Daming: If I find a great-grandson, I will teach an emperor through the ages

Chapter 88 Start going to sea

[Countdown to return: 239 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes and 26 seconds]

Cao Wei did not go to the production bureau today. He had already arranged all the matters the day before. Song Ping, Zhao Heng and the others could just complete them step by step.

On the other side, Yan Zhenzhi had already started to send people to build a sea-opening bureau next to the manufacturing bureau. Cao Wei couldn't help, so he simply spent a leisurely day at home and took Cao Ying to the creek to the north of the village to fish.

Busy all day long developing trains and making steel, Cao Wei has indeed not been so free for a long time.

A few months ago, he was just an ordinary farmer, but now he is in charge of the manufacturing bureau that affects the whole Ming Dynasty, developing trains and iron smelting, and even the shipbuilding bureau will soon be involved. .

Everything in the past was still vivid in his mind, and Cao Wei felt a little sad when he recalled it.

Cao Ying sat quietly holding the pole, staring at the stream intently.

Cao Wei had also taken Cao Ying fishing before. Speaking of which, Cao Ying was more talented in fishing than Cao Wei. He was able to bear his temper. Ever since he sat down, he had not spoken again for just half an hour. , Cao Ying's bamboo basket already contained three fish, while Cao Wei only had one.

"Whoa."

Cao Ying pulled up the pole again, and another fat fish was put into the bamboo basket.

Cao Wei smacked his lips, OK, my son is more capable than me.

"Ying'er, there have been rumors in the past two days that His Majesty will reopen the sea. Do you know about this?" Cao Wei suddenly asked.

"I heard it said before." Cao Ying replied.

"So Ying'er, do you think it is a good thing or a bad thing that the Ming Dynasty reopened the sea?"

Cao Ying thought for a while, "My child thinks that opening up the sea is a good thing for the Ming Dynasty. My father once said that productivity is the most important criterion for a country's development and strength."

"My father established a manufacturing bureau to develop trains and make steel, all of which were improving the productivity of the Ming Dynasty. Although it is not obvious for a while, its effect will definitely show up over time."

"The same goes for opening the sea. I know that the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty have been invaded by Japanese pirates, and the people in the coastal areas have suffered a lot. The Ming Dynasty opened the sea and established a navy, which can effectively suppress the invasion of Japanese pirates."

"In addition, the improvement of the economy by merchants can also be regarded as an increase in productivity. After the opening of the sea, merchants can do business in various countries. The silk and porcelain of the Ming Dynasty are hard-to-find items in foreign countries overseas, and merchants can gain huge benefits. And this benefit will eventually return to the Ming Dynasty."

"And..." Cao Ying said and glanced at Cao Wei.

"There are many rare things overseas that the Ming Dynasty does not have. We can bring them back to the Ming Dynasty by opening the sea to fill the gap."

Cao Wei burst out laughing when he heard this.

This is probably what Zhu Yuanzhang said in his letters to Cao Ying from time to time.

"But father, I have thought about it over and over again. Apart from adding naval deployment and strengthening the Ming Dynasty's maritime power, only businessmen can profit from this."

"What if those businessmen become rich and unkind after making huge profits?"

"Good question, we also want to ask this question." A voice came from behind Cao Wei and his son. Cao Ying turned around and saw that it was Zhu Yuanzhang whom he had not seen for a long time, with Jiang Wei following behind him.

"Grandpa Huang," Cao Ying stood up and called out very obediently.

Cao Wei also stood up and said, "Your Majesty."

At this time, everyone's relationship was almost out in the open, and Zhu Yuanzhang no longer needed to be secretive, but everyone was more or less embarrassed like this.

Jiang Wei stood still a little far away, looking at his eyes, nose and heart.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled lovingly and patted Cao Ying on the back, then turned to look at Cao Wei.

"We also want to know the question Ying'er asked just now. Do you have any good ideas?"

Because of his background, Zhu Yuanzhang did not want to see those profiteers become big.

Once, just a salt sales order made the salt merchants in the Jianghuai area very rich. But what did they do after they became rich?Just thinking about it, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to skin all those profiteers and turn them into grass!
At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was determined to open the sea for the sake of Ming Dynasty, but he couldn't find a way to control those profiteers.

Since the proposal to open the sea was first proposed by Cao Wei, let him solve this problem.

Cao Wei is a talent. Zhu Yuanzhang knew this from beginning to end, so naturally he would not waste Cao Wei's intelligence.

Cao Wei thought for a moment and said, "There is a way to solve this problem, but..." Halfway through, Cao Wei lost his temper.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know what Cao Wei was thinking, so he pointed at him with a helpless smile, "We agree to the expansion of the manufacturing bureau. Let the Ministry of Industry send people there at a selected date. If you have any ideas, please tell me."

Cao Wei chuckled, "It's actually simple. The merchants are managed by chambers of commerce. The court only needs to place full-time officials in the chambers of commerce to manage them."

The internal structure of ancient chambers of commerce was mainly based on clan kinship organizations. Just like Hui merchants and Huai merchants, they each had their own sect and had their own chamber of commerce. Most of them came from the same place and were fellow villagers. They had the same accent and were more familiar with each other. Trust some.

At this time, the social status of merchants was low, and the court was very self-sufficient, so it would not interfere too much with merchants or chambers of commerce.

This resulted in that although the imperial court could interfere with the Chamber of Commerce, it could not effectively control it completely.

What Cao Wei said is a shadow of modern business. There must be people from the imperial government in the chamber of commerce, and they must hold the main positions in the chamber of commerce. It is true!Any policy changes must be implemented smoothly within the Chamber of Commerce without any obstruction!
"Is this really possible?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Although it may sound demeaning to place court officials in the chamber of commerce, it is not impossible as long as it is useful.

"In addition, specific positions must be divided in the chamber of commerce, including the president, vice president, and several general managers. Except for the president who takes office under the orders of the court, for the other positions, one person can only serve for three years in his position. , after three years, others will be selected to take over, and whoever does a good job, pays more taxes, and donates more to the court will be chosen to take over."

Pay taxes, donate...

As Zhu Yuanzhang listened, the light in his eyes became brighter and brighter.

"This is a good idea!"

Even if they come from the same place and are fellow villagers, there must be different interest camps in the Chamber of Commerce. As the saying goes, where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. In a place full of various interests, such as the Chamber of Commerce, intrigues are inevitable.

Being able to serve as vice president and manager in the chamber of commerce, and having power in your hands, you can greatly facilitate your people and obtain more benefits to a certain extent.The method given by Cao Wei is to take advantage of the profit-seeking psychology of businessmen. If you want to obtain more benefits through your position, you must first contribute to the court.

Moreover, one person can only serve a maximum of three years in a position. Once three years are over, other businessmen will come to contribute to the court again in order to ascend to the throne, round after round...

Cao Ying listened on the sidelines, dazed, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Is there more?" Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied and asked again.

Cao Wei nodded and continued:
"After the sea is opened, merchants will go to sea, and customs taxes will also need to be adjusted. In the past, the Municipal Shipping Department only collected a tax rate of [-]/[-], which can be increased by another [-]% as appropriate. After all, these merchants are too rich."

"In addition, the imperial court can sell sea-going orders to merchants. One copy of 1 taels is subject to the approval of the court. Merchant ships with sea-going orders can set up a flag. No matter where they are overseas, they will be protected by the Ming Navy, allowing them to avoid free shipping. Due to pirate attacks, the navy will also go to the rescue after a merchant ship is collided and damaged at sea, or is stranded. Of course, the rescue also requires payment."

"As for merchant ships that do not have a sea-going order, the imperial court will not prohibit them from going to sea, but the tariffs for going to sea and entering ports will be increased by another [-]%, and if they encounter dangers overseas or encounter pirates and plunders, they will not be subject to the Ming Navy. After all, after the sea is opened, there will definitely be a lot of merchants going to sea, so the navy should give priority to protecting those merchant ships that have purchased the order to go to sea."

Cao Ying frowned, "Raise the tariff by [-]%? Is it too high?"

Cao Wei curled his lips, is this considered high?

Modern taxes are almost always discounted in half after reaching a certain amount!

Zhu Yuanzhang appreciated Cao Wei's suggestion. These businessmen had made so much money, so why should they pay more taxes?
"The order to go to sea, um... is a good thing." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said.

For ordinary people, 1 taels may be an astronomical figure, but for those profiteers, it is not a big problem, and they can definitely get it with gritted teeth.

A merchant buys a sea order for 1 taels, ten is one hundred thousand, and one hundred is one million taels!
Cao Wei hadn't finished speaking yet and spoke again:
"At this time, the price of 1 taels for the sea-going order is just the beginning. Those merchants who took the goods to sea will definitely make more than in the Ming Dynasty. By then, the sea-going order can be purchased for 10, [-], or even [-] taels. !”

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little shocked now.

"10 taels? Is this possible?"

"Profiteers and profiteers are neither businessmen nor traitors. If they can earn hundreds of thousands taels or more a year overseas, they will naturally be willing to give up 10 taels to buy a sea order."

Zhu Yuanzhang's breathing became a little heavy as he listened, and his eyes became even more intense!
He originally thought that he had been cruel enough to those businessmen, but he didn't expect that this kid Cao Wei had an even darker heart!

How dare he think of getting a sea order of 10 and twenty?
If the order to go to sea reaches 10 taels per copy, then... selling ten copies would be one million taels!
Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have seen that in the near future, countless amounts of money would fly into the imperial treasury.

Cao Ying opened her mouth, widened her eyes, and stared blankly at her father, as if it was the first day she met Cao Wei.

Father... is too evil-hearted.

But Cao Ying then thought about what those profiteers among the people were doing, and felt that Cao Wei had done the right thing. Those profiteers who drove up prices and squeezed the people did not deserve sympathy.

"This not only regulates the management of many merchants, but also allows them to give part of their profits to the court. This is a good method!" Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly.

"Since the Kaihai Bureau wants you and Yan Zhenzhi to work together, then you two will do these things. After you have discussed the specific matters, just come to us and I will draw up a decree for you."

After hearing this, Cao Wei's mouth twitched, his feelings were waiting for him here.

It was nearly noon, and Zhu Yuanzhang followed Cao Wei and his son back home.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy to have a solution for businessmen to become bigger. He wanted to have lunch with his eldest grandson.

After returning home, Cao Wei worked hard for a while, making several dishes from the fish caught today, including sweet and sour, braised, fried, and a pot of fish soup.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the table full of fish and couldn't help but glared at Cao Wei.

Knowing that he is old and struggling to eat, he cooks a table full of fish. Isn't this a deliberate attempt to embarrass himself?
In the end, after Zhu Yuanzhang chewed and picked off the fish bones for a long time, he was only half full, so he had to drink the fish soup.

After dinner, Zhu Yuanzhang took Jiang Wei and left. He came to see Cao Wei after going to court today. There was still a lot of government affairs waiting for him.

half a month later.

[Countdown to return: 224 days, 11 hours, 16 minutes and 45 seconds]

The imperial court began to form a navy, not only drawing good water-resistant soldiers from the military services from various places, but also recruiting them from all over the country.

The establishment of the Kaihai Bureau and the expansion of the steelmaking plant have also been completed, and the Kaihai Bureau has begun formal shipbuilding.

The Kaihai Bureau was an official department of the imperial court. It was quite large in scale and recruited more than [-] craftsmen from all over the country at one time to build ships.

In the initial stage, the ratio of warships to merchant ships was ten to one. This was to ensure that there would be enough warships to use after the Ming Dynasty's navy was established.

At the same time, the will to allow merchants to go to sea for business was also released, and all the merchants in the Ming Dynasty were excited about it!
Doing business overseas is much more profitable than doing business in Ming Dynasty!

The same silk and porcelain can earn ten times or even dozens of times more profit overseas than in the Ming Dynasty!
Then, Zhu Yuanzhang also released the adjustment of customs taxes and the issuance of sea voyage orders.

Businessmen are in an uproar again!
Increase taxes by [-]%!
A sea voyage order costs 1 taels!
For a time, many businessmen found it difficult to accept, and there were complaints everywhere.

At this time, the government once again announced that merchants could go to sea to do business without purchasing a sea-going order, but they would not be protected by the Ming Dynasty's navy. If they encountered pirates, they could only seek good luck.

Now the businessmen are in a dilemma. On the one hand, they are reluctant to part with 1 taels of silver. Unless they are the kind of merchants with a big business, no matter who looks at it, 1 taels is not a small amount.

But if you don’t purchase a sea ban, what should you do if you encounter pirates when you go to sea in the future?
Businessmen are like this. They are not willing to spend money to insure themselves, and they are not willing to give up the huge benefits of overseas markets.

Another month and a half passed in a hurry. The imperial court mobilized and recruited a total of 40 soldiers from various places, and the Ming Navy was officially established.

With the Kaihai Bureau working hard day and night, one hundred warships that conformed to the standards were successfully launched!
Finally, a wealthy businessman couldn't stand it anymore and went to the Kaihai Bureau to buy a sea voyage order and received a flag specially made by the Kaihai Bureau.

After the businessman left, Cao Wei said to Yan Zhenzhi: "Look, there is always the first person who dares to eat crabs."

Yan Zhen nodded and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In the previous month and a half, not a single merchant came to buy a sea voyage order, but he was extremely anxious, and now he finally made a good start.

(End of this chapter)