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

Chapter 89 Cao Ying was shocked, the shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty!

Five days later.

The wealthy businessman who purchased the order to go to sea bought a merchant ship and purchased the goods, and then prepared to go to sea.

Qixiashan Pier.

This is the main waterway of the Yangtze River passing through the Yingtianfu area. It is also the starting point for wealthy businessmen who will take boats to go to sea. As long as you go east along the Yangtze River, you can enter the sea.

Today, there are many people coming to Qixia Mountain to watch the excitement. There are not only businessmen from all over Yingtian, but also many farmers near Qixia Mountain.

They all wanted to see how the first merchant ship went to sea after the Ming Dynasty opened the sea.

A few months later, will this merchant ship return to Ming Dynasty safe and sound?

On the broad water of the Yangtze River, two ships are floating on the water. One is a merchant ship belonging to a wealthy businessman. It is two feet wide and about two stories high. It is the size of an ordinary merchant ship. There are several guys on the deck. Waited.

Next to the merchant ship, there is also a warship. The warship is larger than the merchant ship and half a foot taller. It is only at the level of an ordinary warship.

Since the Kaihai Bureau started shipbuilding, the time has been too short. It is not easy to successfully build merchant ships and warships that meet the standards.

Of course, the construction of large-scale treasure ships is also being stepped up, but it is more difficult and the process is slower.

The warship on the river at this time existed to protect the merchant ships.

That's right,

The mission of this warship is to escort merchant ships.

In order to ensure that the Ming Dynasty's first merchant ship could go to sea smoothly, reach neighboring countries for business, and return to the Ming Dynasty smoothly, Cao Wei decided to send a warship to escort the wealthy merchant's merchant ship after discussing with Zhu Yuanzhang.

After the Ming Dynasty opened the sea, the first merchant ship to go to sea must not make any mistakes!

This is not only related to the national prestige of the Great Tomorrow Dynasty, but also cannot allow those businessmen who sit on the sidelines to do nothing.

As long as this first merchant ship can successfully return to the Ming Dynasty, it means that merchants can go to sea to do business, and there will be an endless stream of successors.

However, if this merchant ship fails to return to the Ming Dynasty due to various reasons after going to sea, or even encounters an unexpected event, the enthusiasm of the merchants who are waiting and watching will be greatly affected, which is not conducive to the progress of the Ming Dynasty's opening of the sea.

By the pier.

Yan Zhenzhi was handing a chart to the wealthy businessman.

The nautical chart was compiled by the personnel of the Ministry of Industry from the classics preserved by the past dynasties. Anyone who purchases a sea voyage order will receive such a nautical chart as a gift.

The wealthy businessman took the chart and thanked Yan Zhen profusely.

Then he faced the crowd on the shore and raised his hands, "Everyone, I, Liu, are setting off!"

All the merchants on the shore also raised their hands and congratulated in unison:

"Boss Liu, it's a smooth journey and you'll make a lot of money."

The wealthy businessman surnamed Liu turned around happily and climbed onto the deck along the ship's ladder.

"set off!"

The guys on the deck were also sailors for the first time. They were busy raising the sails and furling the anchors. The merchant ships slowly started to move forward, and the warships also set sail.

Cao Wei stood next to Yan Zhenzhi, holding his hands and watching the two ships slowly leave.

A gust of wind blew by, and he saw the person next to him, Yan Zhen, tightening the collar of his clothes.

The weather is getting colder and colder, and the temperature by the river is even lower. There is even a bit of coolness that penetrates to the bone marrow. Yan Zhenzhi, a civil servant, is a little unbearable.

"Old Yan, I told you to exercise a long time ago, but you didn't listen. Look! What a mess!" Cao Wei said, shaking his head.

As the two of them worked together longer and longer, they became less and less scrupulous about speaking. Yan Zhenzhi was used to Cao Wei's careless talk and didn't mind it at all.

"The merchant ship has successfully sailed to sea, and we can take a breather."

In the past nearly two months, both the Manufacturing Bureau and the Sea Development Bureau were in a state of full firepower, which was really tiring.

As the merchant ships and warships on the river moved further and further away, the merchants and farmers watching the excitement on the pier gradually dispersed.

Several scheming businessmen wanted to get close to Yan Zhen, but they were stopped by the accompanying servants.

Cao Wei and Yan Zhenzhi also started walking back.

"Have more than 90 warships arrived in Hangzhou?" Cao Wei asked.

The Kaihai Bureau has built a total of one hundred warships and ten merchant ships so far. After they were built, the warships were sent to Hangzhou along the waterway.

Yingtian was still too far from the seaside, so we had to choose another place as the main base of the navy, and finally settled on Hangzhou. Of course, this was only the initial stage.

Hangzhou is not only close to the sea, but also has an inner bay, which can greatly reduce the damage caused by bad weather to warships. It is also more convenient for the Ming Dynasty navy to drill.

In addition, Zhu Di was also awarded the post of governor of the Ming Navy by Zhu Yuanzhang as he wished, and has now gone to Hangzhou to practice the navy.

Yan Zhenzhi nodded, "The chief envoy of Fujian wrote to the imperial court, requesting to allocate some warships to exterminate the Japanese pirates. However, after all, the navy was only established for a short period of time and has not been rigorously trained, so your majesty refused."

Cao Wei sighed, "It seems that Fujian and other places have suffered from Japanese pirates for a long time."

As he spoke, Cao Wei was thinking in his mind that Zhu Yuanzhang once listed the Japanese country as a country that would not be conquered. If he wants to attack the Japanese country in the future, it seems that it will take some effort.

After returning to the manufacturing bureau, the two of them went about their business at hand.

the other side.

palace,

Royal study.

Zhu Yuanzhang was discussing with Zhan Hui, the Minister of Civil Affairs, about regulating private chambers of commerce.

Zhan Hui was quite capable and had an extraordinary family background. His father, Zhan Tong, served as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in the Yuan Dynasty. Zhan Hui was proficient in this art since he was a child. In the 15th year of Hongwu, he passed the examination to become a scholar and started his official career. He became the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel without any obstacles. The position is regarded as the son inheriting the father's legacy.

Regulating chambers of commerce sounds simple, but there are more than one private chambers of commerce. It is quite troublesome to integrate them all. Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhan Hui have been discussing for a long time and finally finalized the plan.

Businessmen from all over the Ming Dynasty, as long as they were of a certain size and came from the same place, would gather together to form a business gang, that is, a chamber of commerce.

It is unrealistic to completely merge these chambers of commerce into one place for management, after all, there are many differences such as geographical location.

The best way is for the imperial court to establish a general chamber of commerce from top to bottom, which will override the local business gangs.

Among the many business gangs, the imperial court still carried out reforms according to the plan given by Cao Wei, once again divided the positions and powers, and placed full-time court officials. The business gangs in various places must completely obey the general chamber of commerce organized by the imperial court.

Every year, the imperial court also conducts various assessments, ranks various business gangs, and provides different welfare benefits and policies.

This is also a big project. After all, information is underdeveloped at this time. Just registering all the information of business gangs in various places is a troublesome task.

After finally discussing all this clearly, Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his eyebrows and said, "Okay, you can start doing it. If you have anything to do, tell us."

Zhan Hui bowed respectfully and said, "I obey the order!" Then he slowly exited the imperial study.

Zhu Yuanzhang took off his reading glasses from the bridge of his nose, leaned back on the chair to rest for a moment, and then he began to think about another thing.

According to this rectification of the Chamber of Commerce, Cao Wei is not only able to develop various novel things, but also has a good political vision.

Although Cao Wei's idea of ​​the imperial court rectifying chambers of commerce in various places still has many imperfections and needs more careful consideration by him and Zhan Hui, Cao Wei's idea is indeed correct!

"This boy still has this ability, so we can't waste it..." Zhu Yuanzhang said to himself.Immediately, he put on the pair of reading glasses on the desk, picked up a pen, repaired a letter, and immediately sent someone to give it to his eldest grandson.

After that, I began to review the memorials piled high on the table...

Only a quarter of an hour later, Zhu Yuanzhang's letter was delivered to Cao Ying in Zhengkan Village.

After reading the letter, Cao Ying showed a strange and thoughtful look on her face.

Zhu Yuanzhang said in the letter that he wanted him to start learning how to govern the country, but he asked him to ask Cao Wei for advice.

Ask your father for advice?
Does your father know how to govern a country?

Cao Wei never discussed national strategies with Cao Ying. Cao Ying didn't know that Cao Wei still had such abilities, but Zhu Yuanzhang was able to discern many clues from the reform management of the Chamber of Commerce.

Even if Cao Wei is not very proficient in governing the country, he can definitely come up with some problems that ordinary people would not think of from some tricky angles.

Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to train Cao Ying, but the time had not come yet. At least he had to wait until Cao Ying returned to the palace before he could start teaching.

Seeing that Cao Wei had a good vision in politics and policies, Zhu Yuanzhang did not want to miss this opportunity to train Cao Ying, so he asked Cao Ying to ask Cao Wei for some advice on court policy.

Zhu Yuanzhang only wanted to test Cao Wei's true political ability by doing this. After all, Cao Wei only showed his good political vision in reforming and managing the Chamber of Commerce.

In case Cao Wei was just a flash in the pan and later misled Cao Ying, Zhu Yuanzhang also told Cao Ying in a letter. Whenever Cao Wei and Cao Ying discussed the final conclusion of national policy, Cao Ying had to write to Zhu Yuanzhang what Cao Wei said. Repeat.

If what Cao Wei said was wrong, Zhu Yuanzhang could interrupt in time.

Cao Ying didn't know Cao Wei's political ability, so he naturally didn't understand why Zhu Yuanzhang asked him to do this. He just thought that Zhu Yuanzhang would never harm him, so he decided to do what Zhu Yuanzhang said.

"Ask father...how to mention it?" Cao Ying put down the letter in her hand and began to think.

With the arrival of winter, the days are getting shorter and shorter, and it starts to get dark just after the hour arrives.

Cao Wei left the manufacturing bureau and returned home. After seeing Cao Ying, he felt that Cao Ying looked at him in a strange way.

"Yinger, what, what happened today?" Cao Wei asked.

"No, no," Cao Ying shook her head.

Cao Wei smiled. As long as Cao Ying lied, he would blink unconsciously. When Cao Ying answered just now, he blinked twice quickly.

But Cao Ying didn't want to say it, and Cao Wei wouldn't ask. After all, his son had grown up.

After taking a drink of water, Cao Wei went to the kitchen to cook.

Now the economic conditions of Cao Wei's family are no longer what they used to be. They developed trains, built steel plants to make steel, and cooperated with the Maritime Bureau to build ships. Relying on these contributions, the reward Cao Wei received from Zhu Yuanzhang was enough for him to survive. Be extravagant.

Zhu Yuanzhang even intended to pick a large house in the market at the foot of the imperial city and give it to Cao Wei as a reward.

But Cao Wei thought of the acres of wheat in his field, so he declined Zhu Yuanzhang's kindness. It was too far away for him to take care of the wheat in the field, and he was too lazy to go back and forth every day.

Besides, he only has half a year left. When he leaves Daming, Cao Ying will probably return to the palace, and there is no need to move to a big house.

The meal ended quickly, and both father and son were very satisfied.

"Father, I have a question for you," Cao Ying said suddenly.

Seeing the serious look on Cao Ying's face, Cao Wei was slightly surprised, "You ask."

"Father, how does the Ming Dynasty compare with previous dynasties?"

Cao Wei was stunned and wondered why Cao Ying suddenly asked such a question today.

Recalling Cao Ying's weirdness before, Cao Wei realized that Zhu Yuanzhang must have said something to Cao Ying.

This old Zhu leader wants to steal his own wisdom again, Cao Wei thought in his mind.

However, Cao Ying is his son after all... his adopted son is also his son, and Cao Wei is still happy to talk to Cao Ying about the future of the Ming Dynasty.

How could Cao Wei fail to see that Zhu Yuanzhang had his heart set on Cao Ying taking over the throne? Otherwise, why didn't he establish a heir apparent for so long?

"Da Ming is very good!" Cao Wei said.

Cao Ying nodded, a sense of pride emerging in his heart.

"But there are still many disadvantages," Cao Wei's second sentence added, leaving Cao Ying stunned.

Ming Dynasty has many shortcomings?Where?
Grandpa Huang has worked hard to govern since the founding of the country, formulating various excellent national policies and eliminating corrupt officials. It can be said that he has done everything in his power. How could there be so many shortcomings as his father said?

"Father, the disadvantages you are talking about are..." Cao Ying frowned and said in confusion, "The Ming Dynasty has neither internal nor external troubles. How could it be like what father said..."

"You make sense, but that's only now. No one knows what the Ming Dynasty will be like in a hundred years. The various national policies His Majesty has set at this time can only protect the Ming Dynasty's foundation for a hundred years, but they cannot protect the Ming Dynasty for thousands or ten thousand years. "Cao Wei shook his head gently.

Cao Ying was stunned after hearing this, and the expression on his face turned away.

"Father, why is this?"

"If you want to fight against the outside world, you must first calm down the inside. Let's talk about it step by step, starting with the people in the Ming Dynasty."

"Since ancient times, people's livelihood has been inseparable from the land. As long as they have land, people can live and work in peace and contentment. However, these lands are not always guaranteed to belong to the people."

"Your Majesty has formulated many national policies, and it seems that they are all considering the people. However, none of those national policies can prevent the land in the hands of the people from being annexed by powerful people."

"For example, the military household system formulated by His Majesty is a hereditary system. As long as generations of generations join the army, they will always have the country to distribute farmland to them, and the court will also exempt them from taxes and corvee due to military service."

"This is no problem at this time. There are still many desolate places in the world. It is not difficult to continue to implement the military household system."

"But many things are inextricably linked and will change as time goes by."

"Those feudal princes and officials, even if they never engage in corruption or bend the law, can still purchase fields from the people. They are too rich, and it is easy for them to purchase fields."

"As time goes by, the vassal kings and officials will have more and more land, and then military households will have no land to cultivate."

"And the imperial court did not collect taxes from the lords and officials, so the pressure of taxation fell on the common people all over the world."

"The common people only have a few acres of farmland to make a living and have to pay taxes. The feudal princes and officials and gentry have a lot of land, but they don't have to pay taxes."

"Let's deduce it..."

"One can only get in but not get out, and the other can get out more and get in less. As time goes by, the people of the Ming Dynasty will become poorer and poorer, while the vassal kings and officials and gentry will become richer and richer."

"But, they never pay taxes!"

Hearing this, Cao Ying's expression became serious.

Cao Wei continued:
“People cannot accumulate wealth in their hands, but they have to pay taxes to support the country.

Note that during this process, the feudal princes and officials and gentry have been annexing land. In 100 years, 200 years... they have more and more land in their hands. "

"The imperial court's support for the feudal princes and officials and gentry has continued, and the financial expenditure will only become larger and larger. In order to balance the finances, the imperial court can only continue to increase taxes on the people. This has become a vicious circle. In these Under the constant increase of exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, the people..."

"Hoola!" Cao Ying stood up suddenly, causing a sound in the tables and chairs.

He was breathing heavily, his face was very ugly, and he was filled with shock and horror!

Looking at Cao Wei, there was deep confusion and uncertainty in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)