Daming: The most ruthless tyrant in history

Chapter 793 Hong Kong! Hong Kong!
The ministers from the two study rooms gathered in Yuxi Palace all figured out a crucial point as the imperial court debate continued to deepen.

Whether it was the promotion of reform and control in the Northeast and Southwest, or the secret preparation for the division of Huguang, they all contained strategic ideas such as strengthening central rule, reducing local privileges, reshaping checks and balances, and reorganizing the division of powers.

To summarize it in one simple sentence, the court's tolerance and concessions in the past will be gradually taken back in the future, and rules must be re-established. Anyone who dares to challenge the court, ignores the rules, and transgresses the law, as long as they are seen and investigated by the court, will be held accountable!

It was precisely because of these thoughts that Wei Guangxu and Jin Xuan, two ministers of the Study, truly understood why the emperor had been strict in governing officials since the third year of the Tianqi reign.

This is not just for the purpose of rectifying the officialdom.

It also has other political plots.

Not to mention anything else, if the news of the separation of Huguang and its governance were to spread, it would inevitably encounter strong opposition, both at the central level and in the local areas.

If things go wrong, there will be a big chaos in Huguang.

After all, this division of the family involves too many things. Specifically, how should taxes be sorted out in the future?

If this is really done, the Ministry of Revenue will be kept busy to death.

Not to mention that under the taxes, there are specific subdivisions such as land tax, poll tax, tea tax, salt tax, market tax, customs tax, etc., which all need to be sorted out clearly.

The most important point is that Huguang is different. Hinduism is within the territory. This involves many things. If they really have to be separated, which side should Hinduism be assigned to?
This is all strife!
In the end, if the central government cannot control the overall situation and ensure the stability in Huguang, the spearhead will eventually be directed at the central government. What's the point of splitting up the family?

If there were no division, there wouldn't be so many problems.

But if we do not divide them, it will be impossible to achieve the regional strategy of governing Huguang separately and then clearly boosting Hubei and developing Hunan.

This is not to mention the specific ideas that were detailed under the regional strategy, such as abolishing the chieftain system and fully implementing the policy of converting chieftains into officials, which would be impossible to implement in Huguang, and this is just one of them!
No matter what you want to do, as long as it involves profit, it will not be easy. After all, you have to negotiate and struggle with vested interest groups, and you will encounter opposition and constraints. If you are not careful, you may lose everything.

Zhu Youxiao noticed the changes in the ministers in the palace, but he didn't say anything else.

Those who work in the two study rooms must be removed if they cannot be absolutely loyal. There is absolutely no room for negotiation on this point.

Zhu Youxiao allowed the two study rooms to have different voices, different opinions, and different ideas. After all, every matter has many sides. But this does not mean that Zhu Youxiao would allow anyone to openly oppose him or even seek personal gain in the name of the country and the righteousness of the world.

"Since taking office, Guangdong Governor Chen Qiyu has visited all prefectures and states under Guangdong, especially Guangzhou Prefecture, which is the most prosperous place among the southernmost prefectures."

After a long silence, Zhu Youxiao said, "In the jurisdiction of Guangzhou Prefecture, Haojing is a place where good and bad people mix together. There are many missionaries and sea merchants. In the past, Guangdong and Guangzhou turned a blind eye to this place, which made the situation in Haojing complicated."

"As Tianjin continues to open up to the outside world, the number of Western merchants heading north continues to increase, and many of them are fake."

"According to Chen Qiyu's investigation, this phenomenon is very common in order to enjoy some tax exemptions, which has caused considerable losses to Tianjin Customs' tax revenue."

"In order to properly solve this problem, Chen Qiyu recently submitted a petition to build a port in Xin'an County, following the example of Tianjin. From now on, Western merchants heading north must first report to the port for approval. After obtaining the corresponding certificate, they can go all the way north to Tianjin to enjoy the corresponding reduction or exemption. Otherwise, they must pay the customs tax in full!"

Xin'an?

When Wei Guangxu and his men heard this, many of them showed puzzled expressions, but in the South Study, many ministers showed different expressions. Xin'an County and Xiangshan County are across the river from each other.

The reason they knew about this place was purely because of Haojing, which was under the jurisdiction of Xiangshan County. Although Haojing belonged to the Ming Dynasty, this place was really too chaotic.

The order is chaotic.

Group chaos.

It is an indisputable fact that since some time ago, the Ming Dynasty's control over some places has not been as strong as it was at its peak.

"After reading this memorial, I think it is feasible."

Zhu Youxiao glanced at the ministers in the hall and continued, "I think that if Xin'an wants to emulate Tianjin, it cannot build a port as a county, but at least it should be a direct-controlled prefecture."

"For this matter, the Southern Study will draft an imperial edict and submit it to the Emperor as soon as possible. After I review it, I will have the Cabinet send it to all places to show the central government's determination."

"I will obey your orders!"

The officials in the Southern Study immediately bowed and said.

Xin'an, this must be developed.

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Listening to the voices of his ministers, Zhu Youxiao secretly said in his heart that if the Ming Dynasty wanted to truly revive and become a hegemon both on land and at sea, it must continue to strengthen its open seas.

At present, the Ming Dynasty's maritime power is still very weak. It can barely ensure the stability of the near seas, but it is stretched to the limit when it comes to exploring the open ocean.

So some things can be slow, but they cannot be left undoed.

Xin'an, which is under the jurisdiction of Guangzhou Prefecture, has a unique advantage in the port to be built. If the port can be gradually planned and developed under the leadership of Chen Qiuyu.

As long as the Ming Dynasty continues to open up to the outside world, it will surely become an important maritime hub in the future, and even an extremely prosperous scene will appear in this area.

"Your Majesty, setting up a new port in Xin'an can solve issues related to customs duties." While Zhu Youxiao was thinking, Wei Guangxu stepped forward and said.

"But will this affect some sea merchants, who will not choose to go north to Tianjin, but will instead trade directly in the Xingang area?"

"Especially when it comes to grain trade, if there is a reduction due to this incident, it will have a corresponding impact on some of the established matters."

"There's no need to worry about this."

Zhu Youxiao replied: "I have ordered Chen Qiyu to discuss with Tianjin to ensure that the two ports will be mutually beneficial in the future, rather than a purely competitive relationship. In addition, the new port built in Xin'an will have an important responsibility in the future, which is to carry out maritime trade around grain trade in various places in Southeast Asia."

"It is too early to discuss the details and clarifications at this moment. Everything will have to wait until some regulations of the two places are drafted and submitted to the emperor before a final decision can be made."

Food is an extremely important item in the Ming Dynasty's continued opening up to the outside world. For Zhu Youxiao, he has to solve many problems he will face in the future by means of grain trade based on the gradually liberalized maritime affairs!
(End of this chapter)