King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Chapter 128 Wu Qingchen was arrested! A big fight between the royal guards and horses!
  Zhu Tan smiled and said: "That's it! I didn't expect that the profits of maritime merchants are so meager! You all risked beheading just for double the profits!"

Everyone laughed awkwardly.

"Yes, Your Highness! It's not easy for us either. We go to sea for a year and a half at a time. This little money is hard-earned money."

"Your Highness, it's not easy for everyone. It's been difficult for us all these years, being a pirate as well as a Japanese pirate!"

"If it weren't for the livelihood of my family, I wouldn't go to sea at all!"

Zhu Tan sighed.

"I see! It's not easy for you guys either."

The words fell.

Everyone nodded wildly!

He even looked happy!

Because they know.

Under normal circumstances, when the other party agrees with you like this, it basically means that the matter is done!

Zhu Tan nodded and said: "Since it is not easy for everyone, I also sympathize with you that it is not easy for you!

Then, the next price of salt will be easy to negotiate! "

When Lin Shangping and others heard this, their faces showed ecstasy!
  Afterwards, everyone looked at Zhu Tan expectantly!

It seems that there is hope for eight cents of silver per pound of salt!

If this is the case, the profit of a boatload of salt from going to sea this time will be fifty or even a hundred times!

Nowadays, shipbuilding technology is quite good.

The ships of these maritime merchant families even have a displacement of 1,000 tons, and the load of a ship can even reach two million kilograms.

In other words, if a large ship of salt is transported out, it can bring back millions of taels of profit!

Zhu Tan said with a smile: "I originally thought that you can make a lot of money from this overseas trade! Therefore, I also want to take a share and let you play with me!
  After all, if I want to monopolize the profit of so much silver, I don’t have that much capital!

It seems to be okay now.

In this way, I sell you a boatload of salt and directly give you double the profit!

For example, if a ship of salt costs one million jin, and the cost is four cents per catty, I will give you a profit of 40,000 taels of silver.

In this case, there is no risk for you!
  No matter whether you make or lose, it's all on me!

All the proceeds from selling salt when the ship goes out to sea and the goods brought back belong to the king!
  how is it?

Is this king generous? "

The words fell.

Everyone fell into a deathly silence.

just now.

No one knows whether Zhu Tan is smart or stupid!
  Call him smart.
  He was actually willing to cover the losses and bear the risks himself!

Call him stupid
  Doesn’t this screw everyone up?
  Obviously there is a profit of one million taels of silver on a ship, but you have to buy it out for 40,000 taels!
  Lin Shangping laughed dryly.

"Your Highness! This is inappropriate."

Zhu Tan smiled.

"It may not be suitable for me, but it is very suitable for you! Let's settle it! You go back and arrange the ships, and I will hand over the salt with one hand and the silver with the other!"

Lin Shangping said bitterly: "You villain, how could you be so virtuous? How dare you let Your Highness do a loss-making business!"

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "As long as I am willing!"

talking.

He looked at Lin Shangping with bright eyes.

Only then did Lin Shangping realize.

This Zhu Tan is not trying to make a loss-making business!
  He clearly guessed that overseas profits were huge and he was deliberately amusing himself!
  Lin Shangping smiled bitterly.

"Your Highness! You'd better stop joking! The villain is guilty!"

Zhu Tan sneered: "Tell me the truth!"

Lin Shangping laughed dryly.

Finally, Zhu Tan and I described the situation in overseas markets.
  For example, there is a kind of caramel produced in Champa country.

In the Ming Dynasty, there was no market price in the country. 100 taels of silver per catty were in short supply.

But in Champa State, the highest purchase price was only five taels of silver.

Agarwood from the Jiuzhou Mountains in Nanyang cost 30 taels of silver per side in the Ming Dynasty, but over there, if the local indigenous people had a full meal, they could carry hundreds or even thousands of square meters of it.
  As for the domestic products of the Ming Dynasty, such as porcelain, each piece cost only a few cents of silver, but when sold overseas, it cost only one tael of silver each, and demand exceeded supply!

Silk, ironware, and tea are all in similar situations.

As long as you sell it overseas, you can make a lot of money!
  When Zhu Tan heard this, he couldn't help but frown.

One last sigh.

"Damn it! No wonder I was able to steal tens of millions of taels of silver from those Japanese pirates! All the things they snatched from the Ming Dynasty were sold to the East, Nanyang, and the West!
  They make a lot of profits, no, they make a lot of profits without any money! "

Lin Shangping smiled bitterly and said: "These Japanese pirates have indeed formed a competitive relationship with us!

What they got had almost no cost, and they were just paying for it with some human lives!
  But in recent years, Japan, a small country, has actually been able to split into two parts, the north and the south!
  At the same time, there are hundreds of famous names distributed on various islands, and everyone is a grass-head king!

In fact, every so-called war between each other is almost like a fight between two villages!

No, there are more people fighting in our Daming village than there are wars between their famous names!
  In this case, there are defeated wandering samurai everywhere, generally we call them ronin!

These wanderers had nowhere to go and usually went to join the Japanese pirates.

Therefore, the most important thing for those Japanese pirates is human life!

Those ronin are very powerful, do things recklessly, and have a lot of energy!

The Japanese pirates were usually commanded secretly by the Han people from behind, allowing the rogues to charge to their deaths. In the end, all the benefits went to the Han people!
  Those Japanese pirates just scratched the surface!
  Ugh.
  Those Japanese pirates are much more happy to sell goods than us. After all, they are doing business without capital.

Under normal circumstances, if there are Japanese pirates selling goods locally, we will definitely not go there. "

Zhu Tan smiled.

It seems that these Fujian businessmen are also full of resentment towards the Japanese pirates!

Of course, Zhu Tan also knew that these Fujian merchants were not good people.

Maybe they were also involved in the Japanese pirates along the coast of Fujian.

After all, if they didn't have two brushes and no force to protect them on the vast sea, wouldn't they just go out like that and become lambs to be slaughtered?
  Zhu Tan looked at everyone.

He smiled and said: "Since you all told the truth, you might as well tell me how much you plan to give me?"

Lin Shangping thought for a while and asked tentatively: "Otherwise, what about 37?"

Giving up 30% to Zhu Tan already made him heartbroken.

After all, the profit of two to three million taels a year would be close to one million taels in three years.

This is just money from the Lin family!

If we include the share between other families and Zhu Tan, I am afraid that Zhu Tan can earn a net income of two to three million yuan a year without doing anything except providing a little salt!

Zhu Tan frowned and said, "How come it's only 70%? My salt is so good and sold overseas. It's widely sold and sells well. Why do you only give me 70%?"

Lin Shangping almost fainted when he heard Zhu Tan's words!
  What do you mean by giving you 70%?
  Did I say 30%?
  Don't you know how much you should get?

Your Highness, King Lu, only provided salt, but we need to organize large ships to go to sea and bear the risk of facing Japanese pirates and pirates!

At the same time, we have to work hard to sell and receive goods, and all the investment in the process is borne by us!
  Your Highness, Prince Lu, is just waiting to get the money. If it were anyone else, it would be impossible to get such a share as today!
  Giving 10% to 20% is already considered generous.

Normally, everyone buys it at the original price and sells it overseas at a high price. Now you can get 30% because the product is good and you are a prince!
  finally.

An agreement was reached between Haishang and Zhu Tan!
  The profits were equally divided between Zhu Tan and the merchants.

Although Zhu Tan took advantage of it, it had to be said that it was because his goods were so good that many maritime merchants were willing to take advantage of him.

In the first batch, Zhutan sold five million kilograms of salt to maritime merchants.

I even got 30% of the payment in advance!
  The final price is also attractive enough.

One pound of salt, two taels of silver!
  On that day, Zhu Tan accepted treasure notes worth three million taels!

What made him even more profitable was that Zhu Tan successfully obtained information about Shanxi businessman Wu Qingchen.

Yangtze River Estuary.

A small inn.

It's called Yundu Inn.

at this time.

Suddenly 500 sergeants were surrounded!

Next to Zhu Tan's sedan chair.

At this time, Xu Zengshou, the military commander of the Five Cities, was riding a horse, with a worried face, and said to Zhu Tan: "Your Highness, we have agreed that I will help you mobilize the patrol sergeants, and you will give me three days' leave!"

Zhu Tan nodded and said: "Don't worry! I promise you that I will give you three days' leave!"

Before Xu Zengshou entered Hengzhong Academy, he worked in the Wucheng Bingma Division and was a city patrol officer.

Zhu Tan knew that this kid was prospering in the Wucheng Army Division, so he immediately ran to Hengzhong Academy to find him out, and asked him to bring someone to help him arrest Wu Qingchen!
  Xu Zengshou finally got a three-day holiday in exchange for mobilizing 500 sergeants.

Now seeing that Zhu Tan has really fulfilled his promise, Xu Zengshou couldn't help but burst into tears.

“Finally a holiday!

Finally got three days off!
  It’s been a month!
  Your Highness, do you know how I spent this month in Hengzhong Academy?
  There are limits on the number of times you can eat and use the toilet.
  Any disagreement is a whip!
  Now I have nightmares memorizing the Four Books and Five Classics."

Zhu Tan frowned and said: "You are suffering, and those who compete with you are suffering more than you! If you don't work harder now, you will be caught up by others in the future, and you will be the one to regret it! You..."

Xu Zengshou said hurriedly: "Stop! Your Highness, please stop talking! If you keep talking, I will feel guilty even if I take this vacation."
  I'm sorry for my father, I'm sorry for the court, I'm sorry for Hengzhong Academy
  But I just want to take a rest, I'm really exhausted! "

suddenly.

Outside the inn.

There was a burst of noise!

"Bold! What troops dare to provoke the Jin Yiwei!"

The words fell.

Outside the inn, there was a crash!
  From nowhere, dozens of Jin Yiwei gathered in an instant.

Everyone pressed their hands on the hilt of the knife, and the first hundred households were scolding fiercely!
  the other side.

Xu Zengshou frowned and said: "What Jin Yiwei! Why have I never seen this in the filing documents of the Five Cities Military and Horse Division! Whether you are true or false has yet to be verified!

Come here, take them down and then screen them! "

The hundred households were immediately anxious when they heard this!
  "That's unreasonable! Of course we are serious! If you don't believe me, just look at my badge!"

Said. Reach out.

Show off your belt!
  Xu Zengshou took it in his hand and after seeing it clearly, he immediately hesitated.

He couldn't help but look at Zhu Tan and said: "Your Highness! He seems to be a real guy! The ones guarding this inn are real Jinyi guards!"

Zhu Tan frowned and said: "What happened to Jin Yiwei? If you can't solve this problem, how can you deserve to be a student of Hengzhong Academy!"
  Do you still want to take a vacation now? Be careful if I go back!
  Be careful when I grow up, the Academy of Fate will give you an extra hour of class every day! "

When Xu Zengshou heard Zhu Tan's words, his eyes became firm.

He suddenly hid the badges of Baihu.

He yelled: "You say you are a royal guard, but show us evidence!"

Those hundreds of households were instantly dumbfounded!
  Didn’t I just give you the evidence?

That Baihu waist card is still in the hands of a young general like you, why do you need evidence now?

He couldn't help but said: "Didn't I just give you my belt?"

Xu Zengshou frowned and said: "Waist badge? What waist badge! How come I haven't seen it before!"
  Someone come!

Take down this group of madmen pretending to be Jin Yiwei!

Check this inn by the way!

See if there are any other criminals, and take them all! "

The words fell.

The hundred households couldn't help but shouted: "Let's see who dares!"

talking.

He took the lead and pulled out the long knife in his hand.

Swish swish--!
  Behind the hundred households, many imperial guards also drew their swords!

Xu Zengshou was afraid that Zhu Tan would give him "make-up lessons" every day, and it was true when he saw this scene.

Immediately shouted: "Brothers, who is afraid of these fake Jinyiwei! Show them to me, let them see, our Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division is not easy to mess with!"

Crash-!
  The sergeants of the Wucheng Army and Horse Division also showed off their weapons!

Compared to Jin Yiwei.

Regular sergeants are all wearing armor and carrying various weapons. If there is a real fight.

Even the Jin Yiwei, who are very skilled in martial arts, will definitely lose!

The regular army is a regular army after all. Even if they are of the same number, the Jin Yiwei may not be their opponent.

What's more, now they are still crushed ten times in number.

For a while.

Dozens of Jin Yiwei and 500 sergeants from the Five Cities Military and Horse Division confronted each other.

Both sides hold sharp blades and refuse to give in to each other!
  Seeing that Baihu and Xu Zengshou's eyes became more and more fierce.

A war is about to break out!

suddenly.

A sharp shout sounded!
  "Slow down! Don't use weapons rashly!
  At the feet of the emperor! Anyone who uses swordsmanship will be killed! Leave it all to me! "

While talking.

Dozens of riders rushed here desperately.

The dust is flying and the momentum is amazing!
  The leader was riding a black-maned horse and wearing black brocade clothes. He had a resolute face, a high nose, and electric eyes.

Zhu Tan opened the sedan curtain and recognized this person instantly.

It is none other than the current Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, Jiang Ying!
  Jiang Wei walked closer.

He looked at Xu Zengshou coldly.

"Xu Xiaowei! I am the Commander of the Imperial Guards, Jiang Ying!"

You brought troops here, but under the orders of the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division? Give it to me!
  Otherwise, I will take you down today for the crime of unauthorized use of troops! "

Xu Zengshou had long recognized the famous Commander Shi of the Imperial Guard City in front of him.

Upon hearing his words, the blood all over his body suddenly ran cold!

Where did he get the command of the Five Cities Military and Horse Division?
  Seeing the arrival of their boss, the hundred households were extremely happy and immediately complained angrily: "Master Jiang! Then the captain also hid the official's badge!"

Jiang Wei snorted and said angrily: "Bring it here!"

Xu Zengshou laughed dryly.

If he handed it back to Jiang Wei, wouldn't it prove that he was acting rogue?

But if you don't pay.
  That is even more inappropriate!
  Jinyiwei is now in the Hongwu Dynasty and has a fierce reputation.

Even his own father did not dare to offend Jiang Yu easily.

suddenly.

A young man's voice sounded faintly.

“If you have it, you have it, if you don’t have it, you don’t have it!

Since you just said you didn't see Jin Yiwei's waistband, where can you get it to Mr. Jiang now? "

Hear this sound.

Xu Zengshou instantly became energetic!
  What happened to Jiang Yu?
  What happened to Jin Yiwei?
  No matter how powerful you are, can you still be more powerful than the prince?
  Now that His Royal Highness King Lu is personally supporting him, there is nothing to be afraid of!

Xu Zengshou immediately straightened his back and said, "That's right!

I haven't seen any badges, how can I give them to you? Mr. Jiang, although you are a senior official, you still have to be reasonable! "

Jiang Wei's expression suddenly changed!
  He also recognized this young man's voice, it turned out to be His Royal Highness King Lu!
  The hundreds of Jin Yiwei families were so angry at what Xu Zengshou said!
  Why is this person so young and acting like a rogue?

Xu Zengshou’s face was full of pride!
  The waist straightened countless times in an instant.

Now I refuse to admit my fault, what can you do to me?
  suddenly.

Xu Zengshou felt a slip in his waist.

Ding--!
  Just now, the waistband used by the Jin Yiwei Hundred Households to prove his identity fell from Xu Zengshou's waist.

It fell to the ground.

It makes the sound of gold and iron.

moment.

Everyone on the field looked at Xu Zengshou!

Zhu Tan covered his face.

I don’t know such a bad student!
  Xu Zengshou grinned and suddenly said: "Who did this? You are so brave, how can you put your belt in front of me to frame me?

This is really unreasonable!

Don't let me find out who he is, otherwise he will be cut into pieces."

Jiang Wei's mouth twitched.

He knew this Xu Zengshou.

The youngest son of Wei Guogong is also considered to be the number one person among Yingtian's dandies.

At least with Jin Yiwei, he is considered worthy.

Didn't it mean that he was imprisoned in Hengzhong Academy and tortured?
  Why was he released again?

It's so silly to act like this right after it was released!
  His character is really unlike Duke Wei.
  suddenly.

Jiang Wei's expression turned bitter again.

Yes!

There is clearly someone behind this person, so he can naturally be released from Hengzhong Academy.

Jiang Wei hurriedly dismounted and saluted: "Jiang Wei, please see His Royal Highness King Lu!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the royal guards behind him dismounted and saluted, "See His Highness King Lu!"

Zhu Tan smiled and got off the sedan.

Look at Jiang Wei.

"Master Jiang, no courtesy!"

Jiang Wei stood up but had not yet reacted.

Zhu Tan said calmly: "In accordance with His Majesty's imperial decree, I investigate the case of Shanxi merchant Wu Qingchen!
  We are going to search this inn now. Please ask Commander Chiang to take your people away! Don't interfere with my work! "

The words fell.

Jiang Wei looked embarrassed.

He couldn't help but said: "Your Highness, the people detained in this inn are imperial prisoners! What you did is against the rules."

Zhu Tan sneered.

"Is it just right for you to do this and keep me in the dark? What a wonderful double act!
  Take your people and get out of here!
  Otherwise, this king will kill you, Commander Jiang, even if he is punished by his father! Do you believe it or not? "

After the words fell, Jiang Wei was shocked all over!
  He didn't dare not believe Zhu Tan's words!

The vassal kings in the early years of Hongwu were different from the bully princes in later generations.

At that time, neither the civil servants nor the military commanders cared much about the feudal king.

What's more, the dignified imperial guards are all in command. They are the emperor's close ministers and the emperor's minions.

If you want to deal with a vassal king, it is very simple, just collect or simply create some evidence of their rebellion!
  Sometimes, for the emperor, an impeachment memorial can bring down these vassal kings and demote them to common people!
  But now, these vassal kings are the most noble people in the Ming Dynasty!
  Not only did these people dominate the vassal territory, but even when they entered the court, no one dared to mess with them!
  Even if the emperor's eagle dog like Jiang Wei was really killed by Zhu Tan, it is estimated that Zhu Tan would have been scolded by Lao Zhu at most!
  Think of this.

Jiang Wei couldn't help but said bitterly: "Your Highness! I am also working for Your Majesty, so why do you have to push me so hard?"

Zhu Tan sneered and said, "Master Jiang, are you going to give in or not?"

Jiang Wei shook his head, and his eyes became firm.

He just sighed: "Your Highness! I cannot give in! If I give in, the consequences will be worse than death!"

Zhu Tan smiled.

"When Mr. Jiang set up the trap, did he ever think about today?

Now you know it's worse than death? "

Jiang Wei said with difficulty: "Your Highness, I have my own difficulties."

Zhu Tan shouted sharply: "Jiang Wei! I ask you! Is the person locked up in this inn named Wu Qingchen?"

Jiang Wei swallowed his saliva and said bitterly: "Back to Your Highness, yes"

(End of this chapter)