Zhu Yuanzhang can see my dreams

Chapter 363 363 My so-called sea ban policy is wrong?

Intellectually speaking, Qian Tang was willing to believe Wang Buli's judgment.

But emotionally, he simply couldn't believe that the unjust case that His Majesty had handled so impartially would end up like this.

"You, my dear, have been to the countryside in your early years, so you have a more comprehensive understanding of the people than an old man like me."

Qian Tang sighed. Wang Buli did not even pour cold water on him in the hall just now.

He would not turn around and say such words in front of the emperor who was still ecstatic about having the people's grievances redressed.

In particular, there is no actual example of Wang Buli's judgment happening yet.

But Qian Tang knew Wang Buli, a man with a far-sighted vision, and it seemed that such a thing would happen.

Three of the ministers of the six ministries were replaced because of Hu Weiyong's case. The Ministry of Revenue was the hardest hit, and many people were purged from top to bottom.

Qian Tang felt that the entanglement between Hu Weiyong and Wang Buli was not shallow at all, but a few years ago he stayed at home sick and forcibly cut off this official entanglement.

Afterwards, Qian Tang thought about it and felt that Wang Buli had already seen the signs.

What Wang Buli said about Qian Tang showed that he had a better understanding of the country folk than he did, so he was right.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang prohibited officials from going to the countryside. The power in the countryside was filled with systems such as grain chiefs, village heads and sending notices to summon the people.

When Wang Buli was the Dianshi, he would lead people out of the city for inspections under the pretext of quelling bandits.

The purpose of Zhu Yuanzhang's policy was to prevent officials from harassing the people and demanding bribes, and to avoid exacerbating the conflict between the people and the government, so as to gather them together to oppose the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang hoped to use the systems of grain chief and village chief as a buffer between the government and the villagers.

Whenever there was a problem in the government, the responsibility would be passed on to the grain chief and village head who were rich people. The grain chief and village head would then pass the burden on to the local people.

If the government found that taxes had not been collected enough or the number of labor services was insufficient, it would impose punishment on the grain chief and the village head rather than directly oppressing the people.

In this way, the people's grievances would be focused on the grain chief and village head who were also from the same village, rather than the government office.

Generally speaking, the nature of the grain chief and village chief in the Hongwu era was roughly equivalent to the "tax farmer" and "guarantor" of the local government.

Apart from the grain chief and the village head, no other authority was allowed to exist in the village.

The grain chief and village head were appointed by wealthy households in the village and were replaced every year, which eliminated the possibility of them building up power at the grassroots level.

As a result, the grain chief and the village head had only the obligations of collecting taxes and conscription for the government and taking the blame for the government's harm to the people, but they had no other benefits, and many people lost their families because of this.

There is such a "long-term plan" behind the policy of "not allowing officials to go to the countryside". Why was Zhu Yuanzhang not satisfied with simply using severe laws to punish those officials who insisted on going to the countryside?

As far as local governance is concerned, it is actually necessary for grassroots officials to go to the countryside.

When it comes to accepting bribes, grassroots officials also have the desire to go to the countryside.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not allow them to go to the countryside, and he made a special exception to allow "elderly and virtuous people" (old people with good reputations) to lead strong men to capture the officials who went to the countryside and send them to the capital.

Allowing the people to arrest officials in the village is different from allowing the people to rush into the government office to arrest officials. Zhu Yuanzhang did not worry that the ruling foundation of the Ming Empire would collapse as a result.

Because rushing into the government office to arrest people can easily lead to rebellion.

Zhu Yuanzhang drew lines for local control.

This policy was also based on his tearful memories of being oppressed by Yuan officials in his youth.

This also resulted in the Ming Dynasty having little control over the countryside.

It must be said that Zhu Yuanzhang's policies achieved certain miraculous effects.

Under such a policy, at least half of the officials did not go to the countryside in order to save their own lives, but instead handed over many matters to the registrars.

The Dianshi naturally became the representative of the "officials".

But the problem that followed was that it became difficult to collect taxes and recruit able-bodied men.

The grain chief and the village head are part of the villagers and have no motivation to exploit them on behalf of the government.

During the Hongwu era, taxes on government farmland were very high, and taxation was tantamount to exploitation.

The government was under great pressure. If the grain chief did not exploit the villagers, he would have to make up the difference with his own money, so he had to exploit them.

However, if conflicts arise during the exploitation process, the grain chief will be accused of being "unkind and rich" and "abusing the good people" and will be used as a target to appease the people.

Being a grain manager is like being put on a fire and roasted. No matter how you turn or move, the only outcome is to be roasted.

This was also a means for Zhu Yuanzhang to weaken the rich and supplement the poor, which was called suppressing the strong and supporting the weak.

It was not until after Zhu Yuanzhang's death that the grain chiefs began to be controlled by wealthy households, who reaped massive benefits from the gains. The status of the grain chiefs and the farmers had long since been reversed.

What do you mean the grain chief has to pay out of his own pocket if he can't collect all the taxes? I'll sell your whole family and you'll have to pay all the taxes to me. And as the grain chief, I'll have to make a profit from it.

Starting from Xuande, this grain chief has been in office for decades, passed down from generation to generation, and has not been replaced for several generations. The grain chief's power has become increasingly greater, and he has deceived the government and persecuted the civilians.

It was not until the Jingtai period that grain chiefs were dismissed from all over the country, but the disease had penetrated deep into the skin and was difficult to eradicate.

Officials were no longer allowed to go to the countryside, which meant that the pressure exerted by the government was reduced. The village heads and grain managers, who already hated the task of exploiting people, would naturally become passive and lazy.

The village heads and grain chiefs were passive and lazy, and the government's tax and labor collection tasks could not be completed. The officials who were worried about being punished would become extremely worried.

"But I can think of an example." Qian Tang stroked his beard and walked slowly with Wang Buli: "An example of an official who was convicted in the countryside."

"Oh?"

"When a man named Wang Fuchun was the chief clerk of Yixing County, he sued the Changzhou prefectural government for various acts that harmed the people (including officials going to the countryside to harm the people), which won the emperor's praise. The emperor sent someone with fine wine to express his condolences and promoted him to the position of Changzhou prefectural governor.

Unexpectedly, less than half a year after this advanced model took office in Changzhou Prefecture, he committed the crime of "going to the countryside in person".

When the matter was reported to His Majesty, he flew into a rage and ordered him to be put in shackles and paraded through the cities of the nine provinces."

The boomerang came so fast.

Wang Buli snorted and laughed: "Could it be that he went to the countryside to collect taxes?"

"good."

Qian Tang also said with emotion that his previous superior went to the countryside to collect taxes in person because he was unable to collect all the taxes.

Did he think that after he was promoted, no one would report him?
Innocent!

Since the people before us have paved the way for everyone to get ahead, we should of course follow their example.

Since he complained to the emperor, naturally someone would keep an eye on him.

Of course, it was mainly because officials did not go to the countryside in person, so village heads and grain officials were "unwilling to go to work," and taxes and able-bodied men could not be collected.

If the troops fail to collect the tax, the chief officer himself will be punished.

However, the price officials pay for going to the countryside in person is the risk of being reported.

When faced with two evils, one has to choose the lesser of two evils. The ineffectiveness of taxation and recruitment of able-bodied men cannot be concealed, but going to the countryside in person does not guarantee that one will be reported. Some people can only choose the latter.

This once advanced model ended up being a poor man trapped by Zhu's policies.

After all, Mr. Zhu has a very demanding personality and it is difficult for anyone to satisfy him.

No one is a turtle in the wishing well.

After Qian Tang himself talked about this model, he no longer had any expectations for Zhou Tian, ​​the new model established by His Majesty.

Probably not a good ending.

The two were too lazy to discuss the matter any further and could wait and see what would happen later.

Wang Buli was called over by the Minister of Works Xue Xiang to talk about the treasure ship, and the construction drawings were taken and he looked at them carefully.

We build ships in an orderly manner, using standard equipment like an assembly line.

Some carpentry work is done with reference to construction methods.

This book was published in the Song Dynasty, but after the war, the two emperors were captured, and there were incidents such as the Yashan Incident and large-scale massacres by the Mongols, a large number of professional terms in the book are difficult to understand.

Wang Buli knew that Liang Sicheng made his explanation by referring to the Dule Temple, a Liao Dynasty building in Ji County, Tianjin, and making a reverse deduction.

But he couldn't search and compare carefully now.

"Minister Xue, please let me take a look. I don't really understand it at the moment."

Wang Buli could only encourage this standard practice so that all parts on the ship could be interchangeable.

"I have always known that the prince consort has some insights into some constructions, so I came to invite you to take a look. I would like to find those old craftsmen with superb skills, but many of them are illiterate."

"It doesn't matter. This book is full of theories, but they have practical methods. If you take some time, you may be able to understand many of the points in it."

Wang Buli knocked on the table and said, "You can apply for a fund from His Majesty for this matter. Let them discuss it and make some models on the spot for comparison. Then we can slowly crack it. In the future, we can build not only treasure ships but also various buildings." "Yes."

Xue Xiang pinched his beard and said that it was indeed an idea, but when it came to applying for funding, he was scratching his head.

The Ministry of Industry is really too poor.

Even though many projects were undertaken, the money and grain were approved by the Ministry of Revenue.

After Wang Buli said goodbye, he returned home to play with his son.

Zhu Di had already arrived in Peking. After moving into the palace, he began to order the civil and military officials of the palace to do things and quietly investigate the soldiers' farming affairs to see if they were being oppressed.

Many officials expressed their confusion. After all, the prince had just arrived in the north and was so eager to reorganize the military that he wondered whether he would be suspected by others.

But Zhu Di did say that this was what his father had told him to do.

Everyone knows that a civil uprising occurred in Guangxi because of the reckless behavior of Prince Jingjiang, which led to the misconduct of the commander of Guangxi.

Now that I have arrived in Peking, I will never allow this to happen again.

You guys go and investigate quietly, and if you find anything, report it to me and I will handle it personally.

Ever since Zhu Di learned that he would be able to ascend the throne and become emperor many years later, he became ambitious.

It’s not that he is incapable of governing the world well.

In addition to seizing military power, he must also get involved in some government affairs in the future, at least to avoid being deceived by his subordinates.

The Princess of Yan did not stop Zhu Di's actions, but only warned him not to be too ostentatious, lest his father dislike him, and then he would be relocated to another place, and he would have no chance anymore.

After all, it is obvious that the emperor treats the prince's lineage well.

Otherwise, if they really wanted to make you emperor, they would not have had to go through so much trouble to raise an army and overthrow the Nanjing court in the future.

"Big brother."

Zhu Di was the first to salute.

Zhu Biao was very puzzled as to how Zhu Di could enter the fairyland alone when he was thousands of miles away.

"Ok?"

"Old Four, how can you come to this wonderland alone?"

"I don't know either." Zhu Di didn't understand the principle behind this either, and could only say, "Since my father brought me in last time, I have been able to enter from time to time."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not give much explanation.

At this time, he could hide as much as possible, but he changed the topic to another side:

"I remember that Wang Buli gave you a jade pendant that he had worn for a long time when he said goodbye to you. Is this the reason?"

Zhu Di nodded repeatedly, perhaps because of this reason.

In front of his father and brother, Zhu Di didn't dare to say that he would be the emperor in the future, so he could enter the fairyland.

Zhu Biao sighed and said, "Could it be possible that my brother-in-law's son will be able to enter the fairyland in the future?"

"Can't tell."

Zhu Yuanzhang signaled Zhu Di to go up and knock on the door.

This time it was Zhu Biao's turn to be surprised. It was the first time he entered an environment where he could meet Wang Buli in the fairyland.

It was no longer the case that he had watched Wang Buli and the fairy having sex accompanied by his "parents".

Especially after entering the room, Zhu Biao could hardly see any fairies or the like.

They were also brought by Wang Buli to the giant screen that they had seen before. Now everyone could have something to eat and drink, and they sat in a row to continue watching.

"Zheng He made seven voyages to the West."

Zhu Yuanzhang was very confused as he didn't know enough about the Western region.

During the Ming Dynasty, Borneo was the center, the area west of Borneo was called the Western Ocean, and the area east of Borneo was called the Eastern Ocean.

Brunei, also known as Borneo, is the place where the East Ocean ends and the West Ocean begins.

The Ming government inherited the practices of successive feudal dynasties in my country, regarding itself as the "Celestial Empire" and requiring neighboring countries to pay "tribute" to it.

This can not only satisfy their spiritual desire to have all nations come to pay tribute, but also exchange rare treasures from overseas for their enjoyment and consumption.

However, after the middle and late Hongwu period, the Southeast Asian countries "had long lacked tribute", and only a few Southeast Asian countries "continued to pay tribute as usual".

The Ming Dynasty emperor was dissatisfied with this situation.

As the social economy recovered and developed, the Ming Emperor accumulated more and more wealth, which made him more urgently in need of tribute trade and also provided the objective conditions for developing such trade.

Under such circumstances, after the early Yongle period, the Ming government sent Zheng He on many voyages to various countries in Asia and Africa. The purpose was to maintain the Ming Dynasty's status in these regions, promote national prestige, attract countries to visit, and develop tribute trade.

In addition, they also carry Chinese products to various countries for trade.

"Zheng He's first voyage was in June of the third year of the Yongle reign. He and his deputy envoy Wang Jinghong set out from Liujiahe in Suzhou, first reaching Champa, then passing through Java, Siam, Malacca (the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula), Sumatra, Hormuz and other places.

He returned to Nanjing in September of the fifth year of Yongle, which took two years and three months.

Zheng He had a total of 62 ships on this voyage, with more than 27,000 crew members. The ships were 44 meters long and 18 meters wide.

Each ship could accommodate more than a thousand people and was the largest ship on the sea at that time."

"Wow, our Ming Dynasty can really build such a big ship."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the huge ship that appeared on the giant screen. For the first time, he had a three-dimensional view of the large ship that Xue Xiang and Wang Buli jointly wrote a petition to build.

Especially when people stand next to a large ship, with a reference object, the size of the ship can be more clearly seen.

Zhu Di never thought about why he sent people to the West shortly after he ascended the throne.

Because of this, although there was trade with overseas, it was generally not allowed by the emperor.

"Is there any news about gold mines in other places?" Zhu Biao was the first to ask his question.

As for the reign title Yongle.

He thought it was the reign title of the emperor after his son Zhu Yunwen, probably his grandson or something like that.

Wang Buli drank his Bingkuoluo and nodded: "There are few gold mines discovered in the territory of our Daming, but those envoys also have gold in their hands to spend, which means it is normal to have gold, silver and copper mines in other places."

"Well, that's true."

Zhu Biao nodded in agreement.

Otherwise, where did those savages get the gold?
Rely on them to snatch it from the people in the Central Plains?
Zhu Biao really looked down upon the military combat effectiveness of these barbarians.

"Can we really make money by going to the West?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked the key question.

"Of course." Wang Buli threw popcorn into his mouth:
"The Silk Road was very profitable, not to mention that the Northern and Southern Song dynasties made a lot of money through maritime trade. The Ming Dynasty had the strength to dominate the sea. The damn Japanese pirates and the remnants of the defeated army were all killed by such large ships."

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that these large ships were equipped with cannons and looked very majestic and powerful. He thought that the ships of other countries were not as powerful as these.

The only worry is encountering a storm or something like that. By then, no matter how big the ship is, it will be useless and all will be eaten by the fish.

“In addition to silk, even the worthless porcelain used as ballast in the treasure ships of the Ming Dynasty is regarded as a treasure by the foreigners, so we can naturally make huge profits.

After we conquer Yunnan or Japan finds silver and copper mines, we will create Hongwu Baoqian and let the entire trade be settled with copper coins or silver ingots. The pricing power will be in the hands of our Ming Dynasty. If they want to obtain it, they will need to exchange it with many precious commodities.

Once the money is in circulation, we can build water conservancy projects in all parts of the Ming Dynasty, increase the yield of the people's crops, and have a chance to survive natural disasters. As long as the people live a prosperous life, how many people will think of rebelling?"

While Zhu Yuanzhang was still thinking carefully, Zhu Di was secretly clenching his fists in great excitement.

I wish I could send people to the West as soon as I ascend the throne. It turns out that so much money can be earned there.

Although I don’t understand it now, as long as it is the idea of ​​our military advisor, there will be absolutely no problem.

Zhu Di thought that since he trusted Wang Buli so much, there was no way he would harm me!

After this conversation, Zhu Di's confusion was immediately resolved.

Zhu Biao also nodded secretly. He knew that tribute trade would make many envoys money, but he did not expect it to be so profitable.

It seems that we will have to take the opportunity to develop the navy on a large scale in the future. In this way, all the Japanese pirates and bandits can be wiped out, and the Ministry of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty will have more income. Only with money can things be done better.

"So, my so-called sea ban policy is wrong?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's words stumped the three of them.

(End of this chapter)