of London, and the low morals of England which were as stinking as a toilet.

"I..." Jon was a little confused by the scolding. This diplomat's mouth was really too sharp.

Li Yashi knew that Gao Qiyu actually cursed even more fiercely in private. Gao Qiyu had been to London in person, and his evaluation of London was just two words: disgusting.

Gao Qiyu has been to so many cities in the West and Europe, and London is the stinkiest...

Although Jon kept saying that his name came from the Bible, he did not arouse people's sympathy.

Gao Qiyu did not stay for too long. He just warned the envoys from various countries to abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty, and then left immediately. This was not a place for talking and negotiating, and Gao Qiyu did not want to drink with them. Marcus also left with Gao Qiyu because of his extremely special relationship with the Ming Dynasty.

There is a difference between closeness and distance.

"I am grateful to the Ming Dynasty's imperial guards for their meticulous investigation. They have found the truth and found the real culprit. Otherwise, I would never be able to clear myself even if I jumped into the Yellow River." Marcus expressed his gratitude to the imperial guards. The imperial guards were very professional in investigating the case. They unraveled the mystery and found Sauron, the real culprit behind the scenes, and cleared Marcus of suspicion.

There was indeed a net outflow of silver from the West to the Ming Dynasty, resulting in a trade deficit, but Portugal, as a middleman, made a fortune.

"I want to introduce someone to Mr. Gao Shaoqing. He is the Governor-General of Brazil, Payne de Joao." Marcus said sincerely, "We have many colonies in Brazil. Payne de is a friend of His Highness Antonio."

"It seems that King Antonio is not doing a very good job." Gao Qiyu frowned, put down the teacup, and said meaningfully.

"It's true that nothing can be hidden from Gao Shaoqing's keen eyes." Marcus said sincerely.

This Payne de was indeed the Governor-General of Brazil, but he had never supported or recognized Antonio's status as King. He was the most opposed to Antonio becoming king among the Governors-General of Portugal's overseas colonies. This time, Payne de served as the Deputy Envoy, which was also a compromise between Antonio and the domestic nobles.

"Why did Payne de want to reconcile with Antonio? It was because he saw that Ming Dynasty's commercial goods were distributed in Lisbon, so he chose to support them. Marcus, you and Antonio must keep your eyes open. People like these venomous snakes will bite back at any time. They are not loyal to beliefs, morals, or the king, but to money." Gao Qiyu reminded Marcus very solemnly.

The fact that Marcus and Antonio brought so many seeds to the Ming Dynasty was enough to make Gao Qiyu respect them. Even if they were just trying to curry favor with the emperor, as a traditional agricultural country, agriculture and sericulture were still the main tasks of the Ming Dynasty.

"He is just a treacherous villain and not trustworthy, but there are many such people in the world." Marcus agreed with Gao Qiyu's reminder.

"Then let's meet." Gao Qiyu said calmly.

(End of this chapter)