Dragon Sea Empire

After all, Zeng Qi was an official in the Ming Dynasty, and the Confucian concept of loyalty to the emperor could not be shaken off by Confucian scholars who had participated in the imperial examinations. He did not want the Chinese company to embark on the path of a complete break with the Ming court, but now it seems that the Chinese company has Facing the old road of Wang Zhi and other maritime merchants during the Jiajing period.

Yin Feng didn't expect Zeng Qi to give him any good ideas: "For the current plan, we really can't come up with any good solutions, we can only wait for the opportunity, but the Fujian government is too involved in overseas trade. Too much, I don't believe that an outsider like Xie Jun can do anything, we can just sit and wait for nothing to change in the government, and then we can sit back and enjoy the benefits of the fisherman."

Zeng Qi looked at him suspiciously, and shook his head in disbelief.

On the second day, Yin Feng sent an official document to the governor of Fujian in the name of the Taiwan Inspection Department, saying that the Japanese pirates had reappeared in the chicken coop area, and it was necessary to rectify the troops to prevent the Japanese. , Dagou Port (Kaohsiung in later generations) and the naval military port Xinggang, Taipei’s Chicken Coop Danshui, Luzon Island’s Cavite, and Cebu’s shipyards started building a large number of ships at the same time; including military and civilian transport sailboats ( Mainly Chinese-style Fuchuan type), gunboats and other military ships (combined Chinese and Western sailboats), fast sailboats, especially the quasi-flying shear boats-fast boats started construction at the same time as many as five, and within the jurisdiction of the Chinese company, there are nearly 100 at the same time. Construction of various ships began.

In June, the little lady Mai Waner gave birth to a son, which made the officers and officers headed by the navy generals very excited, while the merchants and civil officials headed by the Zeng family felt uneasy. Yin Feng didn't know that at this time the Zeng family Shang Xia is planning to marry another daughter of the Zeng family to him as his wife. Yin Feng has already left Taiwan and went to Manila on Luzon Island. He is worrying about the battle against the Spanish expeditionary force. Mr. Zeng Qi is in charge of Taiwan's government affairs. .

At this time, news came from the mainland: one was that Zhejiang and Fujian began to interrogate the perpetrators of the Tongwa case at the same time, the other was that Fujian Haidao deputy envoy Xie Jun was about to inspect Taiwan and Hong Kong, and the other news made people feel helpless: Ye Xiang Gao Cai, the tax envoy eunuch who Gao drove away, has returned to Fuzhou. The tax envoy eunuch is directly under the emperor, and the chief assistant Ye Xianggao has no right to dismiss Gao Cai. It was Ye Xianggao who drove Gao Cai away four months ago. He was expelled in the name of Tongwo. Although Emperor Wanli has ignored the government for a long time and has not seen courtiers for many years, this does not mean that he knows nothing about the world outside the palace. On the contrary, he uses eunuchs to monitor every move of courtiers It is well known that Emperor Wanli could not tolerate the civil service system dealing with his servants in this way. Gao Cai returned to Fuzhou with a sentence and an imperial edict handed out by the inner court.

Zeng Qi thought of what Yin Feng once said: there is discord within the government, and if there is any change, the Zhonghua Company can enjoy the benefits of the fisherman.

He immediately dredged up the relationship, got in touch with Gao Cai, bribed Gao Cai with a large sum of money, let him make trouble in Fujian, and restrained the efforts of the Fujian government to implement the sea ban policy. If gold and silver are seized from the sea merchants, then the target of the tax envoy and eunuch will be transferred to anyone in the jurisdiction of the Fujian chief envoy.

Zhonghua Company was originally sworn enemies with Gao Cai. After the Penghu War and Yin Feng’s recruitment, Zhonghua Company gave Gao Cai a fixed amount of gold and silver every year to buy peace. It has been basically peaceful for a few years. Now, when the maritime embargo policy is about to threaten the interests of both parties, Zhonghua Company and Gaocai are on the same front again.

It's just that eunuch Gao Cai's movements were too violent, beyond the imagination of Zeng Qi and the entire Fujian government.

Gao Cai, the Fujian tax inspector, was funded by the Chinese company, and built ships on the Minjiang River without authorization, and privately built two-masted sea-going ships to pass through Japan, and bought hundreds of thousands of goods to pass through Japan. Relying on plunder, all values ​​​​are not shared with the small people. As a result, the business people's resentment suddenly changed, and they made trouble at the gate of the chief minister's yamen and Gao Cai's residence.

Ding Jisi, the governor of Fujian Province, sent government officials to drive away the petitioners and rioters. Haidao's deputy envoy Xie Jun also sent people to seize the merchant ship that Gao Cai was about to go to sea.

Gao Cai was furious. He was expelled by the civil servants at the beginning of the year and lived in Nanjing. He had already accumulated a lot of grievances against the Fujian government. Now when he was furious, he completely ignored everything. The guards and hired local hooligans rushed to the streets of Fuzhou and slashed with knives, killing and injuring many debt collectors; since the Fujian government also seized his boat, he also pointed the finger at the governor's office.

Gao Cai instigates the soldiers to set off rockets, burns down the houses, and breaks into the governor's yamen. On the head, Xie Jun was inspecting Japanese ships by the Minjiang River, and Gao Cai recklessly hijacked the officials in the yamen, the Taoist government, and other officials as hostages, and violently demanded that the government return all his merchant ships to him.

This kind of behavior, which is almost banditry, was done by the eunuchs of the emperor's tax envoys. All the civil servants and military generals just couldn't deal with it. The officers and soldiers of the Fuzhou Guard were encouraged and lured by Gao Cai, and they all followed Gao Cai. Within a short period of time, the inside and outside of Fuzhou City were covered with smog, and casualties were everywhere. The losses caused were almost greater than when the Japanese pirates attacked Fuzhou City back then.

Haidao deputy envoy Xie Jun also had many soldiers who followed Eunuch Gao, but Gao Cai left a large amount of money on the spot. How could those officers and soldiers who owed their wages for many days not be jealous? Of course, these white money It was secretly given to Gao Cai by the Chinese company.

On the third day, there seemed to be a mutiny around the city of Fuzhou. Soldiers ran rampant everywhere. The merchant ships along the Minjiang River were snatched back by Gao Cai's people. Xie Jun fled to Quanzhou in embarrassment. Officers held hostage.

The business hall of Zhonghua Company-Huaxing United was also hit by disaster. The gate was burned down by rebels, and a group of rebels rushed into the business hall in an attempt to rob. Xu Xinsu, who was secretly handling the liaison with Gao Cai, was in the hall, and the guards assigned to him showed up. The Chinese company's Chinese flag on a blue background, and pointed at the rebels with a dozen matchlock guns. At this moment, a sentry officer of the Funing Guard stood up and stopped the rebellious soldiers who were about to move. Didn’t you see that this is a friend from Taiwan? We’ll have to rely on them for food in the future. Stop making trouble and go to Xue’s house in Nancheng. Their house is full of gold and silver.”

Most of the Funingwei soldiers had participated in the battle of Penghu Island. Knowing the strength of the Zhonghua Company, they all came to their senses at this moment. After looking at each other, they turned and left. With a smile on his forehead, he said softly: "Boss Lin Xiao and I are old acquaintances. He brought me a message, saying that I, Funing Wei Jiangping, are waiting for his arrival."

Xu Xinsu let out a long breath, and a guard beside him asked him suspiciously: "Boss Xu, what does this person mean?"

"It's one of my own, probably a hidden pile of Lin Xiao's business and intelligence department," Xu Xinsu said with a sneer, "I didn't expect this eunuch Gao to be so bold as to kidnap all the officials of the governor's yamen. There are too many robberies at sea." He turned his head and said to the shopkeeper who was still in shock: "Sooner or later, this matter will involve our company, and you should immediately transfer all the funds and personnel of the Fuzhou Commercial Center to Quanzhou Prefecture."

That night, the rebels attacked the mansions of Fuzhou rich merchants Xue Mingqi and Xue Rugang, burned down their mansions, looted a large amount of gold and silver treasures, and killed Xue's housekeeper. It was Ye Xianggao's cousin and uncle.

This incident soon became known all over the country. University scholars Ye Xianggao, Fang Congzhe, Yao Yongji, and Guo Shangbin successively impeached Gao Cai. After the memorial was submitted, there was only one result: "no report", that is to say, there is no news up.

At the same time, the party struggles in the imperial court began again. Numerous officials attacked Ye Xianggao for not being able to employ people, which led to chaos in Fuzhou.

This incident happened in October of this year, Governor Ding Jisi was dismissed, Haidao's deputy envoy Xie Jun was also dismissed, and both sides of the party dispute dismissed one person each. The turmoil gradually subsided, but the protagonist Gao Cai who caused the turmoil was still acting as a threat in Fuzhou City blessing.

The new governor Yuan Yiji, according to Xu Jian, the procuratorate, had no intention of implementing the maritime ban policy at all, and was busy dealing with Gao Cai, and the maritime ban policy had not been strengthened in Fujian, but it had existed in name only.

There is also someone in the Fujian Chief Secretary who wants to seriously enforce the sea ban, that is Fujian Xingquan Taoist King Zai Jin. This person was once famous in the original history.

However, the area around Quanzhou Prefecture is completely controlled by the Chinese company. The servants of the government office, the soldiers of the guards, and the officers and soldiers of the Shuizhai Navy all get two salaries; The other one was issued by the government, but it was never paid in full, and it was never issued in time. Moreover, the navy officers and soldiers near Quanzhou were secretly under the jurisdiction of the Chinese company's navy, so he could not mobilize any manpower or troops to come. perform tasks.

During this time, Yin Feng was in Luzon Island, so Zeng Qi was in charge of Taiwan's government affairs. His plan was basically a success, and the Fujian government could not implement any sea ban measures in a short period of time.

However, Chinese companies in Zhejiang and Guangdong do not have such strong influence and political resources as in Fujian. Therefore, except for Fujian, the coastal areas have begun to implement the sea ban policy more seriously. Hangzhou, Taizhou, Guangzhou, Zhaoqing The Chinese companies in other places - Huaxing Lianhao Shops have been seized. Finally, Huaxing Bank and ticket offices involved too many funds of government insiders, so they were not affected.

According to Yin Feng's prior arrangements, the Chinese company's navy took resolute measures against those officials and businessmen who took the opportunity to break the monopoly of the Chinese company's sea route.